Yonkers, NY Building Safety: Elevator Maintenance (2026)

City Code § 56-66 bars installing or altering any passenger or freight elevator or escalator without a Department permit, requires the State Labor Department's approval where applicable, and forbids putting an elevator or escalator into operation until the Commissioner issues a certificate of compliance. Section 56-67 sets the fees: $200 for a certificate of compliance, an annual permit to operate costing $350 per elevator plus $400 for a five-year test, or $400 a year for each escalator, with fees due within 30 days of billing and a $750 penalty for late payment; charitable, religious and tax-exempt premises are excused from the fee.

Section 56-69 is the ongoing maintenance backbone: the Department must inspect passenger elevators and escalators at least every six months and freight elevators annually, the owner or lessee must make any required repairs without delay, and an elevator found dangerous must be taken out of service until the Department certifies it has been made safe again. Section 56-70 requires a serial number and posted capacity for every passenger elevator and the most recent inspection certificate posted in the motor room. Section 56-71 obligates the owner to immediately report any accident or apparatus damage to the Department, which must investigate and keep a public report on file.

Section 56-73, added in 2019, separately requires anyone in the business of elevator or escalator installation or maintenance to hold a Commissioner-issued license after an examination, with an initial fee of $1,200, a $600 annual renewal, and a $500 late fee if renewal is missed; a revoked license cannot be reissued to the same holder for at least 90 days.