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QUALIFIED PARKING STRUCTURE INSPECTORS & LOCAL LAW 126

Photo of parking garage | NYC Building code | O'Donnell & Naccarato

WHAT IS LOCAL LAW 126?

As of 2022, New York City’s Department of Buildings’ new ordinance, Local Law 126 added required periodic inspections of parking structures, thus amending the administrative code of the City of New York and the NYC Building Codes. The ordinance, similar to FISP (Facade Inspection Safety Program), will require owners of parking structures to hire a certified QPSI approved by the NYC DOB to inspect parking structures once every six years and file a report with the Department of Buildings documenting the results of the inspection.

Inspections occur in cycles, by Borough and Community District. Owners of parking structures located within Manhattan Community Districts 1 through 7 (see below map) will be required to have parking structures inspected and file the required report with Department of Buildings’ during this cycle.

However, an update by the DOB has amended the law, necessitating an early, one-time initial observation of every parking structure within the city. This observation must be conducted, or at least directly supervised, by a Qualified Parking Structures Inspector (QPSI), with the corresponding report due to the DOB by August 1, 2024.

WHAT STRUCTURES ARE AFFECTED BY THIS ORDINANCE?

  • Buildings, or portions of a building, used for parking or storing motor vehicles, including space inside or under a building.

  • Open parking garages and enclosed parking garages as defined in the NYC Building Code.

INSPECTION SUB-CYCLES

  • SUB-CYCLE 1A : COMPLETED
    Manhattan Community Districts 1-7
    Filing Period: January 1, 2022-December 31, 2023

  • SUB-CYCLE 1B :
    Remaining Manhattan Districts & Brooklyn
    Filing Period: January 1, 2024-December 31, 2025

  • SUB-CYCLE 1C :
    Bronx, Queens, & Staten Island
    Filing Period: January 1, 2026-December 31, 2027

To get started, call us at 800.607.7284 or email us at info@o-n.com to get your parking structure on our schedule for inspection by one of our Qualified Parking Structure Inspectors.

HOW CAN O&N HELP?

O’Donnell & Naccarato offers four decades of award-winning structural engineering design to garage owners, developers, & operators. With over 400 garage projects, our vast experience in designing new garages provides us with an understanding of how to repair them, and our knowledge of reoccurring issues within garages has led to the improved design of new garages.

Our in-house restoration team has extensive experience with structural systems of all types and complexities. Our restoration staff holds leadership roles on several national professional organizations focusing on parking garages, assessment of concrete, and design of concrete repair. Our team utilizes this specialized knowledge and skill to investigate each garage’s unique structure.

For your parking structure, O’Donnell & Naccarato will provide a structural condition assessment to determine the current condition of your garage, identify and record deterioration that requires repair and maintenance, and develop a written report in compliance with the requirements set forth by NYC DOB, per NYC DOB requirements.

O&N offers the following services and experience when it comes to your parking garage needs:

Parking Garage Services:

  • Design of New Structures

  • Functional Parking Design

  • Existing Condition Assessment Surveys

  • Durable Repair Design, Phasing, & Monitoring

  • Order of Magnitude Repair & Maintenance Values

  • Construction Administration

Experienced With:

  • Precast Concrete

  • Post-Tensioned Concrete

  • Cast-In-Place Concrete

  • Brick & Stone

  • Structural Steel

  • Metal & Glass Curtain Wall

MEET THE LEADERS OF OUR QPSI GROUP

Matthew Mowrer, PE, QPSI

Associate – O’Donnell & Naccarato

Matt graduated from Drexel University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.  He has more than 17 years’ experience as a structural engineer including 6 years with O’Donnell & Naccarato.  Matt heads O’Donnell & Naccarato’s in-house SPRAT- Certified Restoration Team, helping to preserve and restore parking structures of all types.  Along with Periodic Inspection of Parking Garages aka Local Law 126 assessments, he has also performed facade assessments in accordance with other city’s requirements.  He is also a voting member of ASTM E06 Committee on Performance of Building Enclosures.

Robert J. Franco, PE, SE, QPSI

Regional Director – New York

Rob has more than 25 years’ experience as a structural engineer, possessing a strong familiarity and connection to the New York metro area and a knowledge and understanding of the inner workings of the local industry. In addition to performing Periodic Inspections of Parking Garages aka Local Law 126 assessments, Rob is also a member of the Structural Engineers Association of New York and the International Code Council, where he is a Structural Subject Matter Expert for the development of the NYC Existing Building Code.

To contact Matt or Rob for an inspection of your garage: Give us a call at 800.607.7284 or email us at info@o-n.com