New rules for NYC parking garages introduced in the City Council

Four months after the dramatic collapse of a lower Manhattan parking garage that killed one and left five injured, the New York City Council is introducing a slate of new bills to address garage safety.

If passed, the package of five bills would mandate weight restrictions for parking garage levels, require more frequent inspections, raise fines for garage owners in breach of regulations, create an inspection checklist for garage owners and require a study on the load bearing capacity of parking structures.

“This is one of the most important actions we can take — ensuring the structural longevity of our city’s infrastructure,” Council Member Shaun Abreu, a bill sponsor, said in a statement. “Those who flout basic safety precautions, who jeopardize the wellbeing of New Yorkers, will be forced to pay the consequences.”

The new bill proposals build on a law that took effect last year requiring inspections every six years.

Along with Abreu, the proposed bills were introduced by Council Members Selvena Brooks-Powers, Amanda Farías, Oswald Feliz and Crystal Hudson. While some bills take effect immediately if passed, others require at least four years to fully take effect.

Hudson’s bill would mandate garage inspections happen every four years starting in 2028 and follow-ups must be done every two years.

Proposed legislation by Farias and Abreu would double the penalties and allow for daily fines for Department of Buildings violations issued to owners of parking structures.

Brooks-Powers introduced legislation that would require parking garage owners to display weight limits and refuse entry to any vehicles that compromise weight capacity.

“We must be proactive by implementing strategies, such as enforcing weight limits, that are effective and can save lives,” Brooks-Powers said. “By introducing this set of bills, the Council is advancing forward-thinking solutions that will help make workers and the users of parking garages safety.”

Proposed legislation by Feliz would shift more responsibility to parking garage owners to keep their facilities in compliance even when they aren’t scheduled for a city inspection any time soon, as well as require parking lot owners to inspect their garages, and send the Department of Buildings a list of any existing serious violations and undertake repairs.

The weight of the cars parked on the roof deck and old concrete materials were factors in the building collapse at 57 Ann St. earlier this year. The building owners paid fines on code violations, but the building still has four open Department of Building violations between 2003 and 2013, city records show.

“The parking garage collapse that occurred in Manhattan was tragic and preventable. We must take steps to ensure dangerous building conditions, such as structural defects, are detected and quickly repaired,” said Feliz. “My legislation will help ensure building owners don’t turn a blind eye on dangerous building conditions that can lead to tragedies, by requiring they engage in proactive inspections and repairs.”

In the wake of the collapse earlier this year, the Department of Buildings stepped up inspections, issuing partial vacate orders to seven parking garages and shutting down, partially or in full, four garages in April.