DOB Handicap Hell
We are in the midst of getting a permit for a renovation from the DOB. We are splitting a large bathroom into 2 smaller ones and keeping the current plumbing fixtures intact for one of the two new bathrooms. THe DOB is now telling us that we need to uproot our exisitng plumbing fixtures to…
We are in the midst of getting a permit for a renovation from the DOB. We are splitting a large bathroom into 2 smaller ones and keeping the current plumbing fixtures intact for one of the two new bathrooms. THe DOB is now telling us that we need to uproot our exisitng plumbing fixtures to comply with LL58/87, the Handicap Law.
I have been told numerous times that this is only the case if you’re changing plumbing fixtures. Can anyone point me to a clause in the law or other resources that I can use to substantiate my claim. Or does anyone have more experience with this?
you have no choice…the dob has ruled that you need to comply
Original poster here….we don’t have a “wet over dry” issue, that’s not my problem. I live in a 60 unit co-op, so this law applies to me. We have an architect and an expeditor that was told by the DOB that we need to switch the sink and toilet. Can some expeditors be better than others? Can we resubmit this with another expeditor?
there is no point in arguing w/ the dob…under bloomberg they have been instructed to generate fees..they are increasing compliance and fine issues…just roll over and grit your teeth
this is why wet over dry is not that big an issue: how tall are your thresholds in your bathroom? Probably not tall enough to keep the water in if your tub overflows. So then the water runs out of the bathroom and into the next room where it seeps into the floor. Unless of course, you waterproof your entire apartment. It is not nearly as big an issue as people make it out to be and buildings are generally ok with you doing it most of the time as long as you waterproof correctly-which you should do anyway right? Noise, maybe, plumbing, perhaps. deal-breaker, no.
I agree with Jelly Donut, unless the apartment [dwelling unit] is located within a multiple dwelling you do not need to comply with LL58/87.
And to answer Stonergut, LL58/87 is for handicap persons, which doesn’t necessarily mean they are in a wheelchair. They can have many other handicaps that would require special accommodations & accessibility.
The ADA is what it is. Often it makes no sense but one has to deal with it. The wet over dry issue may not be a problem to your architect but it will be an issue to your building’s co-op or condo board. Most co-ops will not allow it and for good reason, not only are there potential leakage problems but also noise and plumbing problems. If your architect tells you did this not an issue, they are not being entirely honest.
I’m a little puzzled about the logic of bathroom wheelchair accessability in a brownstone, most which have stairs no one using a wheelchair could ever comfortably negotiate.
Hi, I’m a long time lurker, first time poster.
I think, although I am not 100% sure, that the DOB may allow a non-compliant bathroom as long as there is another compliant bathroom in the apartment that can be reached by a person in a wheelchair.
they are not the same, and in my experience they are not enforced the same way (ADA does apply to public buildings, and since it is federal law, everybody needs to comply). i am an architect and do about 20 apartment/house renovations a year. i deal with this very issue almost every day– actually all morning today.
In any case, it doesn’t matter which standard (or if ADA is the same as LL58) they are being held up to in relation to this thread. Only that if you live in a multiple dwelling building and make a new bathroom, you have to comply.