City of Yonkers : FAQ

When does my landlord need to provide us with heat?
What information can I get on sex offenders?
I need to find out if my property/house is located in a flood zone.
What codes does the City of Yonkers use?
How Many Layers of roofing are permitted on a one or two family Dwelling?
How can I obtain a Film Permit Application?
Why do I need permits from the Department of Housing & Buildings?
Are window guards required in multiple dwellings?
What are the INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS for a Building Permit?
Do I need a permit for a SWIMMING POOL?
How do I get a banner hung in Yonkers for my event?
Where is the Department of Housing & Buildings located? And what are the normal business hours that I can come in or talk to someone on the phone?
How to avoid unnecessary Plan Rejections.
I need to see if I have a copy of a Certificate of Occupancy or a survey for my property, where do I look for this?
I need to get a Certificate of Occupancy for my one or two family home, what do I do?
How to file for a change of use?
What is the difference between a deck and a patio?
I want to build a deck; do I need a permit?
I want to install a patio in my yard; do I need a permit?
I will be replacing the roof on my house; do I need a permit?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...

Q: When does my landlord need to provide us with heat? A: DURING THE PERIOD FROM SEPTEMBER 15^TH TO MAY 31^ST IT IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN A TEMPERATURE OF NOT LESS THAN 68°F (20°C) IN ALL HABITABLE ROOMS, BATHROOMS AND TOILET ROOMS. AT ALL OTHER TIMES WHENEVER THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE FALLS BELOW 55° F THE INSIDE TEMPERATURE IS TO BE SUPPLIED AS FOLLOWS: BETWEEN 6:00 A.M. AND 11:00 P.M. 68° F BETWEEN 11:00 P.M. AND 6:00 A.M. 65° F NOTE: Hot water is to be maintained at a minimum temperature of 120° F AT ALL TIMES. When these do not happen and the heat or hot water is not provided or is insufficient then you should contact the Department of Housing & Buildings at (914) 377-6512 or (914) 965-3331 during normal business hours or call the Mayors Help Line/Action Center on (914) 377-4357.
Q: What information can I get on sex offenders? A: What agency you contact and what level the offender is will determine what information can be released regarding a particular offender. For some offenders their name, exact address, photograph, crime, victim and schools that they either enrolled or working at can be released. For other offenders, all of the above information, with the exception of their exact address can be released. In those instances, the zip code of the offender will be released.
Q: I need to find out if my property/house is located in a flood zone. A: Just call the City of Yonkers Engineering Department at (914) 377-6210 or one of the engineers at the Department of Housing & Buildings at (914) 377-6506 or 377-6507 and your question on the Flood Zone Map will be answered. This map is produced by FEMA specifically for the City of Yonkers. If you require a response in writing, just send a written request and it will be processed.
Q: What codes does the City of Yonkers use? A: The City of Yonkers enforces the Yonkers Zoning Ordinance (which took effect on December 9, 2000), the Municipal Codes of the City of Yonkers (with regards to Building, Housing, Plumbing & Fire), and the Codes of New York State [2007 edition] (which took effect January 1, 2008). It is worth noting that the codes that are enforced by the Department are minimum standards, which have been adopted to protect you and your interests.
Q: How Many Layers of roofing are permitted on a one or two family Dwelling? A: The Residential Code of N.Y.S. allows for no more than two roof layers.
Q: How can I obtain a Film Permit Application? A: Contact the Yonkers Film Office at 914-377-6644 or download and print a copy.
Q: Why do I need permits from the Department of Housing & Buildings? A: The Department of Housing & Buildings is charged with the responsibility of protecting your health, safety and welfare. The Department issues building permits and inspects the work performed to insure that it is done correctly and that no injury will result to you the owner/occupant/visitor of the premises. Can you imagine what would happen if someone did work on a house that you later bought and it was not structurally sound. Unfortunately many people try to do that every day. If it were not for the banks and the title companies requiring that you have a certificate of occupancy for all work that has been done to the property by checking the files in the Department of Housing & buildings prior to a closing taking place on home sales/refinancing, then you may end up with a home that has a deck that could fall down, or some other disastrous event, even a fire. The house that you own is the biggest investment of your life and you deserve to have this investment compliant with the Codes of the City of Yonkers and New York State. JUST A REMINDER! THE CONSUMER PROTECTION BUREAU DOES LICENSE HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTORS AND THEY MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL PERMIT REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE CONTACT THEM AT (914) 377-6807.
Q: Are window guards required in multiple dwellings? A: Yes. Please see Window Guard Installation Responsibilities and related documents and forms in Downloadable Forms.
Q: What are the INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS for a Building Permit? A: Please see: Insurance Requirements for Work Permits and Downloadable Forms.
Q: Do I need a permit for a SWIMMING POOL? A: YES. See Swimming Pools, SPA, Hot Tub. *WHEN IN DOUBT---ASK!* Call the Department of Housing and Buildings at (914) 377-6500. A member of the department will discuss your plans with you and answer all of your questions.
Q: How do I get a banner hung in Yonkers for my event? A: You must first start by contacting your City Council Representative to get a Resolution introduced and passed by the Council. The Resolution will then authorize the banner to be hung. You or your organization must provide the Banner(s) - the City of Yonkers does not provide banners. After approval has been granted by the City Council, your group must then provide the banner(s) to the Department of Public Works for the actual process of hanging the banner. Please note: banners will no longer be accepted by the DPW Commissioners office. All banners must be dropped off at 170 SawMill River Road (Street Lighting Dept). The entire process can be time consuming, so you must allow sufficient time for the Resolution to be voted upon, and for DPW to schedule to hang the banner. For a schedule of City Council meetings, review the City Council webpages. PLEASE NOTE: For safety reasons, the City Council will only allow Banners at the following locations designated by the Department of Public Works. Authorized Banner Locations in Yonkers City Hall Bridge Sadore Lane Bridge Central Park Avenue & Yonkers Avenue Bridge Central Park Avenue & Tuckahoe Avenue Bridge Central Park Avenue & McLean Avenue Yonkers Avenue at Gold's Gym Riverdale Avenue & Main Street North Broadway & Executive Boulevard Nepperhan Avenue & Odell Avenue Strathmore & Whistler (Our Lady of Fatima) Saw Mill River Road & Roosevelt Park Hill Avenue & Linden Street Midland Avenue & Mile Square Road Palmer & Bryn Mawr
Q: Where is the Department of Housing & Buildings located? And what are the normal business hours that I can come in or talk to someone on the phone? A: The Department of Housing & Buildings is located at 87 Nepperhan Ave. (Fifth floor) in the Health Center Building immediately adjacent to City Hall. Our hours of operation are 8:30am to 4:30pm. Our main phone number is (914) 377-6500 and one of our staff will gladly direct you to the proper section or person whom can help you.
Q: How to avoid unnecessary Plan Rejections. A: Please see: Avoid unnecessary plan rejections.
Q: I need to see if I have a copy of a Certificate of Occupancy or a survey for my property, where do I look for this? A: Come into the Department of Housing & Buildings, fill out a request form for the address, block & lot of the property which you are looking for and the file (if one exists) will be pulled for you to review and see if these documents exist in the file. You can request a copy of the documents, which you find in our file, with a freedom of information request
Q: I need to get a Certificate of Occupancy for my one or two family home, what do I do? A: First, don't panic, come into the Department of Housing & Buildings with your block & lot number(s) and review our file to see if a Certificate of Occupancy (C.O.) and/or floor plans are there. If you do not find a C.O. then you will be required to file an application for one. If floor plans exist in your file then you only need to provide us with a copy of your survey along with the application and we will make an appointment to come and check your home. If floor plans do not exist in your file then you will be required to provide the Department with plans drawn to architectural standards showing the occupancy of each room/space. If work was done without permits and does not agree with the City's records, then you will be required to legalize the work done by applying for a building permit.
Q: How to file for a change of use? A: Please see: How to file for a change of use.
Q: What is the difference between a deck and a patio? A: A deck is elevated above the surrounding grade and is structural in nature. A patio is fully supported by/in contact with the ground. A patio is placed on the surface of the ground.
Q: I want to build a deck; do I need a permit? A: Yes. A deck is a structural system that must be evaluated for compliance with the City of Yonkers Zoning Ordinance and the Codes of New York State. Want to build a deck?
Q: I want to install a patio in my yard; do I need a permit? A: No. But there are certain requirements that the Zoning Ordinance has which could affect where and how big you can build. You should definitely contact one of the engineers in our plan review section in the Department of Housing & Buildings on (914) 377-6506 or 377-6507 for more information.
Q: I will be replacing the roof on my house; do I need a permit? A: If you only intend on replacing or adding shingles on the roof you do not need a permit; however, if you need to replace the sheathing under the roof shingles then the answer is yes you do need a permit.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ...

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.