Pools
Building a Rooftop Pool Cost One Brooklyn Landlord $50K in Fines
A Brooklyn, NY landlord is facing some pretty stiff fines after building a 4-foot above-ground rooftop pool. The Department of Buildings hit the building owner with two separate fines of $25,000 each for building the pool without getting the proper building permits first.
The 480 square-foot above-ground swimming pool was spotted on the roof of a building at 731 Flushing Ave in Brooklyn and brought to the attention of authorities by concerned tipsters.
According to city documents, FDNY officials notified the DOB that a “structural stability inspection” was necessary “due to overloading the roof.” The third floor of the building houses a children’s daycare center.
New York. We know. It’s hot. We get it.
— NYC Buildings (@NYC_Buildings) August 10, 2022
But please don’t try to build a rooftop swimming pool without first getting permits and hiring professionals to do the job properly. This 480 sqft pool we just found in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, wasn’t built to Code and had to be removed. pic.twitter.com/ouuCScPVcO
This particular incident which happened earlier this summer in August is a perfect example of why it’s important to check before you build a swimming pool, particularly one that you plan to put on a roof. Rooftop pools are highly regulated. Once a swimming pool is filled with water it can weigh many tons. The structural constraints of the roof may not be able to handle the additional weight of a full swimming pool. Authorities were notified for good reasons because of concern of catastrophic collapse which is something we’ve certainly seen happen before.
To be clear, this type of thing doesn’t ordinarily happen in New York. There is a definitive reason why folks don’t ordinarily put a swimming pool on their roof. New York City, which has some of the strictest building codes in the nation, has well-established guidelines for when a permit is required when building a pool. Whether it was the tenant or the landlord themselves who installed the pool, the city probably would not have approved a permit for this rooftop pool given that the 60 tons of water it held sat directly overhead a commercial space intended for a children’s daycare.
The fact that no one knew to apply for a permit does not negate the facts. Ignorance of the laws, rules, and regulations about building a swimming pool is clearly no defense. Definitely, a costly lesson to remember.
Feature Photo: AI generated for illustrative purposes.
