A building that the NYC Department of Buildings has deemed unsafe, will automatically incur an Unsafe Building Violation, or UB violation. Unsafe is usually defined as a building that’s a danger to public safety, and can be due to one or more of the following:
- The building is open
- The building is unoccupied
- It’s unguarded
- It’s structurally compromised
Is this serious? In short, yes, but fortunately, there are some ways to remedy this and make a building safe again through demolition, repair, and sealing.
However, this kind of work will always need to be carried out by a skilled and experienced violations removal company operating within your locality.
The Department of Buildings in NYC has issued a document Technical Policy and Procedural Notice #2/01 or TPPN #2/01 outlining the procedure for the remedy and clearing of a building they’ve deemed unsafe, and below we look at the 3 options for doing this, in a little more detail:
Demolishing an unsafe building
It might be cheaper or more practical to demolish an unsafe building, depending upon your personal circumstances, and to do so, you’ll need an architect or engineer to make a Demolition Filing. Before the UB violation can be cleared, the Department of Buildings will need to sign it off.
Repairing an unsafe building
It’s often possible for an unsafe building to be repaired with the help of an architect or engineer to file an Alteration Type 1 or Type 2 with the DOB. Again, before the violation can be removed, the work that was carried out must be inspected and signed off by the DOB.
Sealing an unsafe building
Depending upon the structural stability of an unsafe building (and the DOB must inspect it to determine this), it might be possible to seal it once all debris likely to combust has been removed from inside it and the utilities cut off. Sealing the building’s exterior must be done so in strict accordance with local requirements.
Why unsafe buildings violations should be tackled with professional help
If a building that you own has been deemed unsafe by the Department of Buildings, then you’ll never be able to do anything with it until the violation has been removed. You’ll almost always need professional guidance when doing this, or you risk making the problem worse, and incurring even more violation notices, or perhaps more worryingly, cause harm to an innocent person.
Do note that NYC building codes and protocols can be extremely complex, and the advice given above by no means covers every aspect of an unsafe building and how to remove the violation. For more detailed guidance about the removal of any building’s violations in NYC, it’s recommended to speak to a construction company who deal with these on a regular basis, and who can rectify the problem for you with minimal fuss and expense.