New York, NY - Council Members Suggest Jail for Building Code Violators

New York, NY - A City Council committee is considering legislation to boost fines for violators of certain sections of the building code - a push the Bloomberg administration endorsed during a hearing.

"Construction is just out of control in this city," Council Member Tony Avella of Queens said.
Several members of the Housing and Buildings Committee also urged the administration to enforce the building code with the help of police, and to seek jail time for the most flagrant violators. "Listen, I don't like to throw anybody in jail, to see anyone go to jail. But if that's what it's going to take to make these developers and contractors pay attention, to respect the community, then that's what we have to do," Council Member Domenic Recchia Jr. said.
Fining and jailing contractors who flagrantly violate the law would "give some teeth to the buildings department and some oomph to the penalties," Council Member Lewis Fidler said.

The prospect that contractors could face prison unnerved a lawyer for the New York City Demolition Contractors' Association, Irwin Echtman, who said criminal penalties could be unfair because violation notices are sometimes inadequately served. Mr. Echtman, who said members of the association handle about 80% of city demolition, urged committee members to change the way notices are served if they want to introduce criminal charges.