New York, NY BOMA New York’s April Monthly Forum, “New York City Parking Garage Inspections – Local Law 126 of 2021 – New Requirements and What You Need to Know” featured an in-depth, highly informative overview of the car parking structures that are vital to the city’s economy, yet are often taken for granted by users and under-maintained by owners and operators alike.

The webinar was hosted by Sullivan Engineering, A Rimkus Company, and presented by experts Ed Pon, Jimmy Monahan, Joe Czaszynski, and Tom Khoudary.

Khoudary opened the program with an explanation of the separate State (Title 19) and City (LL 126) inspection requirements and provided a brief history of the parking garage structural failures that led to today’s rigorous inspection laws. His co-presenters then provided detailed case studies that reinforced the importance of periodic inspections and maintenance schedules.

For some historical background, parking structure inspection requirements were precipitated by the sudden collapse of a parking garage in Johnson City, NY in 2015. No one was injured in the event, yet two dozen vehicles were crushed. This accident was preceded by two earlier and unrelated incidents in 1997 and 2003, both in Rego Park, Queens. Fast forward back to 2015, the local industry was focused on the need for periodic inspections. With safety and prevention in mind, Local Law 126 of 2021 was passed.

In New York City, virtually all parking structures that are attached to, or part of, another structure, and free-standing (open) garages must be inspected. Exceptions include auto repair garages, showrooms, garages that hold three vehicles or less, and un-enclosed lots.

The city is deliberate with different guidelines for new construction and existing buildings.

For new construction, a detailed inspection report must be filed by a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector (QPSI) prior to the granting of a Certificate of Occupancy. Existing structures that qualify under state rules must be inspected every three years. Structures that qualify under city LL 126 do not have to file for state inspections, and are due for formal inspection reports every six years, broken into two-year due dates depending on the location of the property within New York City.

Simply stated, inspection reports classify structures as “Safe,” “Safe with Repair and/or Engineering Monitoring – SREM,” or “Unsafe,” containing hazardous conditions that threaten public safety.

Inspection reports must include a list of deteriorating conditions; causes of deterioration (water seepage, extreme weather conditions and road salt, or chlorides, are major culprits.); recommendations for repairs; and a timeline for their completion; recommendations for preventive maintenance; and recommendations for the next inspection assessment.

Czaszynski explained that the inspection process is a “team effort,” with owners or operators providing all prior documents including plans and specifications from previous repair programs. The process should also include a review of all past annual “in-house” observations. At that point, the QPSI will develop a Conditions Assessment Program, with a thorough physical exam of at least 10% of the parking system. This component can become invasive with soundings, load testing, core samples and other probes. The assessment should also contain photographs and sketches and any discovery of unsafe conditions.

If the inspection results in a SREM, then the QPSI would submit a monitoring plan, annual inspection schedule, and a completed checklist to be stored on-site.

Monahan explained the fees and penalties attached to LL 126, including a filing fee of $305; $85 for an amended report and $65 for an extension request to repair deadlines. Penalties include $1,000 per month for late filing; $5,000 per year for non-filing; $1,000 per month for failure to correct unsafe conditions (the law stipulates a 90-day time limit to correct any unsafe conditions.), and a one-time $2,000 fine for failure to correct SREM conditions.

Monahan stressed the importance of working as quickly as possible and filing for extensions when deadlines cannot be met because repair work often extends beyond 90-days.

Monahan also discussed the causes of structural failures common to parking garages. These include the aforementioned weather-related issues such as rain penetration, ice, snow and chlorides. He also cited thermal movements that deteriorate expansion joints, and traffic loads. “Usage alone has an impact on wear and tear,” he said.

Czaszynski presented common conditions he has encountered in his experience, namely failures of corrugated metal decking beneath concrete slabs caused by water infiltration from poor waterproofing; deteriorated steel girders, also from water damage; and failures of topping slabs that prevent the observation of structural failures below them. He said that snowplows often cause damage to expansion joints, and that clogged trench drains are major contributors to failures.

Poorly or improperly made repairs are also common, and often lead to even worse conditions.

Pon rounded out the presentation with a detailed discussion of actual repair projects. Typical concrete repairs involve shallow, deep, or full-depth removal and replacement of concrete slab work. State of the art epoxy systems are routinely used in conjunction with concrete repairs, he said. Pon also stressed the importance of top-coating. “Traffic coating is very important to protect the slab,” he said. “It must provide watertight, slip resistant protection.”

Pon concluded the program with several case studies, including the $5 million, three-year, 50% replacement of a deck at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, and the repair of a partial collapse of a landscaped roof slab at a high-rise condominium project in Rego Park, Queens. Citing a suburban project for Wells Fargo in Summit, NJ, Pon said that poor soil conditions also had to be addressed. That job required the installation of new helical piles, not used during the original construction.

The main takeaway—according to the Sullivan Engineering executives—was the overarching importance of taking preventive measures, including the prompt repair of damaged traffic coating, proper drainage for all topside surfaces, regular sweeping and cleaning of surfaces to reduce chloride damage, and regular top coating to preserve repair warrantees and prolong the lifetime of the structure.