NYC contractors say safety requirements are choking project pipeline

New York City requires independent safety inspectors on construction projects, but there are not enough licensed people to go around.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 25, 2014

Judge stops construction of Target store in L.A.

A California judge said Target's permit to build to 74 feet high store in a 35-foot zone in Hollywood is illegal.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 21, 2014

Hearing offers a glimpse into downfall of Lamar Construction

Unpaid debts and not keeping track of change orders were among the bankrupt company's problems.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 18, 2014

Contractor departs CA project with a settlement against hospital

An expansion of Tulare Regional Medical Center remains unfinished, and Harris Construction could collect up $7.9M.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 17, 2014

Cities are giving their zoning laws a makeover

From Miami to Freemont, CA, regulations are changing the way zoning works for city planning.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 13, 2014

Climate controlled offices may be getting even more efficient

A multipurpose window device created by architects with NBBJ, based in Columbus, Ohio, is intended to obviate the too-cold/too-hot complaints of workers in large buildings.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 12, 2014

Virginia county may leave LEED behind as it weighs costs

It's been the rule in Loudoun County since 2008 that new county buildings have to meet LEED Silver standards, but a recent project has supervisors asking questions.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 7, 2014

Survey supports claims about tight-credit effects on mortgages

Housing interests who have been saying that federal lending rules imposed after the housing crash are inhibiting the recovery got some vindication when the Federal Reserve surveyed banks.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 5, 2014

Feds charge steel erector with fraud for One World Trade Center work

Federal agents arrested Larry Davis, who owns DCM Erectors Inc., saying he used a minority-owned firm and a woman-owned company as fronts to quality for work performed by his firm.

By Ron Gallagher • Aug. 4, 2014

Welsh 'Hobbit House' has post-building permit problem

In Wales, a couple is trying to get a permit to keep their "hobbit house."

By Ron Gallagher • July 31, 2014

President Obama orders federal contractors to disclose labor violations

A new executive order will make companies that want federal contracts over $500,000 disclose any violations in past three years.

By Ron Gallagher • July 31, 2014

U.S. Senate passes $8B Highway Trust Fund fix

As states who depend on federal money for highway work and the contractors they hire watch, senators have moved to force a real fix in December.

By Ron Gallagher • July 29, 2014

Minnesota sprinkler mandate for big homes survives challenge

Scheduled for next year, the new requirement had been the subject of an end-of-session repeal effort in the legislature.

By Ron Gallagher • July 29, 2014

10th-largest U.S. electrical contractor files for bankruptcy

The company did a lot of work in the Washington, D.C., area, but it's unclear how many jobs it had in progress.

By Ron Gallagher • July 25, 2014

8 companies cited for violations in Texas worker's death

After a man fell 29 feet at a site where condominiums are being built, OSHA levied fines on eight companies involved in the project.

By Ron Gallagher • July 23, 2014

Massachusetts court decision may aid condo trustees, hurt contractors

Massachusetts' highest court says it does not make sense to apply the doctrine of economic loss to suits about defective work in common areas.

By Ron Gallagher • July 22, 2014

Local-hiring requirements can stress contractors

Incentives to get companies to build in certain states often come with local-hiring requirements for construction work, and that becomes the contractor's problem.

By Ron Gallagher • July 22, 2014

Flooding report has big implications for builders

The Reuters analysis shows East Coast flooding has increased significantly in recent decades.

By Ron Gallagher • July 17, 2014

Police say worker on jobsite took video of tenant showering

In New York City, a woman looked at her bedroom window one morning and saw a cell phone propped on a bucket on a fire escape, recording video of her.

By Ron Gallagher • July 13, 2014

Detroit residency requirement a challenge for hockey arena construction

When it turned over land for a new home for the Red Wings, the city included a provision that 51% of the construction workforce had to live in Detroit.

By Ron Gallagher • July 8, 2014

Agency begins mapping disputed, unknown fault lines in L.A. area

The California State Geological Survey's renewed mapping of the Santa Monica Fault and others could mean problems for building projects.

By Ron Gallagher • July 8, 2014

Feds punish banks for discriminating against mothers in mortgage decisions

Several institutions have settled federal complaints that they discriminated against applicants if a woman was pregnant or on maternity leave.

By Ron Gallagher • July 7, 2014

Two NYC firms charged in safety inspection scam

City inspectors started an investigation after a routine check found logs signed by a man who had died a month earlier.

By Ron Gallagher • July 6, 2014

EPA wants to smooth conflicting rules on brownfield assessments

Companies that want to develop properties that might have chemical contamination will have to follow only the most ASTM method.

By Ron Gallagher • June 30, 2014

Housing advocates sue Sacramento over new NBA arena

A coalition of two housing groups and an environmental organization have filed a suit asking for $40 million from the Sacramento Kings.

By Ron Gallagher • June 30, 2014