Many CEOs in Sullivan County are not certified

By TOM KANE

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — The Department of State’s Division of Code Enforcement has mounted a campaign to have all code enforcement officers (CEOs) in the state legitimately certified. As part of this effort, the division has listed all certified CEOs on its website.

In Sullivan County, only 12 out of 21 towns and villages have legally certified code enforcement officers on the list.

Towns or villages that do not have their CEOs on the certified list are Forestburgh, Fremont, Highland, Rockland, Thompson, Bloomingburg, Jeffersonville, Monticello and Woodridge.

These nine towns and villages run the risk of lawsuits, according to Peter Constantakes, a spokesperson of the Division of Code Enforcement that oversees the certification process. For example, if an uncertified CEO issues a certificate of occupancy (CO) and the building has shortcomings that lead to injury, the town and the CEO could legitimately be sued by the owner of the home.

In order to be certified, individuals must take six basic courses of 21 hours each. For experienced CEOs, additional training requires that each year they attend 24 hours of training, or four days in order to keep their certification current.

“A lawsuit could happen but doesn’t very often,” Constantakes said. “We notify town supervisors that their CEO is not certified and we inform the uncertified individual as well, but that’s all we do. It’s up to the towns to see that the training courses are all taken.”

A check of the division’s web site indicated that all necessary courses are given at Sullivan County Community College or at sites in Poughkeepsie or Kingston, locations that can be reasonably reached by someone who wants to commute to the three-day and sometimes four-day training program.

The division also publishes a list of those who were originally certified but are not actively working as CEOs. If someone is uncertain if they are certified, all they need do is check the list on their computer, Constantakes said. The web address is: www.dos.ny.us/about/codes.htm.

“If someone’s name has been mistakenly omitted, they should phone us at 518/474-4752,” he said.