New York City Local Law 10 of 1980 was enacted shortly after a piece of masonry fell from the facade of a building on Manhattan's Upper West Side, killing a pedestrian. The New York City Council, in an effort to minimize the chances of such accidents ever occurring again, amended the NYC Building Code, mandating that owners of applicable buildings have their exterior walls and appurtenances periodically inspected by a licensed professional engineer or registered architect. A report based on this periodic "critical examination" must be filed with the Department of Buildings. The law applies to buildings with at least six stories above a basement. In 1997 and 1998 New York City experienced several highly publicized exterior wall failures. In response, New York City Local Law 11 of 1998 was passed by the City Council and signed by the Mayor in March of 1998.
SUPERSTRUCTURES' founding in 1981 coincided with the first cycle of New York City's first facade inspection ordinance, Local Law 10. During the most recent inspection cycle, the firm performed hundreds of critical examinations of building facades in New York City.
SUPERSTRUCTURES partners, David May and Paul Millman both advise the NYC Department of Buildings' Local Law 11 Review Committee. They are currently consulting with the DOB in its efforts to improve and clarify the requirements of the NYC's facade inspection procedures.
Demonstrating our commitment to exterior restoration and New York City, SUPERSTRUCTURES maintains an independent Local Law 11 website. It contains the latest information regarding the rules for cycle 6.
For more information, visit LocalLaw11.com.
