These Brooklyn Properties Racked Up More Than $300,000 In DOB Penalties

BROOKLYN, NY— Brooklyn accounted for some of the largest penalties in the Department of Buildings' July enforcement bulletin, with more than $300,000 in penalties tied to an illegally converted dwelling and outdoor advertising signs.

DOB records also show other violations at some of the properties, including cases involving occupancy, fire safety, elevators and hazardous conditions.

E. 15th St. Between Avenue I And Avenue J

Subscribe

The New York City Department of Buildings issued $162,250 in penalties on the owner of 945 E. 15th St. after inspectors found a two-family home had been converted into a 12-family dwelling.

Inspectors found 10 single-room occupancies, or SROs, had been added to the property, according to the agency.

The building also lacked automatic sprinklers and a Class J fire alarm system required for dwellings used for short term rentals.

Inspectors also found the property had not complied with a 2015 vacate order, meaning the building could not legally be occupied.

Third Ave. Between 44th And 45th Streets

The Buildings Department imposed $77,350 in penalties on 724 Management LLC for violations at 4402 Third Ave., including illegal outdoor advertising signs.

Inspectors cited the property for displaying signs without permits, using an unlicensed sign hanger, operating an outdoor advertising company without registration and failing to attach a required UL safety decal.

The property also violated City zoning rules governing outdoor advertising near highways and major roads, according to the agency.

City records list 15 violations at the property, including 14 active violations and $39,000 in civil penalties due.

The property also appears under the alternate address 278 44th St., where records show a 2014 elevator violation tied to defects first identified during a 2012 inspection.

The Buildings Department also issued $65,210 in penalties on 724 Management LLC for violations at 4404 Third Ave.

Inspectors found an outdoor advertising sign prohibited within 200 feet of, and visible from, the Gowanus Expressway in an M-1 zoning district. They also cited the property for failing to register a sign located within 900 feet of and visible from an arterial roadway, exceeding height limits, using an unlicensed sign hanger, operating without outdoor-advertising registration and failing to display the required UL decal.

City records also list a separate Class 1 violation from January 2013 for failing to certify the correction of an immediately hazardous condition. The record shows $1,500 in civil penalties due.

The Buildings Department classifies Class 1 violations as immediately hazardous conditions requiring prompt correction.