The New York Department of Sanitation through its Legal Affairs Office has informed the Ridgewood Property Owners & Civic Association that it will start enforcement of a new graffiti nuisance law- Local Law 111- 2005- which was signed into law at the end of December 2005. This law imposes responsibility on all owners to clean or allow the city to clean their property. Similar laws are on the books of most major cities and suburban counties throughout the United States. Fines may be imposed against property owners of residential property with six or more units or any commercial property for failure to comply. All properties are subject to nuisance abatement proceedings for failure to clean, but small property owners are exempt from fines. Property owners may provide waivers to the Mayor's Community Assistance Unit and the city will provide cleaning services. In addition, community-based organizations such as the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation provide cleaning at nominal or no cost.

This law was enacted after three years of advocacy by Charles Ober and Paul Kerzner, acting for the Ridgewood Property Owners and Civic Association and the Queens Civic Congress. Ober, first vice president of the Ridgewood Property Owners and a member of the board of the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation, stated, "Once we showed city councilmembers a comprehensive study by the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation that owners of 20 percent of buildings defaced with graffiti in Community Board 5 refused to allow their buildings to be cleaned and removed fines from small building owners the bill moved to passage." Kerzner, president of both the Ridgewood Property Owners and the Greater Ridgewood Restoration Corporation, stated, "This is an example of community action resulting in good legislation, and city councilmembers are to be commended for working with us to get this done." Kerzner also noted that nearly all of the offending owners were "absentee" owners. Councilmember Hiram Monserrate, prime sponsor of the bill, received the support of Public Safety Committee Chair Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. and a number of other councilmembers, leading to the bill's passage.

The city will take complaints through the 311 system and will send a letter asking for voluntary compliance. Failure to comply will result in further action through the Environmental Control Board.

The Ridgewood Property Owners & Civic Association general meeting on Thursday evening, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the I.S. 93 Auditorium, Forest Avenue and Madison Street, Ridgewood, will feature representatives of the Mayor's Community Assistance Unit discussing enforcement of the new law.