Contractors can be liable for building failures many years after project completion

Implied and express warranties for construction or material defects on projects have time limits but when the time limit is exceeded, that doesn’t mean that contractors are completely free from liability for failures.

Warranties are usually limited to one to three years, and the statute of limitations on construction defects, while it varies by jurisdiction, is usually limited to 10 years. But personal injury law provides potential grounds for litigation many years later.

For example, in New York the statute of limitation on personal injury is three years from when an injury occurs. That means a lawsuit targeting a contractor could be brought decades after a building is completed.

Contractors can protect themselves from liability by performing their work in a diligent and professional manner, according to current codes, and not cut corners, lawyers advise. For example, don’t substitute a different class of rebar from what is called for in structural drawings even if you believe that choice would be best. Instead, raise the issue with the engineer or construction manager who can best address the issue.

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.