Four months after he promised to make it easier to do business in the city, Mayor Eric Adams has announced a set of regulations he will relax or repeal in an attempt to make government less of an obstacle.

The city will repeal, reduce penalties or add a first-time warning step to 118 regulations by the end of the year, the mayor said.

“No one wanted to do business here,” Adams said Sunday during a news conference announcing the results of a citywide review. “No one wanted to go through the bureaucracy.” He said the changes will create “a city culture of yes.”

In early January, just after taking office, Adams signed an executive order that required six city agencies to review commonly violated rules that applied to businesses. The idea was to examine rules that were burdensome in terms of compliance but not very important in terms of preserving public health or safety.

Both of Adams’ predecessors had programs to try to cut red tape, but the idea that businesses were spending too much time and money on city regulations became a central part of candidate Adams’ campaign.

To change the violation structure or end a rule, the city will have to amend, variously, its own rules, certain state laws and parts of the city’s administrative code.

Some regulations are being fully repealed, Adams said. For example, a Department of Buildings rule that fines firms for not conspicuously posting a permit while electrical work is in progress will soon sunset completely, he said, as will two Department of Sanitation rules concerning compostable straws⁠—one that mandates bins to dispose of them and another that makes restaurants charge for non-compostable straws. Those were both deemed too hard to enforce.

Other rules are staying place, but first-time violators now will be issued a warning or an extended period during which a business can fix the problem, the mayor said. Violators of a Sanitation Department rule requiring businesses to recycle organic materials, for example, will get only a warning the first time, rather than facing a $250 fine.

Some of the fees that accompany violations are being reduced, Adams said. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will reduce the maximum fine, from $600 to $500, for violations having to do with temperatures during food preparation, he said. Food-service firms will now have 60 days, up from 30 days, to comply with grease interceptor violations.

Adams rejected some of the suggestions for rules that agencies proposed to end or modify. They included several regarding fines for selling tobacco products to people younger than 21.

The mayor estimated that the rule reductions will result in the elimination of $8.9 million in fines.

Companies and their representatives praised the red-tape cuts.

“By reducing fines and penalties, the mayor is giving all small businesses a leg up and a better shot at thriving,” said John Jiang, president of the New York Laundromat Business Association.

But some also said that changing a relative handful of rules is not the end of the story.

“Today’s announcement to reduce fines and allow for cure periods is a welcomed first step from the administration,” wrote Andrew Rigie of the New York City Hospitality Alliance. “We look forward to continuing to work with Mayor Adams to find ways to reduce fines, streamline the permitting and licensing process, cut red tape, and champion our city to ensure New York is a place where all our small businesses thrive.”

Staying current is easy with Crain's news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge. Click below to see everything we have to offer.

Don't miss the chance to get the biggest news first! Stay connected to New York business news in print and online

Crain’s New York Business is the trusted voice of the New York business community—connecting businesses across the five boroughs by providing analysis and opinion on how to navigate New York’s complex business and political landscape.

685 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 (212) 210-0100