Officials Crack Down On Overcrowded Montauk Home, Other Violations

EAST HAMPTON, NY — With the July 4 weekend bringing the summer season in East Hampton into full swing, town officials are cracking down on code violations with an aim of keeping residents and visitors safe.

East Hampton's code enforcement team met this week to share information and collaborate on efforts to enforce safety and zoning codes in advance of the July 4 holiday, police said.

The ongoing task force efforts allow for consistent code enforcement as well as a comprehensive focus on establishments causing chronic safety, noise, traffic, or other issues — such as restaurant owners that try to outside their permitted use by functioning as nightclubs, town officials said.

Exceeding legal maximum occupancy and overcrowding creates a serious fire safety concern, officials added.

Town officials said they are also working to ensure that the regulations designed to ensure safe housing and to protect residential neighborhoods from property owners who offer repeated, and illegal, short-term rentals.

Officials reminded that the town code allows only two rentals of 14 days or less within a six-month period. Ordinance officers regularly review rental ads for the required town rental registry numbers and respond to reports of excessive turnover at rental houses, town officials said.

On the water, marine patrol officers have increased night patrols of town ponds and bays, where unlicensed shell fishing has been taking place; they've issued six tickets during the week prior to June 25, officials said.

In addition, a June 11 visit by East Hampton Town Fire Marshal Thomas Baker to a Montauk house on Fairview Avenue, "a single-story ranch with one kitchen, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms,
according to East Hampton Town records — resulted in the issuance of a field appearance ticket
with 37 charges for alleged code violations to Fairview Montauk Acquisition II, an LLC listed as
the property owner," town officials said.

The owner of that property could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to town officials, occupants said that they were all employees of one Montauk restaurant. Numerous mattresses were observed in the house, including some in the basement, town officials said.

Town officials said the property owner was cited for:

- 1 count of multiple unrelated tenants (8)
- 8 counts of having no building permits ( 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms)
- 8 counts of having no certificate of occupancy (6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms)
- 6 counts of no egress (6 bedrooms)
- 7 counts of having no smoke detectors (5 bedrooms, 2 areas outside the bedrooms)
- 1 count of having an uncovered wall switch
- 1 count of having an uncovered wall receptacle
- 2 counts of having no carbon monoxide detectors
- 1 count of propane storage in the garage
- 1 count of an improper clothes dryer duct
- 1 count of having no rental registry number

The charges are due to be adjudicated in East Hampton Town Justice Court on July 10, town officials said.

In addition, owners of a property on Oakview Highway in East Hampton also recently received a field appearance ticket, for having living quarters in a shed, the town said.

A field appearance ticket was also recently issued to Best Pizza on Napeague, citing lack of a
site plan and the installation of a half-pipe for skateboarding on the premises, in addition to other
alleged violations, town officials said. A call for comment was not immediately returned.

Earlier in June, town officials said, a noise violation was issued to the manager of Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk after a noise meter reading was taken at the edge of the property, which is in a residential zone. According to the officer who responded, there was a large crowd of people in the parking lot, officials added. While he was there, a speaker in the back bar caught on fire, and a fire alarm was activated, town officials said. Over the following weekend, on June 16 and 17, tickets were issued by the fire marshal for overcrowding, no sprinklers, change of use, no operating permit, no music permit, and obstructed exits, town officials said.

A written request for comment to Ruschmeyer's was not immediately returned.

Regular inspections of commercial establishments by both ordinance officers and fire marshals will continue through the summer season to safeguard the health and safety of patrons, officials said. Fire marshals will be checking for potential fire hazards such as blocked entrances or exits, and will make sure that locations where occupancy of more than 100 people is allowed have the required sprinkler systems. In addition, the State Liquor Authority will continue its checks of licensed establishments to be sure they operate as permitted, and town police, in conjunction with New York State Police and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, using Stop DWI grant funds, will continue to set up driving while intoxicated/ sobriety checkpoints, officials said.

During a recent checkpoint, about 300 vehicles were inspected, resulting in the arrests of six individuals; five were charged with DWI and one for driving while under the influence of drugs, town officials said.