Int. No. 1906
By Council Members Rodriguez, Yeger, Borelli and Carr
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of transportation to notify property owners ordered to repair sidewalks of existing department plans to make repairs on same sidewalks
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision c of section 19-152 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 120 for the year 2018, is amended to read as follows:
c. Whenever the department shall determine that a sidewalk flag should be installed, constructed, reconstructed, or repaved, or that a vacant lot should be fenced, or a sunken lot filled or a raised lot cut down, it may order the owner of the property abutting on such sidewalk flag or the owner of such vacant, sunken or raised lot by issuing a violation order to perform such work. Such order shall provide a detailed explanation of the inspection and the sidewalk defects according to sidewalk flags including a detailed diagram of the property and defects by type. The order shall also inform the owner of the existence of the borough offices within the department together with an explanation of the procedures utilized by the borough office as provided for in paragraph eighteen of subdivision a of section twenty-nine hundred three of the New York city charter as well as a complaint and appeal process, including the right to request a reinspection and then the right to appeal by filing a notice of claim with the office of the comptroller of the city of New York and thereafter a petition for appeal and commence a proceeding to review and/or correct the notice of account and/or the quality of the work performed under the direction of or by the department as provided herein and the procedures as to how to appeal by filing a notice of claim with the office of the comptroller of the city of New York and how to file a petition and commence a proceeding to review and/or correct the notice of account and/or the quality of the work performed as provided herein and the location where the forms may be obtained. Such order shall specify the work to be performed, an estimate of the cost of the work to repair the defects and the order shall also specify a reasonable time for compliance, provided that the time for compliance shall be a minimum of 75 days. The department shall, by appropriate regulations, provide for a reinspection by a different departmental inspector than the inspector that conducted the first or original inspection upon request of the property owner to the appropriate borough office. Where appropriate, the department shall notify the property owner of the date of reinspection at least five days prior to the reinspection date. Such inspector conducting the reinspection shall conduct an independent inspection of the property without access to the reports from the first inspection. The inspector conducting the reinspection shall file a new report and the department shall issue a new order to the owner specifying the results of the reinspection with a detailed diagram of the property and defects by type. Such order shall also advise the owner of the procedures utilized by the borough office as provided for in paragraph eighteen of subdivision a of section twenty-nine hundred three of the New York city charter and also of the right to challenge the notice of account and/or the quality of the work performed by filing a notice of claim with the office of the comptroller and thereafter a petition and commence a proceeding to review and/or correct the notice of account and/or the quality of the work performed under the direction of or by the department as provided in sections 19-152.2 and 19-152.3 of the code and specify the procedures as to how to appeal by filing a notice of claim with the office of the comptroller of the city of New York and how to file a petition and commence a proceeding to review and/or correct the notice of account and/or the quality of the work performed and the location where the forms may be obtained. Prior to issuing an order pursuant to this subdivision, the department shall determine if either the department or the department of parks and recreation has any existing plans to install, construct, reconstruct, repave or repair a sidewalk flag which is the subject of the order, and if such plans exist, the order must notify the owner of such plans, except if work pursuant to such plans is scheduled to commence within 90 days then the department shall not issue such order.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
DFC
LS # 8568
December 6, 2018, 10:30 a.m.