NORWICH – NYCOM, the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials, has announced new requirements for code enforcement that must be implemented before January of 2007. The new requirements include changes in order to receive a building permit and may make it necessary for establishments to get mass gathering permits.

“This will increase the workload for all code officers in New York,” said City of Norwich Code Enforcement Officer Jason Lawrence. New guidelines for building permits will require all applicants to have a pre-inspection. This means that code enforcement will have to make an extra trip to the building site and inspect the area before a permit can be issued. “It’s going to inconvenience a lot of contractors, and it could hurt their customer because it will tie up a lot more of their time,” Lawrence said, explaining how the new requirements could drive up costs.

Another big change with NYCOM’s new requirements is the need for a mass gathering permit. According to the NYCOM Bulletin, any establishment with a maximum capacity of 100 people or more will now be required to have a mass gathering permit. “The City of Norwich has taken no action so far,” Lawrence said. “No costs have been set.”