How to Handle a Hazardous Violation (VH)

VH is the hazardous code in a Department of Buildings violation number. The types page calls it a hazardous violation. It gives no further definition. It does not name a trade, a form, a deadline, or a penalty for the letters VH. The notice states the condition. VWH is hazardous work without a permit, a different code. V is a general DOB violation. Class 1, immediately hazardous, is a severity class, not the code VH.

Read the notice

Confirm the number contains VH and not VWH, VW, or V alone. An asterisk means the types page marks the item dismissed. Do not add a procedure because the word hazardous appears in a class name or in an elevator PVT note. Those are different uses of the word.

Older summonses say ECB. Current pages call that hearing path an OATH summons. OATH holds the hearing. OATH is not part of the Department of Buildings and does not issue the summons. A DOB violation is a notice that the property is out of compliance, plus an order to correct. There is no court appearance. Serious conditions may result in a Criminal Court summons. That track is not written into the VH label. Read the paper.

If a class is printed, Class 1 is immediately hazardous, Class 2 is major, and Class 3 is lesser. A Class 1 condition poses a threat that severely affects life, health, safety, property, the public interest, or a significant number of persons, so as to warrant immediate corrective action, or the codes specify it as immediately hazardous. That definition can apply to many charges. It does not mean the charge is VH. The code does not set the class. On a summons, read the hearing date and any cure date. Class 1 certifications must be received forthwith. Paying the penalty does not close the Department record.

What the city is requiring

Correct the condition the notice describes and give proof to the issuing unit. Because the types page stops at the label, there is no citywide VH checklist to follow in place of the paper. Do not borrow a facade clock, an elevator test, or a work-without-a-permit civil penalty unless the notice is that other charge.

If the schedule marks the summons eligible for a cure, correct every condition and submit an acceptable certificate of correction on or before the cure date. Approval means no hearing and no penalty. A cure is an admission. The rule text says every Class 3 violation is eligible for cure, and some but not all Class 2 violations are. That cure rule is about class, not about the letters VH.

What S & M Expediting handles

S & M Expediting researches the VH paper and the condition it states, including whether it is a DOB violation or an OATH summons. They prepare and file the certificate of correction and the related Department filings, and they follow them. When the paper is a summons, they can appear at the OATH hearing.

They are Class 2 filing representatives, never Class 1. We will work with the contractor you have for the trade on the notice, or if not, we will recommend one from our network. violation removal is the research and the filings.

Who does the corrective work

Hire the licensed professional named on the notice. VH is not assigned to one trade. We will work with the contractor you have for the trade on the notice, or if not, we will recommend one from our network.

Call us at 718-833-2333 or email info@sandmexpediting.com. Bring the notice. The condition on it is the whole instruction the code itself does not supply. S & M Expediting is a New York City certified minority- and women-owned business.