How to Handle an Electric Sign Violation (ES)
ES is the electric sign code in a Department of Buildings violation number. The types page gives those letters that meaning. It does not publish a separate electric-sign procedure, form, or penalty under ES. The notice states the condition. S, the sign code, is a different mark. Do not swap them.
Read the notice
Confirm the number contains ES. An ordinary sign violation uses S. Electrical work without a permit is its own charge in the classification table, listed there as Class 1. That charge is not the definition of ES. An asterisk means the types page marks the item dismissed.
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 orders correction and has no court appearance. Illegal signs may receive more than one OATH violation. Read every paper, not only the first.
If a class is printed, Class 1 is immediately hazardous, Class 2 is major, and Class 3 is lesser. For outdoor advertising, the rule treats a Class 1 penalty as an economic disincentive that is necessary, and a Class 2 penalty as one that is appropriate rather than necessary. The class is still severity. The letters ES do not set it. On a summons, read the hearing date and any cure date on that paper. Paying the penalty does not close the Department record unless the case is dismissed.
What the city is requiring
Follow the condition on the notice. The Sign Enforcement Unit enforces Building Code Chapter 5 for existing outdoor advertising and illegal signage. Signs must comply with the Construction Codes, the Zoning Resolution, and the Rules of the City of New York. The Electrical Enforcement Unit, separately, answers complaints about unlicensed installation and defective wiring. The types page does not fold that electrical catalog into ES.
The sign pages describe four kinds of signs. An accessory sign directs attention to a business at the sign’s location. An advertising sign directs attention somewhere else and is allowed only in certain zoning districts. A construction sign is displayed during construction or demolition. A non-commercial sign is neither an advertising sign nor an accessory sign. Use the kind the notice names.
The sign page states penalty figures for illegal signs. For Class 1, first offenses are $10,000 each and later violations are $25,000 each. For Class 2, first offenses typically range from $800 to $1,250. Those figures are what that page states. They are not a fee schedule invented for the letters ES. Correction must be by a licensed sign hanger where that rule applies. Hoisting, lowering, hanging, or attaching an outdoor sign has to be performed or supervised by a licensed sign hanger.
It is illegal to post a business or advertising message on a sidewalk shed, except a temporary sign when the shed hides an existing legal business sign. That rule matters only if the notice is about a sign on a shed.
What S & M Expediting handles
S & M Expediting researches the ES paper, including whether it is a DOB violation or an OATH summons. We prepare and file the certificate of correction and the related Department filings, and we follow them. When the paper is a summons, we can appear at the OATH hearing.
S & M Expediting is a Class 2 filing representative. We will work with the sign hanger or electrician you have, or if not, we will recommend one from our network. See our DOB violation removal service.
Who does the corrective work
Where the sign page requires it, a licensed sign hanger does the correction. Electrical work on the sign belongs to a licensed electrician when the notice calls for that trade. We will work with the sign hanger or electrician you have, or if not, we will recommend one from our network.
Call us at 718-833-2333 or email info@sandmexpediting.com. Bring the ES notice and a photo of the sign if you have one. S & M Expediting is a New York City certified minority- and women-owned business.