NYC What do they actually enforce?

[jar546]

First off this is an observation and in no way am I bashing NYC. I love NYC and spending time there. I do, however want to question a few things based on some observations.

One thing that stands out at the top of the list is public restroom compliance. I don't know how many times I visited restaurants and other establishments that had no public restrooms. Where else could you sit down for a meal and not have a restroom? This was not just a sporadic find, it was a constant find. Now granted, many of the larger restaurants with a decent amount of seating had restrooms but a lot of the smaller places just simply did not. This included newer placed that were obviously recently renovated. Were they smaller in size? Yes, they were, but, they existed. Sometimes you want to wash your hands or relieve yourself before you eat and in many instances this was simply not possible.

Next item is accessibility. It seems as though the phrase "technical infeasibility" is just an easy out. Of course I understand that space is at a premium but it just seemed like they are not even trying.

That was my 2 cents. Do cities just get too big to be able to properly enforce the codes or is there a culture of non-compliance that supra cedes that?

 

[jdfruit]

I think NYC is a good correlative example of any City with 100K or more population having a majority of development being more than 50 years old.

 

[mstehlin]

How public does the restroom have to be? Code does not say the toilet must be in an obvious location. It may require asking the staff.

 

[mtlogcabin]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/ll_5705.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/nyregion/rule-shift-cuts-restroom-requirements-at-new-york-restaurants.html?_r=0

Under legislation that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed on Aug. 8, small restaurants and coffee shops with an occupancy of 30 people or fewer are allowed to provide patrons with one bathroom rather than two, as previously required — one for each sex. The changes also brought the city’s plumbing code in line with a health department code that allowed places with fewer than 20 seats to not provide patrons with any bathroom.

The city also does not have just one building code; there is a 1938 code, a 1968 code and a 2008 code, and all have different bathroom requirements. The 1968 code required one bathroom for each sex for up to 100 people. The 2008 code required one for each sex for up to 150, a Buildings Department spokeswoman said.

 

[JBI]

Just to clarify one point... NYC has its' own unique Code and has for a very long time. It is not (necessarily) based on the IBC or any other model Code (not even NYS Code). The NYS Building Code Act, which requires enforcement of a Uniform Code, exempts cities 'with a population exceeding 1,000,000'. NYS has one city of that size.