In the wake of the recent tragic construction accidents, Mayor Mary Walsh is looking to change the process in which building permits are granted by the City of Boston. Mayor Walsh is proposing that companies applying for permits will have to show that they are in “Good Standing” with OSHA.
As explained on the City of Boston’s website, Boston.gov, “The ordinance will update the City of Boston Municipal Code to allow a city officer in charge of issuing a permit to deny, revoke or suspend a permit to a person, corporation or business entity that has a history of engaging in unsafe, hazardous or dangerous practices.”
“It opens the door for disparate treatment based upon the the individual city officers’ relationship to applicants.” Robert Pellegrini, Jr. Esq., PK Boston
If passed by the City Council, agencies within the city would be able to accept, deny or require changes to the permit applications submitted who are not in Good Standing.
“While the rationale for this new ordinance seems well-intentioned, it also opens the door for disparate treatment based upon the the individual city officers’ relationship to applicants,” said Attorney Robert Pellegrini, Jr., president of PK Boston, a real estate law firm serving the Greater Boston region. “It could add more of a subjective element to the work permit process and increase the likelihood that permitting will continue to be more difficult for newcomers who do not have established relationships with city officers issuing the permits.”
PK Boston is a real estate law firm with offices in Newton and Bridgewater. Ask our legal counselors to assist you with permitting challenges in the state of Massachusetts today.