A Department of Buildings (DOB) inspector waits for contractors to follow to job sites in Queens.
Matthew McDermott
City building inspectors are running speed trap-style operations to catch contractors violating a coronavirus 鈥� and to slap homeowners with maximum, $10,000 fines, The Post has learned.
A Department of Buildings inspector spent at least 45 minutes Tuesday morning staked out at the intersection that leads to the ritzy Douglas Manor neighborhood in northwestern Queens.
鈥淚鈥檓 an elevator guy normally but they got us all doing this now,鈥� the inspector told The Post.
鈥淓xcept for essential work, there are no inspections. So to keep us all working, they got us out making sure everybody complies with the governor鈥檚 order.鈥�
Meanwhile, an electrician who was hired by a nearby homeowner said he was 鈥渇ollowed鈥� to the house by a different inspector on Monday 鈥� then drove off when the inspector pulled alongside his van and parked across the street.
A Department of Buildings (DOB) inspector waits for contractors to follow to job sites in Queens.
Matthew McDermott
The electrician said that he wanted to work, but that getting fined 鈥渕akes it not worth it.鈥�
Last week, he said, the same inspector who tailed him had pounced on a floor re-finisher, slapping the contractor with a $2,500 fine, plus $1,000 for each of his helpers 鈥� along with a maximum, $10,000 fine for the homeowner.
鈥淭hey had just opened the van and brought the floor sanders onto his property,鈥� the electrician said.
鈥淭he homeowner said, 鈥楶ack up all this crap and get the hell out of here.鈥� 鈥�
That inspector told The Post that a violation occurs as soon as a contractor 鈥渟teps onto the property.鈥�
鈥淭he fine for having any work done is $10,000. First offense. No exceptions,鈥� he said.
Matthew McDermott
Under restrictions imposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that went into effect March 31, new construction work on private homes is generally limited to jobs 鈥渘ecessary to protect the health and safety of the occupants,鈥� according to information posted on the DOB鈥檚 website.
Violators face fines as high as $10,000 each.
The inspector who was staking out the intersection of Douglaston Parkway and Northern Boulevard on Tuesday said his duties included checking on job sites that were shut down due to the pandemic.
The inspector, who was behind the wheel of a dark Toyota Prius with DOB markings, said he鈥檚 also under orders to investigate the activities of any contractors he鈥檚 able to spot.
鈥淚 go and check it out. Make sure they鈥檙e complying,鈥� he said.
HVAC contractor John Heffernan, who owns Pride Maintenance & Mechanical Inc. of Bayside, said he was working at a house in Sheepshead Bay two weeks ago when a DOB inspector 鈥渂oxed in my truck鈥� with his car 鈥渁nd ran into the house I was working on.鈥�
鈥淗e told the homeowner he was getting a $10,000 fine and I was getting fined $5,000 for each employee,鈥� Heffernan said.
鈥淚 had to prove I was fixing the heat before he let us off.鈥�
The DOB denied that it had a policy of lying in wait for contractors to violate the ban on non-essential work, but said that inspectors are expected to investigate if they see something suspicious.
鈥淲e are aggressively enforcing the governor鈥檚 ban on non-essential construction to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and fight this pandemic,鈥� spokesman Andrew Rudanksy said.
鈥淥ur fellow New Yorkers depend on us to do our jobs, especially during this crisis, and we will not let them down.鈥�
The DOB said it had issued about 200 stop-work orders and related violations at both commercial and residential worksites, and said they could result in around $2 million in fines.
The agency also noted that homeowners can apply for permits for non-essential work that鈥檚 鈥渂eing completed by a single worker who is the sole employee/worker on the job site.鈥�