Assemblyman Zebrowski Continues Efforts for Fire Safety through Code Enforcement Official Integrity Bill

The legislation would establish a process for the Secretary of State to investigate code enforcement misconduct and empowers the DOS to revoke certification

Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski announced today that he introduced legislation to address the recent incident in Rockland County where a code enforcement official was found to have failed to note serious violations on an inspection report. The legislation would establish a process for the Secretary of State to investigate misconduct and revoke their code enforcement certificate. The Department of State (DOS) would be able to revoke the certification if it is found that an official willfully falsified an inspection report, provided material misstatements on an inspection or accepted bribes.

Currently, the Department of State can only revoke a certification if the official does not meet the training requirements. This bill comes after a series of steps that Assemblyman Zebrowski has taken over the past two years to address the systemic failure of code enforcement found in certain municipalities in Rockland. This legislation will add to the five other bills he has authored, all geared toward different aspects of this issue.

“The Department of State currently issues certifications for individuals who have completed the training to become a code enforcement officer, empowering them to revoke that certification for misconduct is the logical next step. It is concerning that even if blatant misconduct is found; the Department is unable to revoke an official’s certification. We can’t have unfit officials continuing to enforce fire and building code if they are going to do so in an irresponsible and dangerous manner,” Assemblyman Zebrowski said.

The Department of State issues code enforcement certifications for individuals who have completed training on the uniform code. This certification demonstrates that an individual is qualified to enforce the building and fire codes for local governments. Although the Department can revoke certification of those who do not complete the training, they are unable to do so when an official commits a serious transgression.

“We’ve unfortunately seen an incident here in Rockland where a code enforcement officer failed to note serious violations in several schools and is still able to maintain his certification. Code enforcement officers need to understand that their decisions have life and death consequences. A blatant disregard for the law must result in a revocation of that officer’s certification. This bill will finally give the State that power,” concluded Assemblyman Zebrowski.