Council Members and community advocates rally outside City Hall in late April to promote zero waste initiatives. The Council approved the Zero Waste Act on June 8th. Image Credit: William Alatriste/NYC Council Media Unit.
Residents will be required to sort out organic waste, like recycling. On June 8, 2023, the City Council voted to approve the Zero Waste Act, a package of bills aimed at reducing the amount of organic waste in landfills. The Zero Waste Act consists of five bills, including the creation of a mandatory organic waste curbside collection program. (more…)
Image credit: New York City Council.
The bill reduces or eliminates some fines. On June 17, 2021, the City Council voted to pass a bill that reduces fines and allows opportunities to remedy certain violations for 185 civil penalties. Int. No. 2233-A, sponsored by Council Member Vanessa Gibson, provides civil penalty relief from 185 different sanitation, health, transportation, consumer affairs, noise control and buildings violations. (more…)
Developers violating stop-work orders now subject to greater fines, jail time. The City Council unanimously approved two bills, increasing the penalties for violating stop work orders or undertaking illegal demolition work on one- and two-family homes. Council Speaker Christine Quinn explained that the changes would improve construction safety by deterring builders from working without proper permits. Council Member Vincent Gentile noted that builders would no longer be able to write off fines and penalties as a cost of doing business.
The Council raised the fines for failing to comply with a stop-work order from a flat $500 per violation to an incremental structure with a $2,000 fine for the first violation, $5,000 for the second, and $10,000 for each additional violation. The penalties must be paid before the Department of Buildings will allow work to continue. (more…)
Image credit: New York City Council.
The bill enables inspectors to check if violations have been issued in the past. On November 23, 2021, the City Council passed Int. 167 B-2018, a bill aimed at providing small businesses with relief from hefty fines and penalties for certain violations by making it easier for agencies to issue first-time warnings. The bill was sponsored by Council Member Alan Maisel. (more…)
Image credit: New York City Council.
On March 19, 2023 the New York City Council adopted Local Law 43 (2023). The measure was originally introduced as Introduction 886 by Council Member Keith Powers in January 2023. The law extends a freeze on issuing penalties to property owners who are in violation of certain rules that govern accessory signage through January 1, 2025. A previous freeze was already put into place via Local Law 28 (2019) which started June of 2019. (more…)
