Non-essential construction sites were eligible to resume work on Monday, June 8, 2020 as part of Phase 1 Restart.
The Department of Buildings (DOB) Phase 1 Reopening Guidelines apply to all New York City construction activity during the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency, until any changes are made to the State’s Executive Order and related guidance.
Learn more about DOB's reopening guidelines.
Learn about owner and contractor guidance.
The Department of Buildings (DOB) will sweep every permitted work site to ensure that these restart safety requirements are met:
- 6 feet of social distancing, unless safety or core function of the work activity requires a shorter distance
- Face coverings if work requires less than 6 feet of distance
- Tightly confined spaces (for example: elevators, hoists) must be occupied by only one individual at a time OR under 50% maximum allowed number of people if all occupants wear a face covering AND 50% capacity must be posted within the cab AND at each landing
- Readily available hygiene and hand washing stations
- Visible COVID-19 signage and worker rights
- Communication plans for employees, visitors, and clients must be available at the site
- Designated site safety monitor, responsible for continuous compliance with all aspects of the site safety plan
- Proper cleaning and disinfection logs
- Effective contact tracing with updated logs of every worker in close contact with others on site
Enforcement
- First 30 Days: Education campaign and orders to ensure compliance; DOB violations issued during the 30-day reopening period will carry no financial penalty.
- After 30 Days: Inspectors will begin issuing violations to enforce non-compliance. Starting July 8th, 2020 violations will result in financial penalties, and further noncompliance may result in Stop Work Orders and summonses with accompanying civil penalties of up to $5,000 for each offense.
