January/February 2019

PE Report
New York PEs Persevere on Parking Garage Safety

Two incidents involving the structural integrity of parking garages in New York in 2015 led the New York State Society of Professional Engineers to call for changes to improve public safety. Now, after much work, NYSSPE’s recommendations are taking effect.

Under new rules implemented by the New York Department of State and the New York Code Council, structural inspections of parking garages will be performed once every three years by licensed professional engineers. But the change didn’t come easily.

The concerns first arose when a parking garage owned by the United Health Services of Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City collapsed due to a structural failure in July 2015. There were no injuries or fatalities, but vehicles were destroyed in the incident. In November 2015, the City of Binghamton closed a five-level garage in the downtown area due to severe deterioration.

In 2016, NYSSPE lobbied lawmakers to model a bill after the state’s bridge inspection laws, which require assessments by a licensed engineer. The legislation would have required inspection of parking structures, both public and private, at least once every five years by a PE. It also would have required immediate inspections when there were known structural deficiencies or if a structure’s integrity had been compromised by a storm, flood, collision, accident, or other natural or manmade event.

Governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed the bill in December 2016, however, citing technical deficiencies, but he recommended that the Code Council continue reviewing the inspection issue. After the veto, NYSSPE continued working with the Department of State and the Code Council.

Inspections received further attention in a December 2017 report from New York’s Office of the State Comptroller, which audited six state entities that operate public parking structures: the Albany Parking Authority and the Cities of Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse, and White Plains. While Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester contracted with engineering firms to conduct regular inspections, Buffalo, Ithaca, and White Plains monitored parking garages but conducted structural inspections only on an as-needed basis.

The report recommended regular structural inspection cycles.

The new rule changes, which took effect August 29, apply in all jurisdictions and state agencies that are responsible for enforcing the uniform code. The changes require parking garage owners to have their structures assessed by qualified professional engineers at least every three years. Owners must apply for and obtain operating permits, and condition assessment reports will have to be retained for the life of the parking garages.