Syracuse, N.Y., Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27 § 27-17

The city of Syracuse has numerous parking garages used by the public at large or various segments of the public. The safety and security of these facilities and the public perception thereof not only has an impact upon the condition of these facilities and the well-being of the public, but, also reflects directly the vitality of the city. Section 27-17 has been adopted to preserve these facilities and to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. A.
Registration. No person shall operate a parking garage within the city of Syracuse without first having registered said parking garage as provided hereinafter.
1. Within thirty (30) days from the effective date of this section. the owner, unless there is an equitable owner, and in that event said person, or operator of every existing parking garage shall register each such parking garage with the division on a form to be furnished by the division on request.
2. No registration shall be deemed complete until the fee therefor shall have been paid and a certificate of insurance in an amount as required hereunder shall be filed with the director. The fee for the registration of a parking garage shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00). This fee is payable to the city of Syracuse and is due at the time of filing the parking garage registration form.
3. Such registration shall include the name, address and telephone number of the owner, the equitable owner, if any, the operator, if any, and his or its consulting engineer, if any; garage address; construction type; size; capacity; date of construction; date and extent of any renovations performed and/or scheduled; type and extent of screening; type and intensity of security lighting; description of any active surveillance program, including type and frequency of patrols; description of passive surveillance equipment including type, coverage and monitoring; and such other information as the division may require.
4. Parking garages constructed subsequent to the effective date of this section shall be registered before a certificate of occupancy shall be issued.
B. Structural condition assessment. The owner, unless there is an equitable owner, and in that event said person, or operator of every parking garage in the city shall provide the division with a structural condition assessment prepared, signed and stamped by a qualified professional structural engineer licensed in the state of New York, experienced in the design, restoration and rehabilitation of parking garages, summarizing said engineer's background with parking garages and detailing the results of the engineer's on-site field inspection and material testing of the parking garage, identifying any unsafe areas, and providing a comprehensive initial recommendation for all necessary repairs and further inspections and/or testing, and the time frame for performing same, and shall indicate whether the parking garage is structurally stable. Testing shall include, but not be limited to, a sufficient number of destructive and nondestructive tests, such as chain dragging, coring, chloride testing or equivalent tests, to determine the structural condition of the parking garage.
1. The initial structural condition assessment for each parking garage shall be submitted to the division no later than the number of days after the effective date of this section as specified in the following schedule, based on the date of issuance of the certificate of occupancy for the parking garage:
120 days for garages built prior to 1964
180 days for garages built between January 1, 1964 and December 31, 1973
240 days for garages built between January 1, 1974 and December 31, 1983
300 days for garages built between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1993 upon the fifth anniversary of the issuance of the certificate of occupancy for all parking garages constructed after December 31, 1993
2. Subsequent inspections, testing and structural condition assessments shall be carried out, prepared and submitted to the division no later than the third anniversary of the due date for the initial structural condition assessment and every three (3) years thereafter.
C. Condition survey report. The owner, unless there is an equitable owner, and in that event said person, or operator of every parking garage in the city shall also provide the division with a condition survey report prepared, signed and stamped by a qualified professional structural engineer licensed in the State of New York, experienced in the design, restoration and rehabilitation of parking garages, based upon the engineer's on-site field inspection of the parking garage.
1. This report shall detail the results of the inspection, identify any unsafe areas, and contain recommendations for further inspections and/or testing and the time frame for performing same, as well as any needed repairs, and shall indicate whether the parking garage is structurally stable.
2. The initial condition survey report shall be performed and submitted to the division no later than one (1) year from the due date for the initial structural condition assessment.
3. Subsequent condition survey reports shall be carried out, prepared and submitted to the division no later than the second anniversary of the due date for the initial structural condition assessment and no later than the first and second anniversaries of each subsequent structural condition assessment thereafter.
D. Operating certificate. No parking garage which has been in operation for five (5) years or more, shall continue in operation after thirty (30) days after the effective date of this section without a current operating certificate or a temporary operating certificate issued by the division. Parking garage operating certificates shall be valid for a period of one (1) year from the date of their issuance.
1. The initial annual operating certificate shall be secured for each parking garage within thirty (30) days of the due date for the submission of the initial structural condition assessment.
2. Upon submission of a completed registration form, the division shall issue a temporary operating certificate which shall be valid only until the due date for each parking garage to secure its initial operating certificate.
3. The submission of the structural condition assessment or the condition survey report together with the required fee shall constitute the application for the operating certificate.
4. No operating certificate shall be issued until the fee therefor shall have been paid. The annual fee for the operating certificate for a parking garage shall be three hundred dollars ($300.00). This fee is payable to the city of Syracuse and is due at the time of filing of each structural condition assessment/condition survey report with the division.
5. An applicant wishing to renew the operating certificate shall, at least thirty (30) days before the expiration date, file a complete application with the division. The existing operating certificate shall be deemed to be in full force and effect pending the division's action upon the application.
6. The division shall act upon a complete application within thirty (30) days either by issuing a new operating certificate or revoking the existing operating certificate. The division's failure to act upon a complete application within thirty (30) days shall in no event be deemed to be an acceptance. Based upon his acceptance of the condition survey report, and the lack of any safety-related issues or violations, the director shall issue an operating certificate to the applicant. The director may refuse to issue or may revoke an existing operating certificate based upon the presence of safety-related issues, violations or an indication from the inspecting/testing engineer that the parking garage or a part thereof is not capable of supporting the loads for which it is used.
7. Unless sooner revoked, the operating certificate must be conspicuously displayed at the primary vehicular entrance to the parking garage until the next mandated inspections and tests are performed and a new certificate is issued by the division. There shall be signs posted and maintained at all other vehicular and pedestrian entrances to the parking garage indicating the location of the parking garage operating certificate.
E. Insurance requirements.
1. In order to be deemed "qualified" to submit either a structural condition assessment or a condition survey report, a professional structural engineer shall be licensed in the state of New York and maintain professional liability insurance with an insurance company licensed to do business in the state of New York in the amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000.00). Proof of such insurance coverage shall be filed with the division in the form of a certificate of insurance, which shall be submitted annually with the engineer's report.
2. No operating certificate shall be issued unless the owner, equitable owner, if any, or operator shall carry liability insurance with an insurance company licensed to do business in the state of New York, The liability insurance for the premises and the operation of the parking garage, which shall include coverage for any injury or loss caused by explosion or collapse, shall be in the amount of at least one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000.00). Proof of such insurance coverage shall be filed with the division, in the form of a certificate of insurance, at the time of registration and renewal of the operating certificate. No cancellation of any insurance policy shall be valid except upon thirty (30) days' prior written notice to the director.
F. Security. All existing and hereafter constructed parking garages shall comply with the following uniform security requirements designed to promote the safety of the public:
1. No later than six (6) months from the effective date of this section all openings in parking garages, except those openings for vehicular and/or pedestrian ingress and egress, shall be screened up to a height of twelve (12) feet from the adjacent finished grade.
2. [Surveillance measures.]
(1) Operating Hours. For purposes of this section 27-17.F., operating hours means the hours of operation during which a garage is open to the general public for parking. Operating hours definition does not apply to periods when the parking facility is only accessible to patrons with key card access or when there is no general public use.
(2) No later than twelve (12) months from the effective date of this section, garage owners shall implement one or more of the following active surveillance measures detailed in subsections a. and b.:
a. Active surveillance measures incorporating hourly patrols conducted by security or facility personnel.
(i) These patrols will be conducted during the operating hours of the parking garage, and will cover all areas of the parking garage, including stairwells, lobbies, elevator cabs, vehicle entrances and exits, and emergency alarm stations.
(ii) The individual patrolling shall be readily identifiable by uniform or other means.
(iii) Attendants and security personnel shall be instructed in the proper handling of emergencies and the proper approach of any noncustomer in the parking garage; or
b. (i) A closed circuit television (CCTV) system with digital recorder shall cover all areas of the parking garage, including stairwells, lobbies, elevator cabs, vehicle entrances and exits, and single-motion safety alarm stations. The CCTV system should have ability to be connected to an off-site monitoring center. Garage owners should post appropriate signage indicating that the garage is being taped by a CCTV system and advising patrons of the emergency call stations.
(ii) Single-motion safety alarms are already required to be installed in all parking garages pursuant to section 27-17.F.4. of the Property Conservation Code. In parking garages that have chosen to use the CCTV system described hereinabove, all single-motion safety alarms must be connected to the 911 emergency response center. The alarm will continue to sound and display until reset by a special key at the manned station. The power supply for these devices shall be protected from unauthorized deactivation and any unauthorized tampering.
c. Notwithstanding the foregoing, until the garage owner implements one or more of the active surveillance measures described in this amended section 27-17.F.2., the previously adopted section 27-17.F. shall remain in effect.
3. General lighting shall be installed in all parking garage structures to meet or exceed the levels of illumination identified in this paragraph. Except that the compliance deadline for roof top security lighting shall be extended to September 1, 1999. Lighting levels shall be established according to category as detailed below, and shall be subject to verification according to the procedures identified herein.
a. Illumination level categories and measurements.
1) Illumination levels shall be measured at the pavement (floor) level with the photodetector of the photometer placed level and flat against the pavement (horizontal footcandles). In stairway landings the photometer shall be placed on the deck of the landing. In stairway flights the photometer shall be centered on the stair tread and aligned with the tread edge (lip) of the stair.
2) Illumination level qualification shall be based upon an empty area, measured at full outdoor darkness.
3) Illumination levels shall be average measured footcandles, with no value below the listed minimum level. The ratio of average to minimum shall not exceed 4:1 (average to minimum).
4) Existing facilities just relamped, or new facilities shall be qualified after a minimum of one hundred (100) hours of lamp operation.
5) Required illumination levels (average maintained) listed in Table 1, shall be increased by a minimum factor of twenty (20) percent for a new or newly retrofitted installation, to account for future lamp and dirt depreciation.
6) Illumination levels in all parking garage structures shall meet the minimum requirements as scheduled on Table 1. It is intended that the average level be the minimum overall average. This average shall occur on each floor of the structure. It is intended that the minimum level be the minimum level measured at any one (1) observation point.
Table 1 Area Maintained Footcandles (Average on Pavement) Maintained Footcandles (Minimum on Pavement) Uniformity Ratio (Average to Minimum) General parking and pedestrian areas, ramps and corners 5 1.25 4:1 Vehicular entrance areas from door up to 50 feet into garage from entrance 20 5 4:1 Stairways, enclosed corridors, enclosed lobbies, enclosed elevator waiting areas, personnel entrances up to 20 feet into garage area (with all walls and ceilings painted white, or very light colors) 15 3.8 4:1 Stairways, enclosed corridors, enclosed lobbies, enclosed elevator waiting areas, elevator cabs, personnel entrances, up to 20 feet into garage area (unpainted concrete or darker colors) 20 5 4:1 Open (uncovered) parking deck at top of garage 0.8 0.2 4:1
b. Garage lighting system design parameters.
1) Lighting system designs for new garage structures shall incorporate the following parameters. Designs for garage structures in which more than fifty (50) percent of the lighting is replaced shall also incorporate the following:
a) Reflectance values of walls, ceilings and floors of zero for all areas common to vehicular areas.
b) Light loss factors:
i. Lamp lumen depreciation (LLD)
ii. Luminare dirt depreciation (LDD)
iii. Degradation of lamp performance due to cold weather.
iv. Degradation of ballast performance due to cold weather.
c) Minimum verticle footcandle readings taken at six (6) feet above the floor on walls and columns adjacent to driving lanes, and on signage areas adjacent to driving lanes no less than five (5) footcandles average and one and one-quarter (1.25) footcandles minimum.
d) New systems shall be qualified by a compliance test to verify that the lighting levels in place meet the requirements of subparagraph 3.a.
2) The guidelines and minimum levels identified in this ordinance [subsection] are those deemed by consensus standard to provide a reasonable degree of security for the users and employees of parking structures. Additional considerations for visual comfort, aesthetics and energy optimization may add additional parameters beyond the scope of this ordinance (subsection) (see Reference Standards).
c. Lighting system compliance testing.
1) A field verification of a representative portion of a typical entrance section and a typical stairway section may be required at the request of the division of code enforcement. Such verification shall cover a sufficient area to develop a reasonable average illumination level. As a minimum the surveyed area shall include the area covered by two (2) lighting fixtures in each direction, with data developed on a grid with collected data points spaced at one-quarter (¼) of the fixture to fixture spacing.
2) Exception: Where surveyed areas of stair landings/stair flights do not meet the requirements stated above for collected data points, the following shall be a recognized minimum:
Stair Landings: Two (2) data points shall be taken, one (1) in the center of the landing and one (1) taken at the junction of two (2) walls.
Stair Flights: One (1) reading shall be taken at the center of each stair flight.
d. Reference standards. The reference standards for this paragraph are "The Lighting Handbook of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America" and "RP-20 Lighting for Parking Facilities" published by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and "The American National Standard Practice for Roadway Lighting, IES/ANSI RP-8 1983" published by the American National Standards Institute.
e. The power supply for the security lighting shall be protected from unauthorized deactivation and any unauthorized tampering.
4. No later September 1, 1999, single motion safety alarm devices shall be installed at all pedestrian exit points on each level, properly signed and installed at a maximum height of forty-eight (48) inches. These devices shall include audible and visible alarms at each location, shall sound and display an alarm at the location where the alarm is initiated and simultaneously indicate the location of the alarm activation at a manned station. This alarm will continue to sound and display until reset by a special key at the manned station. The power supply for these devices shall be protected from unauthorized deactivation and any unauthorized tampering.
[5. Reserved.]
6. Any parking garage operated solely as a valet parking facility shall be exempt from the security requirements set forth hereinabove. Any combination valet and non-valet parking garage shall not be exempt from the above security requirements. Before any parking garage changes the nature of its operation from valet only to either a combination of valet and non-valet or solely non-valet operation, said parking garage shall first comply with all of the above security requirements.
7. No later than twelve (12) months from the effective date of this section, the following security measures shall be implemented for parking garages operated solely as valet parking facilities:
a. Security lighting shall be installed to meet or exceed an average maintained lighting level of twenty (20) footcandles (twenty (20) lum. per sq. ft.) for all customer areas, including, but not limited to, lobbies, waiting rooms, pick-up and drop-off points, and vehicle ingress and egress points;
b. Sufficient directional information signage shall be provided to clearly define the location of offices, restrooms, vehicle drop-off and pick-up points, and to assist all pedestrians/customers to their prime destinations;
c. Attendants shall be instructed in the proper handling of emergencies and the proper approach of any noncustomer in the parking garage.
G. A violation of any requirement of this section shall constitute a serious violation of this Code and the violator thereof shall be subject to the penalties provided therefor in section 27-120 (b)(1), in addition to all other remedies and sanctions available to the city at law or in equity.