Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski announced today that his code enforcement officer legislation passed both the Assembly and Senate and now needs the Governor’s approval before becoming law (A.1310). The bill would provide the Department of State with a process of revoking a code enforcement officer’s certification should there be willful misconduct. Currently, the Department has the power to issue the certifications but has no authority to revoke an individual’s certification even if allegations of serious misconduct are proven. This will provide the Department of State with a simple yet necessary process to ensure the integrity of the code enforcement officer certification.

Code enforcement officers are qualified individuals who are responsible for enforcing the building and fire codes for local governments following training on the uniform code. Assemblyman Zebrowski saw an incident in his district where a code enforcement officer had failed to note serious code violations at several different schools in Rockland during an annual fire inspection. Despite the severity of the alleged misconduct, the Department of State did not have the authority to revoke the individual’s certification. This bill would empower the Secretary of State to create a process to revoke a code enforcement official’s certification if, after a hearing, willful misconduct is proven.

“With this law New Yorkers can rest easier that negligent building inspectors are held accountable. Building Inspectors are tasked with ensuring that our buildings and residents are safe. They are in charge of homes, offices and even schools. Residents assume that the standards are set, the law is followed and the inspections are made. But what happens if those inspections aren't made? That is what happened last year in schools across Ramapo. The building inspector signed off without ever making those inspections, putting the lives of countless students at risk. Worse, the State was unable to revoke the inspector’s license for such a serious transgression. This law finally sets up a process where the Secretary of State can investigate and revoke an inspector’s license when serious negligence occurs,” said Assemblyman Zebrowski.

Following a hearing, if an individual is found to have failed to uphold the duties of a code enforcement officer, the Department will have the authority to revoke their certification. Grounds for revocation includes but is not limited to: making material errors or omissions on an inspection report.

Now that the legislation has passed both houses of the legislature, the bill must come before the Governor before being signed into law.