NY State Senate Bill 2017-S4556

Senate Bill S4556

2017-2018 Legislative Session

Requires the New York city department of sanitation to remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of any fire hydrants

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Cities Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2018	referred to cities
Feb 17, 2017	referred to cities

2017-S4556 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7571
Current Committee:: Senate Cities
Law Section:: New York City Administrative Code
Laws Affected:: Amd §15-205, NYC Ad Cd
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2013-2014: S6956, A9957
2015-2016: S1134, A4130
2019-2020: S5373, A4426
2021-2022: S5508
2023-2024: S5563

2017-S4556 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Amends the provision requiring owners, lessees or tenants to remove any obstructions in front of fire hydrants to require the New York city department of sanitation to remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of any such fire hydrants.

2017-S4556 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S4556

 TITLE OF BILL :  An act to amend the administrative code of the city
of New York, in relation to requiring the department of sanitation to
remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants

 PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL :

The purpose of this bill is to require the New York city department of
sanitation to remove any snow or ice accumulation in front of any fire
hydrants.

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section one amends section 15-205 of the administrative code of the
city of New York law by requiring the department of sanitation to
clear snow and ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants.

Section two sets forth the effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

During the winter of 2013-2014, the city of New York experienced an
unusually active snow season with numerous storms and record breaking
amount of snowfalls, presenting unprecedented challenges as a result.
Among these challenges, snow covered fire hydrants presented a major

public safety concern.

Sanitation plow trucks that clear snow on the city streets often
deposit snow onto the curbside and sidewalk, resulting in an
accumulation of snow on and around the fire hydrants. For firefighters
responding to emergencies where time is of the essence, snow and ice
covered fire hydrants can present an extremely hazardous obstacle.

Currently, section 15-205 of the New York city administrative code
requires property owners, lessees or tenants to clear snow or ice from
the fire hydrant in front of their property. However, locating and
clearing snow covered fire hydrants can be an extremely difficult and
costly task for some individuals and potentially hazardous for senior
citizens and persons with disabilities.

Any snow and ice covered fire hydrant severely limits firefighters'
ability to put out a fire and presents a major threat to public
safety, a risk that we cannot afford to take. This legislation would
address such safety concerns by shifting the responsibility for
clearing snow and ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants to the
department of sanitation, which can utilize equipment and manpower to
effectively remove the snow and ice from city owned fire hydrants.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

None

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

Yet to be determined.

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as
section 1 of local law number 149 of the city of New York for the year
of 2016 takes effect.

2017-S4556 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4556
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 17, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities
 
 AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the  city  of  New  York,  in
   relation  to requiring the department of sanitation to remove any snow
   or ice accumulation in front of fire hydrants

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  15-205 of the administrative code of the city of
 New York, as amended by local law number 149 of the city of New York for
 the year 2016, is amended to read as follows:
   § 15-205 Obstruction of fire hydrants. a. For  the  purposes  of  this
 section,  the  term  "fire hydrant street area" means, with respect to a
 fire hydrant, any space that is located:
   1. In a street; and
   2. Between the center of such street and a line that (i) is 20 feet in
 length, (ii) has such hydrant at its center point and (iii) runs  paral-
 lel to the curb nearest such hydrant.
   b.  1.  It  shall be unlawful in any manner to obstruct the use of any
 fire hydrant, or to throw or pile, or allow any snow  or  ice  or  other
 material  or  thing  to be thrown or piled (i) upon a fire hydrant, (ii)
 within two feet of a fire hydrant or (iii) within a fire hydrant  street
 area.  All material or things found obstructing any fire hydrant [may be
 forthwith] SHALL BE removed by the officers or employees of the  depart-
 ment,  at the risk, cost and expense, of the [owner, lessee or tenant of
 the premises fronting such hydrant] DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION.
   2. No newsstand may be located within ten feet from either side  of  a
 fire  hydrant, except that this prohibition shall not apply to any news-
 stand which was first licensed by the  department  of  consumer  affairs
 before  August  1,  1979, where the person who held the license for such
 newsstand on August 1, 1991 continues to be the licensee for such  news-
 stand;  provided,  however,  that  where  a  newsstand  which  was first
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD00872-02-7

 S. 4556                             2
 
 licensed before August 1, 1979 is reconstructed in its  entirety  or  in
 substantial  part, which reconstruction was commenced on or after August
 1, 1991, such newsstand shall be subject to such prohibition.
   c.  All  snow  and ice accumulating within a space identified in para-
 graph 1 of subdivision b of this section shall be removed by the [owner,
 lessee or tenant of the premises fronting such space within  four  hours
 after  the  snow  ceases  to fall, except that (i) such owner, lessee or
 tenant shall not be required to  remove  snow  and  ice  from  the  fire
 hydrant street area or from the property of such owner, lessee or tenant
 and  (ii) the time between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. shall not be included
 in the aforementioned period of four hours] DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION.
   d. Notwithstanding section 15-216, a violation or knowing violation of
 this section shall be punishable in the same manner as  a  violation  of
 subdivision  a  of  section  16-123,  except that a knowing violation of
 subdivision b of this section may in addition be punishable by imprison-
 ment not to exceed one day.
   e. In addition to the department, the  department  of  sanitation  may
 enforce the provisions of this section.
   §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
 manner as section 1 of local law number 149 of the city of New York  for
 the year 2016, takes effect.

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