Maria Kefalas

Zetlin & De Chiara LLP is proud to have 15 attorneys recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for their work in construction law and construction litigation in New York and New Jersey, including six associates who were recognized as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

On October 7, 2021, the New York City Council passed sweeping updates to the City’s building codes. The comprehensive revision to the Codes contains 600 major updates and thousands of smaller changes, intended to improve safety and incorporate the latest in building technologies.

The code revisions are the first holistic update to the entire set of NYC Administrative, Plumbing, Building, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes since 2014. The revisions were drafted by technical committees comprised of engineers, architects, attorneys, planners, tradespeople, representatives of the construction industry, labor, real estate industry, utility companies, as well as DOB and interagency stakeholders.

In April of 2021, the New York City Department of Buildings (the “DOB”) announced five bills and sweeping updates to New York City Construction Codes related to construction safety.[1]  The simultaneous announcement of the New York City Council’s introduction of the legislation along with the revisions to the construction codes intend to further the objective of increasing the protections afforded to the general public and construction professionals on all construction sites throughout New York City. However, with the enactment of the new legislation and the comprehensive updates to the construction codes, there will be an increase in the obligations placed upon professionals within the industry and an inevitable impact on the industry as a whole.  This client alert serves to provide an overview of the legislation and highlight some of the major amendments and updates to the construction code.