For sale in Manhattan: Thin air for $305 per square foot

That was the average last year, anyway, for air above shorter building that developers can "move" to their properties to get taller structures approved.

By Ron Gallagher • April 24, 2014

Calif. would hang subcontractor's wage, tax duties on the prime if sub fails

An amendment to a bill in the California Assembly would make it a contractor's problem if a sub didn't pay wages, remit taxes and the like.

By Ron Gallagher • April 23, 2014

Concrete company pays DOJ to make hiring complaint go away

Potter Concrete Ltd. ran into Justice Department allegations that it was asking non-citizen job applicants for different paperwork than it asked from citizens.

By Ron Gallagher • April 22, 2014

With $4M payment, Wis. contractor resolves FBI allegations

Court documents made public this week show that Miron Construction Co. Inc. settled a case involving work for school districts.

By Ron Gallagher • April 17, 2014

Pollution control at the job site: Keeping on the right side of the silt fence

The best time to plan required pollution prevention is before it has a chance to begin and before you learn the hard way what had to be contained.

By Ron Gallagher • April 14, 2014

Companies pay $1.9M to close probe of Marine construction contracts

The settlement with the Justice Department involves five masonry firms that said they were small, disadvantaged businesses as required for work at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and Camp Pendelton in Calif.

By Ron Gallagher • April 9, 2014

New job data reporting mandate raises concerns for contractors

Associated Builders and Contractors sees more money being spent to prepare paperwork to meet a new order.

By Ron Gallagher • April 9, 2014

What would happen if there was no Highway Trust Fund?

Critics of federal bureaucracy say money could do more if it stayed with the states.

By Ron Gallagher • April 8, 2014

Conn. contractor pays $2.4M for faking 'disadvantaged business' participation

The FBI, U.S. attorney, Labor Department and Transportation Department jointly went after Manafort Brothers Inc. of Plainville.

By Ron Gallagher • April 7, 2014

OSHA proposes $2.4M in fines for lead, asbestos exposures

The agency says Olivet Management LLC rushed work without proper protection to get ready for an investor tour.

By Ron Gallagher • April 6, 2014

Court: Federal contractors must follow new rules on hiring the disabled

Companies that do business with the federal government have a new set of standards for hiring the disabled after a court shot down challenges.

By Ron Gallagher • April 3, 2014

Religious clothing, grooming brought under U.S. civil rights protection

New guidance out last month from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission makes it clear that businesses cannot ban religious garb unless it and the job cannot be done together.

By Ron Gallagher • April 3, 2014

GSA issues new design standards for government buildings

A new version of the design standard for Public Buildings Service construction and renovation – widely known as P-100 – came out this month.

By Ron Gallagher • April 2, 2014

Can the government say 'no' to building in harm's way?

Mud slides, hurricanes and other disasters force the question of "why," but declaring land off limits is a very tough sell.

By Ron Gallagher • March 31, 2014

FBI agents posing as developers sting Charlotte mayor

Mayor Patrick Cannon turned himself in to U.S. Marshals when he found out a federal warrant charged him with taking bribes.

By Ron Gallagher • March 26, 2014

Oregon school district sues contractor over substandard work

The Tigard-Tualatin School District claims its elementary school has suffered heavy water damage from defective doors and windows.

By Ron Gallagher • March 25, 2014

Utah contractor to pay $928k to end federal lawsuit

Oakland Construction denies claims by the Justice Department and the other company in a mentor-protege arrangement, but legal efficiency reigns.

By Ron Gallagher • March 25, 2014

Raleigh City Council will help homeowner fight City Hall

One Raleigh, N.C., body decided to yank a building permit that another body had granted about six months earlier, and the city council will take the decision to court.

By Ron Gallagher • March 20, 2014

Paving industry faces regulatory challenges in coming years

Health-insurance requirements and limitations on refined coal tar sealant are two of the ongoing regulatory challenges to paving and maintenance companies.

By Ron Gallagher • March 18, 2014

Arrest made in Delaware construction site burglaries

A 35-year-old man faces numerous charges in connection with copper theft from 14 different home construction sites.

By Roger Riddell • March 17, 2014

NYC construction deaths dropped 62.5% in 2013

All construction site fatalities last year were falls.

By Davide Savenije • March 17, 2014

How the EPA is changing stormwater runoff rules

A central part of the Environmental Protection Agency's approach to construction runoff is eliminating numeric standards for turbidity in the water.

By Ron Gallagher • March 11, 2014

Ever-larger tilt-up panels bring clarification about slab beneath bracing

The Tilt-Up Concrete Association has issued a statement saying it's a building owner's rep who has to make sure a slab can take the pressure of wall bracing.

By Ron Gallagher • March 9, 2014

Ft. Worth construction-fraud case goes to jury, contractor goes to jail

It's believed to be the first time a fraud case like Keith Alexander's has gone to trial in Tarrant County, Texas, instead of being settled by a plea deal.

By Ron Gallagher • March 5, 2014

Quebec senior home fire that killed 32 draws attention to building code

The Jan. 23 blaze in L'Isle -Verte pointed up the complexity of provincial regulations and raised questions about how they address an aging population.

By Ron Gallagher • March 5, 2014