How to Handle Elevator Work Without a Permit with a Lien (VEWL, VWL)
VEWL and VWL are the violation-number codes for work without a permit, elevator lien. The types page gives both that meaning. It does not define them separately, and it does not state how the lien is calculated or released. The notice states the condition. VECW and VEW are elevator work without a permit without the lien label. E is a general elevator violation. Do not mix the codes.
Read the notice
Confirm the number contains VEWL or VWL. An asterisk means the types page marks the item dismissed. LL58 and LL58/88 are Local Law 58 of 1988, penalties for work without a permit, not an elevator lien. VW, VWH, and VPW are the general work-without-a-permit codes. None of those is a subtype of VEWL or VWL.
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. Read which paper you were given.
The classification table lists work without a permit as Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3. If a class is printed, Class 1 is immediately hazardous, Class 2 is major, and Class 3 is lesser. The class is severity. These lien codes do not set it. On a summons, read the hearing date and any cure date. Unless OATH dismisses the summons, the condition must still be corrected and accepted. Paying the penalty does not close the Department record.
What the city is requiring
Follow the elevator work described on the notice. Permits are required for new elevator installations or major upgrades. The Elevator Unit covers elevators and also escalators, moving walks, personnel hoists, amusement rides, and other vertical-transportation devices. The code still says elevator. The device on the notice controls.
If a summons was issued for work without a permit, Department civil penalties must be paid or waived before a certificate of correction is approved, in the borough office that issued it. The page does not print the dollar amount. A stop-work order issued for work without a permit is not lifted just because a permit is later issued. Work that resumes before the order is rescinded can draw more violations, and the Department will not rescind the order until those penalties are paid.
The types page calls VEWL and VWL liens. It does not name a satisfaction form, a filing system, or an amount. Do not invent that procedure. Ask what the notice and the borough office say is still open, including the lien, and follow that paper.
What S & M Expediting handles
S & M Expediting researches the VEWL or VWL paper, including the work-without-a-permit filing and what the notice says about the lien. 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 elevator contractor you have, or if not, we will recommend one from our network. See our DOB violation removal service.
Who does the corrective work
A licensed elevator contractor does the work and any permit the device requires. A certified elevator company does tests the notice requires. We will work with the elevator contractor 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 notice and any lien or permit papers. S & M Expediting is a New York City certified minority- and women-owned business.