On Friday, November 17, 2023, Governor Hochul signed into law a bill which limits the retainage held on construction contracts for private improvements to 5% of the contract price from inception of the project – this applies to an owner’s withholding of retainage from a contractor, as well as a contractor’s retainage withheld from subcontractors.

On July 8, 2021, the New York City Department of Buildings issued Building Bulletin 2021-009 rescinding DOB’s Phase 1 Reopening Guidance and Building Bulletins 2020-006, 2020-010, 2020-015 and 2021-008. A copy of the BB 2021-009 may be found at the following link:  https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/bldgs_bulletins/bb_2021-009.pdf.

Each of these Building Bulletins and the Reopening Guidance dealt with procedures

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) previously issued a restart guidance for resumption of construction. The guidance can be found at https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/restart_enforcement_guidance.pdf.

Pursuant to the guidance, construction projects subject to permits issued by the DOB, or otherwise regulated by the New York City Construction Codes and the New York City Electrical Code, may

On April 9, 2020, the New York State Empire State Development (ESD) updated its “Guidance for Determining Whether a Business Enterprise is Subject to Workforce Reduction Under Recent Executive Orders” (the “Guidance”).

In the updated Guidance, ESD adds two new essential business categories, provides additional details regarding which activities constitute “essential construction,” expands the list

Amid the exponential increase of COVID-19 cases in the State of New York and, more specifically in New York City, Governor Cuomo today issued an order requiring all “non-essential” construction in the State of New York to shut down, with the exception of: (i) emergency projects necessary to protect the health and safety of building

The impact of COVID-19 on construction and development is evolving each and every day. Issues have arisen, and will continue to arise, with respect to maintaining project schedules, safety concerns, and learning of and complying with the rapidly changing rules, guidelines and regulations that are being implemented on a daily, and even hourly basis. Checking

Please click the link below to view “Contractors Entitled To Jury Trial In Mechanics’ Lien Foreclosure Cases.” Adobe Reader is required to view the bulletin. If Adobe Reader is not installed on your PC, click here to download and install.

Contractors Entitled To Jury Trial I Mechanics’ Lien Foreclosure Cases

Reprinted with permission from the

Contractors often seek to amicably resolve disputes with property owners over payment disputes. Despite these efforts, contractors typically find the need to file a mechanic’s lien against the property they worked on to secure payment for their labor and services, followed by the commencement of litigation in which they must not only foreclose on the