Joe Corsini, like many New Yorkers, is a pigeon keeper. Keeping pigeons is the city-equivalent of having a backyard rabbit hutch in the suburbs. As Joe’s hobby grew, he decided to build a small pigeon coop on the roof of his home. Unfortunately, he did not realize he needed to obtain a building permit for the small structure. Shortly after the coop went up, he received $3,000 in fines from the DOB and an order that he bring his coop into compliance by getting a permit. Round and round he went with the DOB, until he gave up and took it down.
He received additional violations while he was engaging with the DOB. He ultimately amassed approximately $11,000 in fines and—after hiring an attorney— was able to negotiate a reduced penalty of $7,800 to resolve the penalties.
This did not sit well with Joe, who has now teamed up with the Institute for Justice to fight back.
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New York Permit Fines
Joe Corsini keeps a pigeon coop on the roof of his home, like many other New Yorkers. The city’s Department of Buildings saddled him with thousands of dollars in fines for not having a license…