MMR - FY20 - Department of Buildings

• Page Type:: Document Section
• Parent Document:: Mayor's Management Report - Fiscal Year 2020
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    • DEPARTMENT OF
    • BUILDINGS Melanie E. La Rocca, Commissioner
    • DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS | Page 271
    • WHAT WE DO
    • The Department of Buildings (DOB)
    • regulates the safe and lawful use
    • of more than 1,000,000 buildings
    • and 50,000 active construction
    • sites under its jurisdiction by
    • enforcing laws, including the
    • City’s Construction Codes, Zoning
    • Resolution and Energy Code, as
    • well as the New York State Multiple
    • Dwelling Law. The Department
    • enforces compliance with these
    • regulations and promotes public
    • safety through its review and
    • approval of building plans,
    • permitting and licensing functions,
    • and inspections. The Department is
    • currently in the process of setting
    • goals for the next stage of its
    • growth, which will be released in
    • a vision document in the coming
    • months.
    • FOCUS ON EQUITY
    • The Department of Buildings (DOB) is committed to efficient, impartial and
    • effective service delivery and protection for all residents—tenants and owners
    • alike—especially as DOB migrates more of its public-facing interactions online.
    • Guided by the Building One City plan, the Department continues its rollout of DOB
    • NOW, the Department’s transformative initiative to replace a three-decades-old
    • mainframe system and increase transparency of agency operations, ease business
    • interactions with the agency, promote the highest standards of integrity internally
    • and within the industry, and develop a data-driven approach to disciplining bad
    • actors.
    • Additionally, DOB is fully committed to protecting the public’s long-term safety in
    • the face of climate change. With the passage of the 2020 NYC Energy Conservation
    • Code and our continued implementation of significant parts of Mayor de Blasio’s
    • NYC Green New Deal and OneNYC 2050 plan, the Department is focused on
    • assisting owners in meeting their obligations under the law.
    • The key to success is DOB’s effort to recruit a diverse and inclusive workforce
    • reflective of the City’s population grounded in providing services in a fair and
    • equitable manner to all members of the public.
    • DOB’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion is fostered in the Department’s
    • Employee Resource Groups. These Employee Resource Groups are focused on the
    • various diversity events and initiatives celebrated and acknowledged by the various
    • members of the workforce. In Fiscal 2020, DOB Diversity along with the various
    • ERG chairs hosted a total 10 events and initiatives to help promote awareness
    • of the various diverse cultures that make up DOB’s workforce. These diversity
    • initiatives and events will be ongoing into Fiscal 2021 and beyond as we continue
    • to promote the importance of diversity, respect and values that each individual
    • employee brings to our workforce and the impact it has on the city we serve.
    • OUR SERVICES AND GOALS
    • SERVICE 1 Facilitate safe and compliant development.
    • Goal 1a Improve processing efficiency.
    • Goal 1b Promptly review initial construction plans.
    • Goal 1c Promptly schedule development inspections.
    • SERVICE 2 Ensure the safe and lawful use of buildings and properties
    • by enforcing the Building Code and the Zoning Resolution.
    • Goal 2a Promptly address complaints.
    • Goal 2b Rigorously enforce building and zoning laws.
    • Goal 2c Prevent construction-related fatalities and injuries.
    • Page 272 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
    • HOW WE PERFORMED IN FISCAL 2020
    • SERVICE 1 Facilitate safe and compliant development.
    • Goal 1a Improve processing efficiency.
    • The Department is in the process of replacing the Building Information System (BIS) with its public-facing application
    • portal DOB NOW. When fully implemented, it will allow industry professionals, licensees, owners, and the general public
    • to conduct business with DOB fully online. Since implementation began, DOB NOW has successfully moved the processing
    • of a significant percentage of job and permit work-types, inspection sign-offs, safety compliance filings, and licensing
    • transactions to DOB NOW. In Fiscal 2021, the Department will add more work-types and functionality to DOB NOW
    • including General Construction, the most commonly issued permit type, and Certificates of Occupancy. DOB NOW volumes
    • are reported separately from their BIS counterparts. The agency classifies DOB NOW filings by work type (such as plumbing,
    • sprinkler, antenna, and supported scaffold) and not by the new building, major renovation, and minor renovation job type
    • classifications used in BIS. Separating filings this way in DOB NOW allows construction applications to be reviewed and
    • approved more quickly, creating a much better service experience for customers.
    • In Fiscal 2020, total job filings remained stable. There were 45,428 BIS filings and 58,309 DOB NOW filings, representing
    • a 2.3 percent decrease from Fiscal 2019. The total number of completed plan reviews for total BIS and DOB NOW filings
    • decreased by 1.1 percent from 99,975 to 98,881 including 41,262 BIS completed plan reviews, and 57,619 DOB NOW
    • completed plan reviews. Filings and plan reviews are expected to continue increasing in DOB NOW as volume shifts to that
    • system from BIS.
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • Filings (DOB NOW) 3 19 13,244 24,415 58,309 * * Up *
    • Jobs filed (BIS) 93,130 92,569 82,286 81,809 45,428 * * Down *
    • « Average customer in-person transaction time (minutes) NA 7 5 5 5 ò ò NA Down
    • Average customer in-person wait time (minutes) NA 27 21 23 16 * * NA Down
    • Work permits issued - Initial (DOB NOW) NA NA 11,239 20,299 38,652 * * NA *
    • Work permits issued - Renewals (DOB NOW) NA NA 3,439 10,433 16,273 * * NA *
    • Building permits issued - Initial (BIS) 109,277 109,724 99,946 93,676 46,524 * * Down *
    • Building permits issued - Renewals (BIS) 52,244 56,183 58,858 56,834 46,875 * * Neutral *
    • Certificates of Occupancy issued 5,893 6,427 6,032 6,197 4,049 * * Down *
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS | Page 273
    • Goal 1b Promptly review initial construction plans.
    • The average time to complete first plan reviews for new buildings at the Borough Offices increased from 4.4 days to 5.2
    • days, and for major renovations the service level rose from 5.0 to 5.4 days. For jobs filed through the Hub, average plan
    • review times for new buildings rose from 4.5 to 4.9 days, and for major renovations increased from 4.2 to 4.8 days. Overall,
    • these first exams were completed within the target average of 10.0 days or less for new buildings and major alterations.
    • Average plan review times for minor renovations at the Borough Offices increased from 1.3 to 2.7 days, and rose from 1.4
    • to 1.8 days for the Hub. For DOB NOW, the average time to complete first plan reviews was 1.0 day. Overall, these first
    • exams were completed within the target average of 4.0 days or less for minor alterations.
    • Borough plan examination units experienced significant turnover in senior examiners, and the agency continued implementing
    • additional work types in DOB NOW. Time spent in trainings related to this augmentation, along with coordination of reviews
    • in multiple systems, have impacted review service levels.
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • First plan reviews completed (BIS) 88,542 86,878 77,391 75,577 41,262 * * Down *
    • First plan reviews completed (DOB NOW) 13,009 24,398 57,619 * * NA *
    • « Average days to complete first plan review (Borough offices) -
    • New buildings 11.1 5.6 5.7 4.4 5.2 12.0 12.0 Down Down
    • « Average days to complete first plan review (Borough offices)
    • Major renovation (Alteration I) 12.2 5.8 5.5 5.0 5.4 10.0 10.0 Down Down
    • Average days to complete first plan review (Borough offices) -
    • Minor renovation (Alterations II and III) 3.2 1.5 1.7 1.3 2.7 4.0 4.0 Down Down
    • Average days to complete first plan review (Hub projects) - New
    • buildings 9.9 4.9 4.2 4.5 4.9 * * Down Down
    • Average days to complete first plan review (Hub projects) - Major
    • renovation (Alteration I) 9.0 5.1 4.3 4.2 4.8 * * Down Down
    • Average days to complete first plan review (Hub projects) - Minor
    • renovation (Alterations II and III) 2.7 0.1 0.1 1.4 1.8 * * Down Down
    • Average days to complete first plan review (DOB NOW) NA NA NA 0.6 1.0 * * NA Down
    • Permitted jobs professionally certified (%) 61.9% 64.1% 61.2% 58.1% 62.2% * * Neutral Up
    • Permitted jobs professionally certified that were audited (%) 20.3% 23.0% 19.1% 13.4% 11.9% * * Down Up
    • Of eligible audited jobs, the percent of audits that resulted in
    • revocation notices (%) 34.3% 42.0% 37.9% 41.1% 44.2% * * Up Up
    • « Average days to complete first review (DOB NOW) NA NA NA 0.6 1.0 ò ò NA Down
    • Average days from filing to approval (DOB NOW) NA NA NA 45.6 8.3 * * NA Down
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • Goal 1c Promptly schedule development inspections.
    • The average wait time for a construction inspection decreased slightly from 2.0 days to 1.9 days, while average wait times
    • for plumbing inspections increased slightly from 2.4 to 2.5 days. Electrical inspections decreased slightly from 2.6 to 2.5 days.
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • « Average days between construction inspection request and
    • inspection 3.8 2.7 2.4 2.0 1.9 ò ò Down Down
    • « Average days between electrical inspection request and
    • inspection 6.4 6.5 3.9 2.6 2.5 ò ò Down Down
    • « Average days between plumbing inspection request and
    • inspection 3.8 3.4 2.1 2.4 2.5 ò ò Down Down
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • Page 274 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
    • SERVICE 2 Ensure the safe and lawful use of buildings and properties by enforcing the Building Code
    • and the Zoning Resolution.
    • Goal 2a Promptly address complaints.
    • The Department received over 3,000 more Priority A complaints than in the prior year, with the uptick mostly attributable
    • to COVID-19 related issues in April and May of 2020. The average time to respond to Priority A complaints in Fiscal 2020
    • increased from 0.3 days to 0.4 days, with the target of 1.0 day or less being satisfied.
    • Priority B complaints decreased by roughly 8,000 during the reporting period, with a decline during April and May of
    • 2020. The average time to respond to Priority B complaints increased from 11.4 days to 11.8 days, with the target of 40.0
    • days or less being satisfied.
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • Priority A (emergency) complaints received 17,629 16,591 16,989 17,281 20,458 * * Up *
    • Priority B (nonemergency) complaints received 70,661 74,240 78,526 77,386 72,246 * * Neutral *
    • Priority A complaints responded to 16,927 15,981 16,463 16,737 20,054 * * Up *
    • Priority B complaints responded to 60,716 72,848 75,326 70,027 61,749 * * Neutral *
    • « Average time to respond to Priority A complaints (days) 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.0 Down Down
    • « Average time to respond to Priority B complaints (days) 42.8 38.2 13.2 11.4 11.8 40.0 40.0 Down Down
    • « Residential illegal conversion complaints where access was
    • obtained (%) 38.4% 36.4% 38.2% 38.0% 41.9% 44.0% 44.0% Neutral Up
    • – Access obtained and violations were written (%) 40.4% 39.8% 42.3% 41.6% 34.4% * * Neutral *
    • Work without a permit complaints where access was obtained
    • and violations were written (%) 29.5% 29.9% 29.6% 29.3% 35.0% * * Up *
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • Goal 2b Rigorously enforce building and zoning laws.
    • In furtherance of its mandate to protect the safety of the public, DOB is focused on its role as steward of the zoning
    • resolution and building code. For those who choose to violate those rules, the Department addresses bad actors in
    • several ways, one of which is the issuance of summonses or violations. The Department completed 168,507 construction
    • inspections compared to 203,077 in the same Fiscal 2019 period, and issued 80,155 OATH/Environmental Control Board
    • violations (11 percent fewer than a year ago). Of the violations heard, 73 percent were upheld, a decrease from 80 percent
    • last year. DOB’s violations not only require a penalty payment but also that unsafe conditions must be fixed. Licenses and
    • registrations is another area where the Department carefully watches for repeat offenders who ignore their compliance
    • obligation. Licenses and registrations are issued only after applicants pass rigorous background investigations, and in many
    • cases applicants must take an examination. Investigations are also conducted upon renewal. In Fiscal 2020, DOB violations
    • issued increased to 96,969 from 80,874 in the prior Fiscal 2019 period.
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • « Construction inspections completed 148,162 156,508 188,221 203,077 168,507 140,000 140,000 Up Up
    • Construction inspections resulting in violations (%) 24.9% 24.6% 26.0% 30.1% 28.8% * * Up *
    • DOB violations issued 61,393 89,430 79,422 80,874 96,969 * * Up *
    • Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings violations issued 55,121 66,399 82,228 89,964 80,155 * * Up *
    • « Violations admitted to or upheld at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (%) 85.2% 81.7% 79.1% 79.9% 72.6% 80.0% 80.0% Down Up
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS | Page 275
    • Goal 2c Prevent construction-related fatalities and injuries.
    • Compared to the prior fiscal year, there was a reduction in
    • construction-related accidents causing serious or fatal injuries
    • resulting in part from proactive enforcement and better-trained
    • workers. Construction-related accidents decreased from 625 to
    • 509 in Fiscal 2020 and construction-related injuries decreased
    • from 646 to 534. Fatalities decreased from 11 to eight.
    • During the commencement of COVID-19, through June 30,
    • 2020, the Construction Safety Compliance Unit (CSC) conducted
    • construction sweeps, which consisted of specific proactive safety
    • monitoring inspections of 3,000 sites for compliance with
    • construction ban/reopening, social distancing, and general site
    • safety requirements. The Department collectively has conducted
    • an estimated 355,000 COVID-19 construction ban/reopening
    • inspections during that same time frame.
    • The Department continues to implement Local Law 196 of 2017
    • that requires workers on the City’s larger building construction
    • sites to have specific hours of safety training. Through Fiscal 2020,
    • Department-approved course providers issued nearly 85,000 Site
    • Safety Training Cards. Efforts to raise safety awareness included direct outreach at over 1,500 job sites, distribution of
    • 50,000 pieces of outreach material in multiple languages, mailing permit holders and site safety professionals about training
    • requirements, issuing public service notices, training over 1,000 professionals during Local Law 196 information sessions,
    • and social media engagement. Similar outreach will be performed in advance of the requirement for workers to have forty
    • hours of safety training by March 1, 2021.
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • Construction-related incidents 979 1,170 1,052 915 764 * * Down Down
    • – Construction-related accidents 500 611 729 625 509 * * Neutral Down
    • « Construction-related injuries 526 622 744 646 534 ò ò Neutral Down
    • « – Construction-related fatalities 11 9 16 11 8 ò ò Down Down
    • Incident inspections resulting in violations (%) 63.1% 64.3% 72.7% 81.7% 87.4% * * Up *
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • AGENCY-WIDE MANAGEMENT
    • Performance Indicators
    • Actual Target Trend
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • Collisions involving City vehicles 44 98 81 110 * * NA Down
    • Workplace injuries reported 10 21 20 10 16 * * Neutral Down
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • 0
    • 100
    • 200
    • 300
    • 400
    • 500
    • 600
    • 700
    • Construction-Related Injuries
    • Construction-Related Fatalities
    • FY 16 FY 17 FY 18 FY 19 FY 20
    • Average Active Employees - Building Construction (NYS Dept. of Labor)
    • FY16 FY 17 FY 18 FY 19 FY 20
    • Construction-Related Injuries and Fatalities
    • and Average Construction Employment
    • 11 16 11
    • 526
    • 622
    • 47,208
    • 646
    • 9
    • 744
    • 44,000
    • 42,200
    • 45,750
    • 8
    • 534
    • 44,283
    • Page 276 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
    • AGENCY CUSTOMER SERVICE
    • Performance Indicators Actual Target Trend
    • Customer Experience FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • E-mails responded to in 14 days (%) 60% 63% 50% 53% 51% 57% 57% Down Up
    • Letters responded to in 14 days (%) 30% 60% 47% 58% 86% 57% 57% Up Up
    • Calls answered in 30 seconds (%) NA NA 70% 68% 62% * * NA Up
    • Completed customer requests for interpretation 68 63 100 122 77 * * Up *
    • CORE customer experience rating (0-100) 91 90 90 NA 99 85 85 NA Up
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • Performance Indicators Actual Target Trend
    • Response to 311 Service Requests (SRs) FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5-Year
    • Desired
    • Direction
    • Percent meeting time to first action - Elevator - Defective/Not
    • Working (60 days) 57% 92% 100% NA NA 50% 50% NA *
    • Percent meeting time to first action - General Construction/
    • Plumbing - Contrary/Beyond Approved Plans/Permits (60 days) 78% 62% 88% 98% 98% 72% 72% Up *
    • Percent meeting time to first action - General Construction/
    • Plumbing - Failure to Maintain (60 days) 93% 80% 63% 63% 89% 77% 77% Down *
    • Percent meeting time to first action - Illegal Conversion of Residential Building/Space (60 days) 56% 53% 91% 100% 89% 57% 57% Up *
    • Percent meeting time to first action - No Permit - Construction,
    • Plumbing, Cranes & Derricks, Building/Use, Elevator (60 days) 85% 93% 98% 97% 97% 77% 77% Up *
    • « Critical Indicator “NA” Not Available ñò Directional Target * None
    • AGENCY RESOURCES
    • Resource Indicators Actual¹ Plan²
    • FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY20 FY21 5yr Trend
    • Expenditures ($000,000)³ $134.7 $150.4 $159.7 $173.2 $189.1 $210.6 $183.0 Up
    • Revenues ($000,000) $301.9 $303.3 $329.7 $388.5 $340.7 $335.4 $352.7 Up
    • Personnel 1,361 1,551 1,633 1,665 1,734 1,899 1,756 Up
    • Overtime paid ($000,000) $8.3 $7.9 $7.4 $7.5 $3.0 $3.0 $3.0 Down
    • ¹Actual financial amounts for the current fiscal year are not yet final. Final fiscal year actuals, from the Comptroller's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, will be reported
    • in the next PMMR. Refer to the “Indicator Definitions” at nyc.gov/mmr for details. ²Authorized Budget Level ³Expenditures include all funds “NA” - Not
    • Available * None
    • SPENDING AND BUDGET INFORMATION
    • Where possible, the relationship between an agency’s goals and its expenditures and planned resources, by budgetary unit
    • of appropriation (UA), is shown in the ‘Applicable MMR Goals’ column. Each relationship is not necessarily exhaustive or
    • exclusive. Any one goal may be connected to multiple UAs and any UA may be connected to multiple goals.
    • Unit of Appropriation
    • Expenditures
    • FY19¹
    • ($000,000)
    • Modified Budget
    • FY20²
    • ($000,000) Applicable MMR Goals³
    • 001 - Personal Services $132.6 $141.1 All
    • 002 - Other Than Personal Services $40.6 $48.0 All
    • Agency Total $173.2 $189.1
    • ¹Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 2019. Includes all funds. ²City of New York Adopted Budget for Fiscal 2020, as of June
    • 2020. Includes all funds. ³Refer to agency goals listed at front of chapter. “NA” Not Available * None
    • DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS | Page 277
    • NOTEWORTHY CHANGES, ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS !
    • • Fiscal 2018 and 2019 hub plan review times for minor alterations were updated due to refinement in logic and related
    • adjustments.
    • • Fiscal 2019 DOB violations issued count was updated due to refinement in logic and related adjustments.
    • ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
    • For additional information go to:
    • • Building One City:
    • http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/building_one_city.pdf
    • • Data and Reporting:
    • http://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/about/metrics-reports.page
    • For more information on the agency, please visit: www.nyc.gov/buildings.
    • Page 278 | MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT