Brookhaven law makes contractors liable

A new Brookhaven Town law will hold contractors liable if they don’t obtain proper permits for home construction projects.

The law, approved Tuesday night by the town board, will allow the town to fine contractors $1,000 to $3,000 for work that’s done without a permit, Supervisor Mark Lesko said.

Until now, the cost of fines has been borne by homeowners. Now the homeowner and the contractor — or just one of the two — can be fined, town officials said.

The law is designed to protect “well-intentioned homeowners” from falling prey to unscrupulous builders, Lesko said.

“I have heard horror stories from residents who were assured by their home contractor that town approvals were obtained for a home improvement, such as a pool, only to find out after the work was completed that no approvals were secured,” Lesko said. “This has resulted in homeowners spending thousands of dollars to bring the improvement into compliance.”

The law was approved unanimously.