Q&A
DOB's processes for auditing professionally certified plans
3:56:19
·
6 min
Council Member Sanchez questions DOB officials about their practices for auditing professionally certified plans. Officials explain current processes and plans for implementing more risk-based approaches to auditing.
- DOB reviews 100% of professionally certified applications with zoning implications
- Officials are developing a risk-based program for auditing other types of applications
- The department is working to use data on property history, violations, and other factors to inform their audit processes
Pierina Ana Sanchez
3:56:19
You you mentioned commissioner Otto that in in subsequent conversations, you mentioned that DOB looked back at the plans and caught the error of a plan that was submitted months prior to the partial collapse.
3:56:34
So what share of professional serve professionally certified jobs, does DOP DOB audit each year?
Jimmy Oddo
3:56:43
So let me have Ygal tried to explain it to you, which I think well, let me have Ygal.
Yegal Shamash
3:56:55
So let me just take a step back in terms of the actual filing for 1915 billings late.
3:57:00
That was a filing that was completed by the owner's engineer.
3:57:07
He submitted that application the department of building as a pro cert application, which indicates that it doesn't go through full plan exam.
3:57:20
If he had submitted that as a full plan examination in terms of the facade restoration work.
3:57:28
The department looks at zoning, life safety, egress, as the primary elements during a plan examination, whether or not that column was structural or not, is not something that we typically look at in terms of a full plan exam review.
3:57:49
This goes back to the 19 seventies when the city was in financial.
Jimmy Oddo
3:57:57
It's a good word for that.
3:57:59
Distress.
Yegal Shamash
3:58:00
Distress.
3:58:02
Where the building department didn't wanna hold up applications for work.
3:58:11
At this point, we consistently review plan exam for those three items.
3:58:16
So in terms of reviewing a plan for full structural stability is not something that we consistently do.
3:58:25
On a a full plan examination.
Jimmy Oddo
3:58:28
So we would not, madam, chat, we would not catch it.
3:58:31
We would not see it on the drawings.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
3:58:35
Thank you.
Jimmy Oddo
3:58:35
You would have to go to the site with standing there with the drawings, looking at the site.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
3:58:44
Got it.
3:58:44
So even a full plan examination, if it if one had been triggered, would not have looked at this issue.
3:58:51
Okay.
3:58:53
Okay.
3:58:53
So that said for pro cert applications, is there a number number of them that are audited each year, and if so, for for what what are you what would the
Jimmy Oddo
3:59:04
what do you come and be looking for?
3:59:05
I don't know who Who would be here?
3:59:08
Gus, you want it?
3:59:10
And can we talk about the ordering function coming on DLB now at some point in the future.
Gus Sirakis
3:59:23
So the department currently does review of all professionally certified applications that have a zoning implication.
3:59:31
We wanted those for zoning prior to the approval for a permit.
3:59:36
This is something that has changed since, I wanna say, the implementation of DOB now where we and probably a little bit earlier.
3:59:45
But so, basically, 100% of zoning is checked on new buildings and alterations that change the certificate of occupancy.
3:59:54
So those plans are not permitted to go to permit until DOB staff member does a zoning review.
3:59:59
We then proceed through the traditional plan examination process where we will issue objections and go back and forth with the applicant till we get corrections.
4:00:08
And then we also still have our zoning challenge process as well for any any other public concerns on zoning.
4:00:16
As it relates to other professionally certified applications, we are taking a look at implementing a risk based program for auditing of those applications.
4:00:28
We do other audits as well.
4:00:31
We currently are reviewing support of excavation filings and other types of filings as well when they when they the need arises.
4:00:40
Some of them are programmatic based on just the whether it be an act of the professional that is calling our attention to that person fee reviews or the type of work that is being performed as we continue to roll out DOB now and the audit component there will be able to get better granularity and connect many of the dots that will, for instance, put together, you know, smarter audit program, one of the things that we'd like to look at would be, for instance, the 2022 New York City building code Recently enacted, added much more information for assessing the joining buildings when doing work such as underpinning or supportive excavation.
4:01:26
That would prevent things such as hopefully the the scenario, the council member, Russell, was discussing where view joining property construction caused damage in a vacate to the adjoining property.
4:01:36
We're collecting more information in our data as to what is going on next door to the building that's being developed, not just the zoning characteristics of the building that's being built.
4:01:46
So even if professionally certified, we can then combine that with the property data of the adjoining property to understand does it have a history of violations, structural issues?
4:01:57
What are the types of construction that were used to build that building when it was originally constructed to build out a risk profile for where we can better expand our resources on those types of reviews.
4:02:09
And we're looking at doing that throughout our entire audit program.
4:02:13
So looking at it from what is the greatest risk to, you know, public, both from safety perspective of the finished construction as well as to the general public during construction and during installation.
4:02:30
What are the hazards that are present there?