Believe it or not, there is no law requiring New York City landlords to post an address near each building entrance. That is set to change today, 13 years after the bill first came before the City Council.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer first penned the legislation in 2004 to help ensure that firefighters and police were not delayed in responding to emergencies due to unmarked buildings—of which there are many. A 2010 study found that nearly half of all buildings along several Manhattan commercial corridors did not have a building number visible from the street.
“For years, New York City’s streets have been like something out of a Harry Potter book, with storefronts and whole buildings that are only easy to find if you already know where they are,” Brewer said in a statement announcing the bill, which was expected to pass the council Wednesday before heading to the desk of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
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Current regulations require building owners to post an address only at the front entrance—which has complicated efforts by first responders. “Given the nature of many New York City buildings,” the FDNY’s John Sarrocco said in the fall during testimony supporting the bill, “sometimes the front … may mean different things to different people.”
The new law, which was introduced by City Councilman Jumaane Williams, requires an address to be posted at any doorway used by pedestrians, and it increases the initial fine to $250 from $25. If a required address is not posted within 30 days, a $50 fine would accrue for each day afterward.
But just because the legislation will finally be passed, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be enforced any time soon. Borough presidents are tasked with enforcing the current law, which was written when they controlled the Bureau of Encroachments and Incumbrances. That department has since been eliminated, but Brewer is suggesting other agencies take over.
Believe it or not, there is no law requiring New York City landlords to post an address near each building entrance. That is set to change today, 13 years after the bill first came before the City Council.
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer first penned the legislation in 2004 to help ensure that firefighters and police were not delayed in responding to emergencies due to unmarked buildings—of which there are many. A 2010 study found that nearly half of all buildings along several Manhattan commercial corridors did not have a building number visible from the street.
“For years, New York City’s streets have been like something out of a Harry Potter book, with storefronts and whole buildings that are only easy to find if you already know where they are,” Brewer said in a statement announcing the bill, which was expected to pass the council Wednesday before heading to the desk of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Current regulations require building owners to post an address only at the front entrance—which has complicated efforts by first responders. “Given the nature of many New York City buildings,” the FDNY’s John Sarrocco said in the fall during testimony supporting the bill, “sometimes the front … may mean different things to different people.”
The new law, which was introduced by City Councilman Jumaane Williams, requires an address to be posted at any doorway used by pedestrians, and it increases the initial fine to $250 from $25. If a required address is not posted within 30 days, a $50 fine would accrue for each day afterward.
But just because the legislation will finally be passed, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be enforced any time soon. Borough presidents are tasked with enforcing the current law, which was written when they controlled the Bureau of Encroachments and Incumbrances. That department has since been eliminated, but Brewer is suggesting other agencies take over.
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