Roof deck to code;I have to get DOB Permit for Paver deck? Insurance Claim?

Hi, A few years ago one of my friends had a reputable company install a concrete paver style deck on his LCE roof top space. The company said that a DOB permit was NOT required because the deck was not attached to the actual roof or the building. Each and every paver could be picked up and removed without any interaction with the structure of the roof/building. The company said that as long as the distance between the top of the paver on the ground and the top height of the building railing is no shorter than 42″ that the paver deck was to code. Is this true? My friend may have had structural pictures of the roof, I’m not sure if they were useful to show the load capacity of the roof since each paver may weigh 50lbs or more. I’m not sure. They are attached to little pedestal which sit on the roof membrane. I am asking for him because he is being asked to prove that he followed DOB ruling and that it is to code. The company that installed it did not provide him with this and as I said, told him it was not required since it was a non-structural addition. In that case, would an insurance company pay out a claim if any one was injured on his deck or fell off of it?????

a.barrett83

in Decks and Porches 8 years and 11 months ago

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resident2 | 8 years and 11 months ago

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It does not sound to me as if heavy concrete pavers would be legal on a roof. Any equipment put on a roof: IE A/C handlers etc have to be supported on iron girders so as to protect firemen that may fighting a fire in the building only to be crushed by heavy stuff on the roof. Can you imagine what would happen if there was a fire on the top floor or the roof and the joists give out? All those heavy concrete pavers crashing through…..

arch007 | 8 years and 11 months ago

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I wonder what the C of O says about the use of the roof? We wrote a paper for a lawyer a few years back about how a deck on pedestals WAS in fact construction under DOB rules and required a permit. http://nyc-dob.com

boredatwork | 8 years and 11 months ago

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I Will defer to others on what the code requires on re a roof deck. But your “friend” should talk to his insurance company to see if they would cover a claim. If a claim was rejected by the insurance company because the deck wasn’t built to code, your “friend” could always sue the deck installer, but good luck with that. I would bet there is no document from the installer that says the installation is code compliant. The whole insurance issue is a lot of hypotheticals.

a.barrett83 | 8 years and 11 months ago

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Hm, if it does legally require a permit, then what level of accountability does the construction company have? They told him that he would not need a permit or need to involve the DOB because it was not a structural change, that it had no connection to the actual structure of the roof. If something dangerous ever happened on the roof, would the owner and the original contractor be fiscally responsible? Would the insurance for the building he lives in be responsible even though he/contractor did not follow DOB code?

a.barrett83 | 8 years and 11 months ago

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Well, it’s not my deck. I would not have chosen concrete as it is likely more expensive and retains greater heat than vinyl pavers and also tons heavier. In regards to insurance, what other factors are there? I just want to make sure at the very least the fact that he has no permit and no DOB approval is not what holds back an insurance claim.

daveinbedstuy | 8 years and 11 months ago

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I would not install concrete pavers. There are many other types of composites that weigh far less. And, whether your insurance company pays for an accident has a lot of other factors involved than whether the pavers met code.

jockdeboeraia | 8 years and 11 months ago

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No, that would require a permit.