a. As used in this section.
1. The term "land contour work" means clearing, grubbing, grading, filling or excavating vacant lots and other land areas but does not include minor work which does not change surface drainage patterns.
2. The term "clearing" means removing surface encumbrances from a land area, including but not limited to fences, trees, logs, stumps, brush, stones, vegetation and earth.
3. The term "grubbing" means the removal of root systems incident to surface growths of trees and vegetation.
4. The term "grading" means leveling, sloping, raising, lowering or otherwise changing the existing surface of land area.
5. The term "excavation" means removal of material, regardless of its nature, from below the existing ground surface.
6. The term "filling" means the deposition, leveling or compacting of organic or inorganic material at or in a vacant lot or land area for a purpose relating to the composition, contour, use, or proposed use of the land or for the purpose of disposing of material removed from another lot or land area.
b. It shall be unlawful for any person to perform or cause, procure, suffer or permit to be performed any land contour work, except as provided in subdivision c hereof, without a written permit from the commissioner.
c. Subdivision b hereof shall not apply:
1. To land contour work performed in connection with or in the course of the erection of one or more buildings or other structures or in connection with land uses pursuant to a permit therefor issued by the department of buildings, provided however that, (a) such permit specifically authorizes such land contour work, and (b) such land contour work is performed entirely within the lot lines of the building site for which such permit is issued. In such cases where water courses, drainage ditches, conduits or other means of carrying off water exist on the property and are to be altered or relocated, the commissioner of buildings shall consult with the commissioner of environmental protection concerning the means of disposal of surface water prior to issuance of a permit.
2. to land contour work which consists only of making improvements to a land area on which a one or two-family house already exists and which does not result in any change in the surface runoff pattern of such land area.
3. To land contour work for which a stormwater construction permit issued by the department of environmental protection is required pursuant to subchapter 2 of chapter 5-A of title 24 of the administrative code.
d. No condition shall be created or maintained as the result of land contour work that will interfere with existing drainage unless a substitute therefor is provided which is satisfactory to the commissioner and the commissioner of environmental protection in accordance with criteria established by such commissioners in consultation with the department of health and mental hygiene. Watercourses, drainage ditches, conduits and other like or unlike means of carrying off water or disposing of surface water shall not be obstructed by refuse, waste, building materials, earth, stones, tree stumps, branches or by any other means that may interfere with surface drainage or cause the impoundment of surface waters either within or without the area on which contour work is performed. All excavations shall be drained and the drainage maintained as long as the excavation continues or remains. Where necessary, pumping shall be used. Fill material shall consist of inert, inorganic matter. It shall be unlawful to deposit garbage, waste paper, lumber or other organic material in land fill. The provisions of this section shall not prevent placement of organic matter for fill by the department of sanitation in locations under the jurisdiction of such department. The commissioner shall have the power, in consultation with the commissioner of buildings to adopt rules concerning the type of material that may be used for fill on land not mapped as park land. The commissioner shall enforce compliance with the provisions hereof, and shall make immediate complaint to the corporation counsel of any violation thereof. In addition, the commissioner of buildings shall similarly enforce compliance with the provisions hereof with respect to any land contour work performed pursuant to a permit issued by the commissioner of buildings, and in addition thereto shall inform the department of any failure to comply with a department of buildings violation order relating to the provisions hereof.
e. 1. Whenever the department shall determine that a condition has been created, or has resulted by reason of land contour work which violates any provision of subdivision (d) hereof, the department may serve an order in the manner prescribed in paragraph two of this subdivision upon the owners of the land upon which such condition has been created or has occurred, to correct such condition within the time designated in such order. Upon the owner's failure to comply with any order of the department as and within the time specified therein by such department, such department may perform such work or cause the same to be performed, the cost of which shall be due and payable and shall constitute a lien upon the land to which such order pertains, when the amount thereof shall have been finally computed by such department and an entry of the amount thereof shall have been entered in the office of the city collector in the book in which such charges against the premises are to be entered. A notice thereof, stating the amount due and the nature of the charge shall be mailed by the city collector, within five days after such entry, to the last known address of the person whose name appears on the records in the office of the city collector as being the owner or agent or as the person designated by the owner to receive tax bills, or where no name appears, to the premises addressed to either the owner or agent. If such charge is not paid within ninety days from the date of entry, it shall be the duty of the city collector to collect and receive interest thereon at the rate that would be applicable to a delinquent tax on such property, to be calculated to the date of payment from the date of entry. Such charge and the interest thereon shall continue to be, until paid, a lien on the premises on which such work was performed. Such charge and interest shall be collected and the lien thereon may be foreclosed in the manner provided by law for the collection and foreclosure of the lien of taxes, sewer rents, sewer surcharges and water rents due and payable to the city, and the provisions of law applicable to the collection and foreclosure of the lien of such taxes, sewer rents, surcharges and water rents shall apply to such charge. The provisions of section 11-307 of the code applicable to the payment of assessments shall also apply to charges heretofore or hereafter established pursuant to this section.
2. Service of an order upon an owner pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be made personally upon such owner or by certified mail addressed to the last known address of the person whose name appears upon the records in the office of the city collector as being the owner of the premises or as the agent of such owner or as the person designated by the owner to receive the tax bills or, if no such name appears, to the address set forth as the address of the owner in the last recorded deed with respect to such premises. A copy of such order shall also be filed in the clerk's office of each county where the property is situated and shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises.
(Am. L.L. 2017/097, 5/30/2017, eff. 6/1/2019)
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1993/104.