Urban Engineers is pleased to announce that the firm’s New York City affiliate, Urban Engineers of New York, D.P.C. (Urban), has gained accreditation as a Special Inspection Agency by the International Accreditation Service, Inc. Registered with the NYC Department of Buildings, Urban is now providing an array of special inspection services to building owners in the City. Leading this service area is Senior Project Manager John M. Sabatino, AIA, LEED® AP, who has 35 years of experience in the building industry.

The new accreditation enables Urban to assist building owners with complying with the latest revisions to the City’s building code. The City’s Department of Buildings announced that by November 13, 2012, entities performing inspections must be registered as Special Inspection Agencies prior to moving forward with processing an application or plan examination for construction permits, approving a permit to begin construction, or signing off on the final certificate of occupancy.

As defined by NYC Department of Buildings, “a Special Inspection Agency is a group of qualified inspectors under the supervision of licensed professionals accredited by an Independent Accreditation Agency and registered with the NYC Department of Buildings. Its function is to inspect selected materials, equipment, installations, fabrications, erections or placement of components and connections in order to verify compliance with approved construction documents, and reference standards, as required by the New York City Building Code or its reference standards.”

“Our mission is to assist building owners by performing inspections according to the quality control principles and industry standards, in addition to complying with the applicable codes and regulations of New York City,” Sabatino said. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide quality, accredited special inspection services to building owners in the five boroughs of New York City.”