Before Stuart Klein led the effort to draft legislation that helped establish the New York City Environmental Control Board, violations of the New York City Building Code and Fire Code were prosecuted in the Supreme Courts of New York State as crimes. Today, most violations have been decriminalized, but some offenses, especially those concerned with fire safety, are adjudicated at the Summons All Purpose (SAP) court, Part 2A, of the New York City Criminal Court. This court handles lower-level offenses and meets at 346 Broadway in Manhattan.
These violations are usually issued to commercial buildings and their tenants. Although they are technically criminal in nature, defense attorneys are often able to plead these summonses down to violations (like ECB violations). Our attorneys have represented defendants at hundreds of these hearings, and are experienced in plea bargaining, motion practice, and all aspects of representation in this specialized court.
