Bill Text: NY S04181 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Provides that an owner of a residential building which has been deemed unsafe because of an arson related fire shall be charged the actual cost of demolition.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - REFERRED TO CITIES 1 [S04181 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S04181-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4181

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 2, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities 1

        AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the  city  of  New  York,  in
          relation to demolition costs of residential property

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 11-301 of the administrative code of  the  city  of
     2  New  York,  as  amended  by  local  law  number 68 for the year 2007, is
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    § 11-301 When taxes, assessments, sewer rents, sewer surcharges [and],
     5  water rents and demolition costs to be liens on land assessed. All taxes
     6  and all assessments and all sewer rents, sewer surcharges  [and],  water
     7  rents  and demolition costs, and the interest and charges thereon, which
     8  may be laid or may have heretofore been laid, upon any real  estate  now
     9  in the city, shall continue to be, until paid, a lien thereon, and shall
    10  be  preferred  in payment to all other charges.  The words "water rents"
    11  whenever they are used in this  chapter  shall  include  uniform  annual
    12  charges  and  extra  and  miscellaneous charges for the supply of water,
    13  charges in accordance with meter rates, minimum charges for  the  supply
    14  of  water  by  meter,  annual service charges and charges for meters and
    15  their connections and for their setting, repair and maintenance,  penal-
    16  ties  and  fines  and all lawful charges for the supply of water imposed
    17  pursuant to the New York city municipal  water  finance  authority  act,
    18  which is set forth in title two-A of article five of the public authori-
    19  ties  law.  Charges  for  expense of meters, their connections, setting,
    20  repair or maintenance shall not be due or become a charge or lien on the
    21  premises where a water meter shall  be  installed  or  against  which  a
    22  charge shall be made, until such charge shall have been definitely fixed
    23  by  the  commissioner  of  environmental protection, and an entry of the
    24  amount thereof shall have been made with the date of such entry  in  the
    25  book in which the charges for water supplied by meter against such prem-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08782-01-1

        S. 4181                             2

     1  ises are to be entered. A charge in accordance with meter rates or mini-
     2  mum  charges  for  the  supply of water measured by meter, and a service
     3  charge shall not be due or become a lien or  charge  upon  the  premises
     4  where  such meter is installed until an entry shall have been made indi-
     5  cating that such premises are metered, with the date of  such  entry  in
     6  the  book  in  which  the charges for water by meter measurement against
     7  such premises are to be entered. The words "sewer rents"  when  used  in
     8  this chapter shall mean any rents or charges imposed pursuant to section
     9  24-514  of  the  code  or  pursuant to the New York city municipal water
    10  finance authority act, which is set forth in title two-A of article five
    11  of the public authorities law. The words "sewer surcharges" when used in
    12  this chapter shall mean the charges imposed pursuant to  section  24-523
    13  of  the  code  or  pursuant to the New York city municipal water finance
    14  authority act, which is set forth in title two-A of article five of  the
    15  public  authorities  law.  Whenever an increase in the amount of uniform
    16  annual charges or extra or miscellaneous charges shall have been made or
    17  a charge shall have been  made  for  water  services  for  any  building
    18  completed  subsequent  to  the  first  day  of January in each year, the
    19  amount of such increase of the charge or new charge for such new  build-
    20  ing  shall  not  be  due or become a lien or charge against the premises
    21  until the amounts thereof shall have been entered with the date of  such
    22  entries,  respectively, in the books in which the uniform annual charges
    23  and extra or miscellaneous charges  against  such  premises  are  to  be
    24  entered.  The  words "tax lien" when used in this chapter shall mean the
    25  lien arising pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or  pursuant  to
    26  the  New  York  city municipal water finance authority act, which is set
    27  forth in title two-A of article five of the public authorities law, as a
    28  result of the nonpayment  of  taxes,  assessments,  sewer  rents,  sewer
    29  surcharges,  water  rents,  demolition costs, any other charges that are
    30  made a lien subject to the provisions of this chapter, the costs of  any
    31  advertisements  and  notices  given  pursuant to this chapter, any other
    32  charges that are due and payable, a surcharge pursuant to section 11-332
    33  of this chapter if the tax lien is sold, interest and penalties  thereon
    34  and  the  right of the city to receive such amounts. The words "tax lien
    35  certificate" when  used  in  this  chapter  shall  mean  the  instrument
    36  evidencing a tax lien and executed by the commissioner of finance or his
    37  or  her designee at such time as such lien is transferred to a purchaser
    38  upon sale of such lien by the city. The words  "demolition  costs"  when
    39  used  in  this chapter shall mean the charges imposed for the demolition
    40  of a residential building which is set forth in section 11-357  of  this
    41  chapter.
    42    §  2.  The  administrative  code of the city of New York is amended by
    43  adding a new section 11-357 to read as follows:
    44    § 11-357 Demolition costs on residential buildings.  1.  An  owner  of
    45  residential  property which has been deemed an unsafe building or struc-
    46  ture as a result of arson and such owner has been ordered by the commis-
    47  sioner to demolish such building pursuant to title twenty-eight of  this
    48  chapter, shall be billed for the actual cost of the demolition and shall
    49  be  no  more  than twenty-five percent of the total insurance settlement
    50  reached between the owner and  their  insurance  carrier.  This  section
    51  shall  not  apply  if such arson was committed by the legal owner of the
    52  residential property or an occupant of the residential property.
    53    2. The commissioner of buildings of the city of New York  shall  cause
    54  to be transmitted to the commissioner of finance an account of all demo-
    55  lition  costs  pursuant  to  subdivision one of this section as the same
    56  become due or accrue.

        S. 4181                             3

     1    3. The owner of residential property containing one, two or  three-fa-
     2  mily units who fails to pay the demolition cost, pursuant to subdivision
     3  one  of this section, as the same become due or accrue shall not be sold
     4  by the city as a tax lien for a period of ten years.  The owner of resi-
     5  dential  property  containing  one,  two or three-family units who has a
     6  lien on such property for costs associated  with  the  demolition  of  a
     7  building  on  such  property for a period of twenty years shall have ten
     8  years to cure any back taxes or present  liens  on  such  property.  The
     9  interest  fees  related  to  such  back  taxes or present liens shall be
    10  waived.
    11    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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