Check out Decoder’s highlights from the past year.

2021 saw the resurgence of construction in New York City after a shutdown and phased reopening in 2020. As the industry came back, we also saw some historic and substantial changes to the NYC Construction Codes, from streamlined digital filing processes to new requirements in worker safety, green energy, tenant protection, and more.

Decoder has been following through it all, but have you? Read below for our top articles of the past year.

Keeping House: New Penalties for Multiple Dwelling Violations

In order to reinforce tenant protection in New York City, as of March 4, 2021, applications for initial work permits will be denied to multiple-dwelling residences with a certain ratio of hazardous, unresolved Housing Maintenance Code and/or Construction Code violations. Landlords will now be unable to obtain new permits until the issues are resolved and corrected, except where required to correct a violation or certain select circumstances.

Read more here.

Change in Procedure: Minor Plan Changes Now Require Post-Approval Amendments

As of March 15, 2021, you will need to submit a Post-Approval Amendment (PAA) for any minor plan change on an approved project. Solo AI-1 forms can no longer be submitted post-approval in eFiling for minor changes, unless submitted as part of a PAA in DOB: Now.

Learn how to submit Post-Approval Amendments here.

Redefining Moment: Proposed Local Laws Expand “Major Building” Status and Safety Requirements

In April 2021, five new construction safety bills were proposed by the New York City Council, in response to efforts to increase site safety for workers. The biggest potential law would lower the minimum height for a major building from 10 stories to 7 stories, opening up hundreds of existing buildings and work sites to be considered major buildings – with all the safety requirements that entails.

Please note: Four of the five safety bills, including the major buildings bill, were passed on November 10, 2021.

Read our original coverage here.

Taking Ownership: Updates on the Property Ownership Certification Form

For New Building and Alteration-CO application types created on or after August 16, 2021, whoever is listed as the property owner in the NYC Department of Finance records will be required to submit this form to verify whether they owe more than $25k in covered arrears to the City of New York.

We covered the new Property Ownership Certification form a couple of times in 2021, so make sure you read the latest version here.

New Year, New Codes: Major Construction Code Updates for 2022

On October 7, 2021, the NYC Department of Buildings approved an overhaul to the NYC Construction Code that includes 600 major updates and thousands of smaller code changes spread across the NYC Administrative, Plumbing, Building, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. The amendments add up to the most comprehensive update of the city codes since 2014, and are due to go into effect starting in 2022.

Learn about featured updates and what to expect here.

With so many changes, recent and upcoming, it may be hard to navigate your projects through the minefield of potential setbacks and violations.

The experts at Outsource Consultants can help you handle all aspects of your project, from checking code compliance and obtaining permits to resolving violations. Please contact us to learn about our range of services for your next project.

And to stay up to date on the latest building code news, we hope you continue to follow Decoder in the new year.