DOB Inspector Question
We recently had some minor electrical work in our coop done. When DOB came to inspect, they gave us a violation for the location of the breaker panel, which is located in a closet (this was done before we bought). The inspector said we could just move it so it’s facing the other way to…
We recently had some minor electrical work in our coop done. When DOB came to inspect, they gave us a violation for the location of the breaker panel, which is located in a closet (this was done before we bought). The inspector said we could just move it so it’s facing the other way to where it is now, which would put it in a bedroom behind a door, but it would have the proper clearance. Our electrician is saying we can’t do this, even though the inspector said we could. The electrician says if a different inspector comes back, they may not accept that placement.
Is this true? You can have a DOB inspector tell you one thing to clear a violation, but then another inspector that comes back the 2nd time can still fail you? Anyone know if a circuit panel in a bedroom is acceptable to code?
What part of “It can be in the path of a door, but not in a closet.” is hard to understand?
As long as you meet normal working space requirements (30″ across, 36″ in front and the panel door can open to 90 degrees or more) an adjacent doorway can swing into the panel and its required working space. It’s nice to avoid the situation when possible, but it is not a code violation per NEC or NYC amended NEC. Next…
You people kill me. DOB inspectors are not all out to get you or solicit bribes. Yes, it does happen, but surely not at the rate that reading this blog will lead one to believe.
Secondly, yes: one inspector can find fault where another does not. Unfortunately, there is a lot of interpretation involved in the building and zoning codes. Sometimes inspectors disagree, I’m sure. So do lawyers, doctors, chefs and politicians.
Don’t mean to defend DOB, but some of the stuff written on this comment thread is really rude and based on assumptions that allow us to play the victim rather than fact
Okay denton, glad I can keep you amused. I haven’t had to deal with DOB before and there is something very Alice in Wonderland about the logic going on here.
Now the question of whether it can be behind an opened door in the bedroom – again, is this just subject to the whim of the inspector?
“Is this true? You can have a DOB inspector tell you one thing to clear a violation, but then another inspector that comes back the 2nd time can still fail you?”
Funniest thing I read on Brownstoner all week…
Yes, and so can a third inspector, and a fourth, and so on.
Unless I’m mistaken, you can’t have it behind a door so that the opened door covers it either….
The inspector was trying to tell you he needed a breaker box positioning consultation surcharge in order to make things code compliant.
How about the closets were put in after the building was made. That’s why they are in the closet.
LOL, DOB inspectors can do whatever they want regarding violations. Who’s going to police them?
Breaker panels were never allowed in closets under any NYC electrical code. The electrician who filed your job should have told it you would be a problem at inspection time. Even though you might not have filed any panel related work you are responsible for correcting such blatant violations.
That being said, the simplest and totally legal fix is to flip the panel so that it faces into the bedroom. It was probably like this when the building was built and was put in the closet because some prior owner considered it ugly. You can check an apartment above or below to verify. It can be in the path of a door, but not in a closet. You should have moved it into a nearby hallway or by the front of the apartment when you started the job. At this point flipping it is the only reasonable option.
As for your second inspection; if a different inspector comes he won’t have a problem with the panel, but there is no guarantee he won’t find issues the first inspector missed. Who was your first inspector?