Registration for Build-It-Back ended on October 31, 2013.
You can get information about the program, including:
Learn more:
Online
Visit the NYC Housing Recovery website.
By Email
Contact NYC Housing Recovery Operations about NYC Build It Back.
By Phone
The New York State Disaster Case Management program, operated by Catholic Charities, works one-on-one with those affected by Hurricane Sandy to:
Assistance is available even if you were not eligible for FEMA assistance, or if you applied for FEMA assistance and were denied.
Learn more about the Catholic Charities Disaster Case Management Program:
Online
Visit the Catholic Charities website.
By Phone
If you are a contractor requesting information on how to get a DOB inspection for Build It Back properties, the City has guidelines and contacts for each division.
You can request boiler, construction, electrical, or plumbing inspections.
Boiler Inspection Request
Submit an online inspection request using the Boiler Appointment Form. Then, email BIBinspections@buildings.nyc.gov with the following information:
You will be emailed an appointment confirmation within two days of receipt of your inspection request. The scheduled inspection date will be within 10 days of receipt of your request. Contractors must work with the property owner to provide access to the Department of Building's inspector.
Construction Inspection Request
Email construction inspection requests to BIBinspections@buildings.nyc.gov.
This email should include the following information:
You will be emailed an appointment confirmation within two days of receipt of your inspection request. The scheduled inspection date will be within 10 days of receipt of your request. Contractors must work with the property owner to provide access to the Department of Building's inspector.
Electrical Inspection Request
Email construction inspection requests to BIBinspections@buildings.nyc.gov.
This email should include the following information:
You will be emailed an appointment confirmation within two days of receipt of your inspection request. The scheduled inspection date will be within 10 days of receipt of your request. Contractors must work with the property owner to provide access to the Department of Building's inspector.
Plumbing Inspection Request
Schedule a plumbing inspection appointment by calling (212) 393-2550.
Give the Call Center representative your Build It Back registration number. You will then be given a DOB confirmation number.
Email DOB at BIBinspections@buildings.nyc.gov with the following information:
You will be emailed an appointment confirmation within two days of receipt of your inspection request. The scheduled inspection date will be within 10 days of receipt of your request. Contractors must work with the property owner to provide access to the Department of Building's inspector.
If Hurricane Sandy caused significant structural damage to your property, you may request an inspection by contacting the Department of Buildings (DOB). The City only accepts requests for inspections of structural or hazardous conditions. If a request is made for a structural and hazardous condition that is determined by the inspector to be non-structural or non-hazardous, an inspection fee may be assessed.
Examples of structural defects include:
Examples of non-structural defects include:
You can get additional information from DOB by calling the phone number for your borough.
If your gas was shut off as a result of the storm, you need to hire a licensed plumber to inspect your gas equipment.
If there was no damage to your gas equipment, your plumber must submit a letter to your utility company stating there are no problems with the gas equipment in order to have your gas restored. Your utility company will turn your gas back on after they receive the letter.
If there was damage to your gas equipment, your plumber must make the necessary repairs and submit a letter to your utility company certifying there was damage and the necessary repairs were made to have your gas restored. Your utility company will turn your gas back on after they receive the letter.
Your plumber can perform the repair work immediately without having to file an application or obtain permits from the Department of Buildings (DOB). However, the necessary applications must be filed with DOB within two business days of commencing work. These applications may be filed online with DOB eFiling.
DOB Application and Permit Fee Waiver
As part of the City’s ongoing recovery and assistance operations to help New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Sandy, application and permit fees for Hurricane Sandy repair work are waived until further notice.
If your electrical system was damaged by the storm and your utility company will not restore power to your property, you need to hire a licensed electrician to inspect your building’s electrical system.
If there was no damage to your building's electrical system, your electrician must submit a letter to your utility company stating there are no problems with the electrical system in order to have your power restored. Your utility company will turn your power back on after they receive the letter.
If there was damage to your building's electrical system, your electrician must make the necessary repairs and submit a letter to your utility company certifying there was damage and the necessary repairs were made to have your power restored. Your utility company will turn your power back on after they receive the letter.
Your electrician can perform the repair work immediately without having to file an application or obtain permits from the Department of Buildings (DOB). However, the necessary applications must be filed with DOB within two business days of commencing work. These applications may be filed online with DOB eFiling.
In most cases, any electrical wiring that came into contact with salt water will be required to be removed and replaced. Dried salt can be a conductor of electricity and cause an electrical fault or a fire. A licensed electrician may be able to disconnect the affected wiring branches to permit equipment in the rest of the building to be returned to service.
DOB Application and Permit Fee Waiver
As part of the City’s ongoing recovery and assistance operations to help New Yorkers affected by Hurricane Sandy, application and permit fees for Hurricane Sandy repair work are waived until further notice.
No one is allowed to enter structures or buildings that have active, limited, or full preemptory vacate orders in effect.
Vacate orders are issued to ensure public safety from damaged buildings, illegal or unsafe conditions, or dangerous conditions that may exist on or near the property. If you have seen people on the premises but they are no longer there, you may file a report with the City. Violations are issued when appropriate.
The amount of time a vacate order is in effect depends on the severity of the problem and how soon an unsafe condition is corrected. Details are provided on placard stickers posted on the premises by personnel from the Department of Buildings (DOB) and other agencies. Depending on the color of the placard sticker, the entire building or a specified portion of the building structure may no longer be accessible.
Once posted on the premises, placard stickers must remain on the premises until you are notified by the DOB.
For additional information, you should contact DOB using the phone number provided on the placard sticker, or by calling the phone number provided for your borough.
Once the hazardous conditions are corrected, you may send an email or call to request a re-inspection. Attach any documents or photographs that reflect the repairs. If the repairs required work by a licensed contractor, architect or engineer, include a statement from the licensee that indicates the hazardous conditions have been corrected.
After a re-inspection by the Department of Buildings (DOB) confirms the hazardous conditions have been remedied, DOB will remove the placard from your building.
By Email
By Phone
The Department of Buildings (DOB) performed detailed assessments of homes tagged with red and yellow placards. For homes that sustained irreparable damage, a partial or full demolition may have been issued.
A red placard does not mean a building must be demolished. Some buildings with structural damage can be repaired. Homeowners can hire and consult licensed professionals who can design repair plans.
A building will be subject to demolition if it is structurally unsound and poses an imminent danger to the public. Examples are:
DOB attempted to contact each homeowner of a property tagged with a red placard to schedule a meeting to discuss the process before any structure is demolished. If you did not have a meeting and wish to do so or have questions about the assessment, please call the DOB phone number listed on the red placard sticker or call 311 for phone assistance.
The City's plan for spending disaster aid from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Hurricane Sandy recovery is described in the Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Action Plan.
Get more information and a copy of the Action Plan.
Proposed Amendment to the CDBG-DR Action Plan
The City's proposed Amendment 21 to the Action Plan includes the following:
View the proposed Amendment 21 to the Action Plan.
Public Hearing for Amendment 21
The City is holding a public hearing to discuss this proposed amendment to the CDBG-DR Action Plan. The public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, February 12th at 6:30 PM at:
New York City Planning Commission Hearing Room
Lower Concourse
120 Broadway
New York, New York 10271
Submitting Comments on Amendment 21
The comment period on the proposed Amendment 21 opened on February 7th.
Anyone can submit comments about the proposed changes to the plan. All comments will be reviewed and a City response will be incorporated into the document. Comments must be received by Monday, March 9th.
You can submit comments online or in person at the public hearing.
Submit comments about Amendment 21.
You can also submit comments by mail to:
Calvin Johnson, Assistant Director, CDBG-DR
NYC Office of Management and Budget
255 Greenwich Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10007
