The Town of Brookhaven’s Building Division is offering an amnesty program meant to help property owners bring their properties into compliance with all building division residential permits.
The program specifically addresses violations where work was done without the required permits and waives penalty fees that are typically applied after a 90-day period. However, property owners are still expected to pay the standard renewal fee. The program began at the start of the year through March 31, to give those a clean slate, especially after the holidays.
In December of last year, Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico and the town board established the program due to the upcoming increase in fine violations starting in April.
Town of Brookhaven attorney Annette Eaderesto said the board’s decision to offer the program was to give property owners the choice to fix any permit issues with their properties. Homeowners can fill out a form out both in person at the town hall during office hours and online on the town’s website.
“We wanted to give homeowners a chance for 90 days to come in and correct some of the issues [with] their property not having permits,” said Eaderesto.
She also shared the reasoning for increasing the fines is to have property owners follow their codes, especially for those with rental properties. With the high pricing of renting, the fines were not high enough to motivate property owners to follow the rules. Eaderesto stated their goal is for property owners who are renting out to ensure their properties are safe for tenants.
“We need to get better compliance with our codes,” she said. “They’re certainly allowed to rent their property, but they have to be in compliance when they do. It has to be safe for the tenant.”
With the deadline of March 31 approaching, the building division encourages property owners to take advantage of this temporary reprieve to bring their properties into full compliance before the stricter enforcement measures are enacted.
Michelle Grisales is a reporter with The SBU Media Group, part of Stony Brook University’s School of Communication and Journalism Working Newsroom program for students and local media.
