DOB lawyer

We just got a notice from the DOB about our deck not being up to code.  It’s a deck that was here from before we moved in.  Does anyone know a lawyer that has experience with DOB regulations?  Our neighbor called it in so the DOB has not even seen the deck.

gabriela

in Dept. of Buildings (DOB) 11 years and 11 months ago

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honeycut | 11 years and 11 months ago

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sort of off topic but does the ‘No wood structure within 3 feet of property line’ rule include fences?

boredatwork | 11 years and 11 months ago

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i had a somewhat similar situation with a good outcome.  We were renovating our house, making it into a legal 2 family and getting a new c of o.  Our deck, which appeared to be non compliant (wood, affixed to the house, full building width), appeared on earlier surveys and on paperwork that had been filed with the DoB for work by the prior owner.  Because it was shown (and never found to be in violation previously), we were allowed to keep it as is.  Perhaps we got very lucky or had a blind examiner.

dazednconfused2 | 11 years and 11 months ago

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We run across non-compliant decks all the time.  Usually it’s because they were built out of wood and extend to the side property line.  These are non-compliant because there can be no wood structure within three feet of the property line.  The fix is usually to tear down and rebuild.  The new deck must be filed with the DOB for a work permit.   In addition, these decks are not filed with the DOB (if they were filed, they would not be allowed to be built all wood), so they are considered construction work without a permit.  In most cases, the DOB will waive the fees if it was an existing condition when the house was bought by the current owner.     I’m not saying to run out, tear your deck down and hire an architect to file a new one.  I’m just saying that this would be the process if you get an actual violation and feel like clearing it.

Goatcrapp | 11 years and 11 months ago

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don’t hire a lawyer yet.  You’ve received a notice of complaint, nothing more. In fact, don’t respond at all.  The dob will be around at some point (could be 2 weeks, could be 2 years) to knock on your door.  Don’t let them in at that point.  If they can verify the violation though other means, they may go a step further.  Only then should you lawyer up.  In the mean time, look at your neighbors home.. Odds are if it’s old, there’s quite a few modern code deficiencies. Entire neighborhoods in brooklyn are tangled up in a DOB cold war, in this manner, lol.

rcltrh | 11 years and 11 months ago

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Sounds like a heckuva neighbor.  I’d be sure to go out of my way to annoy them from now on in any way I could.  Do not let the DOB into your house or on your property to see the deck.

bk123 | 11 years and 11 months ago

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An architect may be able to legalize it.