In 1998, a law went into effect in New York City in order to prevent buildings from falling into unsafe disrepair. This law is called the Facade Inspection and Safety Program, otherwise known as Local Law 11 (FISP), and it applies to all buildings higher than six stories. It was created as an update to a previous law, Local Law 10, which was made in response to a tragic incident where a Barnard student was killed by some terra cotta falling off a nearby building. Considering New York City has so many buildings ranging from historical to modern, it’s important that every building maintains a level of safety to prevent such an incident from happening again.
Local Law 11 states that every building more than six stories high must have an exterior inspection done, including walls, facade, and any exterior components attached to the building, every five years. Compliance is not a choice, so it’s important for all building owners and managers to set aside the time and finances required to have proper inspections and repairs done.
There are three elements to following the terms of Local Law 11.
If your building is more than six stories high, make sure you have inspections every five years. These inspections are performed by certified engineers trained to determine if there are any unsafe elements of the building’s exterior that need fixing. The engineer will make recommendations on what needs to be repaired.
You will then have to file a report of the engineer’s findings to the Department of Buildings. These reports are filed electronically, and they help the city track how safe each building is in NYC.
If the city determines your building needs repairs done in order to remain in compliance with Local Law 11, you will need to hire professionals to make those repairs. You usually have a deadline by when the repairs need to be finished, after which you will have another inspection to make sure your building is now in compliance.
At Skyrise Restoration Group, we can tackle any building repair you need so that your building stays safe and in compliance with Local Law 11, even before you have an inspection done.
There’s no need to wait until your inspection from the city before making necessary repairs to your building. If there’s an area of your building that looks to be in rough shape, it’s better to repair it right away than to wait until the city finds out about it. The cost of repairs only goes up when an issue has been sitting for a while, and small problems frequently lead to larger (and more expensive) ones over time.
At Skyrise Restoration Group, we can tackle any building repair you need so that your building stays safe and in compliance with Local Law 11, even before you have an inspection done. This way, when the city’s engineer comes by for your five year inspection, your building will be determined safe. If it is determined that your building needs repairs in order to be compliant, our team will get the job done skillfully and within the time frame required so you don’t run into any issues with the city.
Secondly, the more you keep up with repairs and maintenance on your building, the higher your building’s value will be. Buildings that remain in excellent shape and in constant compliance with FISP are more desirable to buyers and tenants. Our professionals are experts at repairing and restoring buildings of any age to keep them safe, strong, and looking their best.
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