Penalties
The usual penalty for abuse is revocation of Self Certification privileges. The Department of Buildings cannot revoke a professional's license to practice Architecture or Engineering, as that is controlled by the New York State Office of the Professions. However, since 2007 the State has allowed the DOB to refuse to accept plans filed by individuals who have been found to abuse the Self Certification process (or other regulations).
The Department of Buildings used this law for the first time in January 2008, banning engineer Leon St. Clair Nation from filing any work in the City for at least two years. Nation had allegedly filed fake plans and doctored photographs. Expediter Hershy Fekete was also implicated, but an administrative judge ruled that expediters were not covered by the 2007 law.
In February 2007, the Brooklyn AIA announced in their newsletter that the City Council had proposed revising the city's administrative code regarding misconduct related to Self Certification. The revised code would establish a process whereby architects and engineers whose self-certification privileges have been revoked could have these privileges restored after one year. A six-month probationary period would follow, and any further misconduct would result in permanent revocation of privileges.
Read more about this topic: Self Certification (New York City Department Of Buildings), Abuse
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