New Facade Laws Take Effect Today Following Deadly Collapses

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – New York City's new rules for building façade inspections take effect today.

The changes follow a series of collapses, including one near Times Square that killed 60-year-old architect Erica Tishman.

The new rules include:

• Owners of buildings over six stories tall are required to hire licensed professionals to perform inspections every five years.
• Penalties will be increased for owners who fail to make repairs to unsafe facades.
• Landlords must also post information about the status of façade inspections in the lobby of buildings.

A month after Tishman's death, a piece of plywood flew off a building and killed a 67-year-old woman in Queens.

Both the Brooklyn and Queens buildings had previously received numerous violations.

Click here for more information from the Department of Buildings.

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• New York