New York City Department of Buildings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New York City Department of Buildings |
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1972 |
| Preceding Agency | New York City Housing and Development Administration |
| Headquarters | 280 Broadway, 7th floor New York, NY 10007 |
| Employees | 1,100 |
| Agency Executive | Patricia J. Lancaster, Commissioner |
| Website | |
| http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/ | |
The New York City Department of Buildings is the branch of municipal government in New York City that enforces the City's building codes and zoning regulations, issues building permits, and inspects new and existing buildings.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
Building and construction regulations have existed in New York City since its early days as New Amsterdam in the 1600's. A "Superintendent of Buildings" position was created within the Fire Department in 1860, in response to the Elm Street Fire on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, which killed 20 people.[2][3][4] The first Buildings Department was created in Manhattan in 1892. In 1901 the New York State Legislature passed the Tenement Housing Act of 1901, which established a city Tenement Housing Department, including a Buildings Bureau and a Bureau of Inspection.[5]. A city-wide Department of Buildings though did not exist until 1936.[2]
The Department has been restructured numerous times during its existence, and the present Department of Buildings dates from 1972, when the Housing and Development Administration was split into the Department of Buildings and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.[2]
[edit] Organization
The Department of Buildings has separate offices for each City Borough, each handling permitting and enforcement for that part of the City. Each office is overseen by a Borough Commissioner and one or more Deputy Borough Commissioners. At the senior level, a Commissioner and Deputies report directly to the Mayor.
The Department has a staff of 1,100, including Plan Examiners who review building plans and permit applications, and 426 Building Inspectors[6] who visit existing buildings and new construction to ensure safety and compliance with laws and regulations. The Department issues 110,000 work permits annually, and performs 324,000 inspections each year.[7]
The acting commissioner is Robert LiMandri, who was installed after the resignation of Patricia J. Lancaster, appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2002.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ About the Buildings Department. New York City Department of Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
- ^ a b c The History of the New York City Department of Buildings. New York City Department of Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
- ^ "THE ELM-STREET FIRE.; Scene at the Ruins--A List of the Wounded and Missing. TENEMENT BUILDING MAN-TRAPS.", New York Times, (1860-02-04)
- ^ Kernan, J. Frank (1885). Reminiscences of the Old Fire Laddies and Volunteer Fire Departments of New York and Brooklyn. M. Crane, 223.
- ^ Plunz, Richard (1990). A History of Housing in New York City. Columbia University Press, 47-49.
- ^ Dwyer, Jim (2008-03-19), Construction Is Up, Inspectors Down. Guess What?, The New York Times, <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/nyregion/19about.htm>. Retrieved on 19 March 2008
- ^ 2006-2009 Strategic Plan. New York City Department of Buildings. Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
