Nuisance, be gone.
The state of New York this year will cease and desist from collecting 57 fees charged by various state agencies. Applied to everything from lasers to ski tows to antique boilers to slot machines to commissaries serving migrant farm laborers, the so-called nuisance fees include a $10 charge to get one’s name on a cease-and-desist list to stop nuisance calls from real estate professionals.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo this month announced the repeal of the nuisance fees as part of the 2015-16 state budget. Businesses and individuals will save approximately $3 million annually, according to state officials.
“These nuisance fees created unnecessary red tape and placed an undue burden on businesses, while at the same time resulted in no significant revenues for the state,” Cuomo said in the announcement. “This action will eliminate unnecessary costs and paperwork, helping to allow these businesses to reinvest and grow in New York.”
Here is the complete list of fees repealed in the state budget adopted this month. Savings will begin in this fiscal year.
Department of State
Three fees will be repealed, saving New Yorkers $2.6 million annually.
Apartment Information Vendor License Fee: A $400 annual fee charged for the licensure of apartment information vendors.
Biennial Statement Filing Fee: A $9 filing fee collected at the time of filing biennial statement amendments.
Cease and Desist List License Fee: A $10 regulatory fee collected from people who wish to be added to the cease-and-desist list that prohibits real estate licensees from contacting or soliciting them.
Department of Labor
A total of 30 fees will be repealed, saving New Yorkers $243,000 annually.
Antique Boiler Inspection Fees: Two $25 fees charged annually to the owners of antique steam engines and other boilers that must be inspected both internally and externally.
Biennial Statement Filing Fee: A $9 filing fee collected at the time of filing corporate biennial information statements. The information will instead be included on the corporate tax return.
Boiler Shop Survey Fee: A $600 regulatory fee charged every three years to boiler manufacturers and repairers upon submission to DOL of the required plan detailing their quality control system.
Building Plans Exam Fee: A maximum $200 fee for property owners or contractors who submit plans to DOL for review and approval to build or alter a place of public assembly.
Commissary Operator Permit Fee: A $40 fee for commissary operators who apply for a one-year permit to operate a commissary that serves migrant farm workers at the camp or processing plant where they are employed.
Day of Rest Easement Application Fee: A $40 fee for employers that apply for up to a one-year exemption from the day of rest statute, which requires employees be given one 24- hour period off from work in each calendar week.
Defense Dispensation Fee: A $40 fee to defense contractors and canneries that apply for a dispensation from certain provisions of the Labor Law.
Farm Grower Permit Fee: A $40 fee to agriculture growers who apply for a one-year permit that allows the grower to employ more than five non-H2A migrant farm workers.
Farm Labor Contractor Permit Fee: A $200 fee for farm labor contractors that apply for a one-year permit to transport and provide non-H2A migrant farm workers to a grower.
Industrial Homework Certificates Employer Application Fee: A $100 fee for manufacturers who apply for a one-year permit that allows the manufacturer to distribute unfinished material, such as clothing or jewelry, to employees for completion at their homes.
Industrial Homework Certificates Homeworker Application Fee: A $25 fee to individuals who apply for a one-year permit to accept and perform industrial work in their homes.
Laser Regulation Permit Fee: A $600 regulatory fee charged every three years to organizations that operate lasers.
Miniature Boiler Inspection Fee: A $50 fee to owners of miniature boilers that must be inspected annually.
Professional Employer Organization Exemption Fee: A $250 annual fee to professional employer organizations that are already licensed in another state. The organization must have no office and less than 25 employees in New York to qualify for an exemption.
Professional Employer Organization Initial Registration and Renewal Fees: A $1,000 initial registration fee to professional employer organizations to allow the leasing of employees to businesses in New York. An additional $500 renewal fee is charged annually.
Scaffold Plan Examination Fee: A $1,000 regulatory fee to businesses for each required submission of detailed scaffold equipment plans that will be used to perform work on buildings taller than 75 feet.
Ski Tows and Passenger Tramways Fees: A $50 ski tow and $100 ski lift regulatory fees are charged to ski areas and other passenger tramway operators at the time of the annual DOL inspection.
Slot Machine Repair License Fees: Two fees charged to approved apprenticeship training programs that possess slot machines for training purposes. These programs require a permit from DOL and pay a $500 fee per machine and an additional $100 fee per trainee every six months.
Workplace Safety and Loss Certification Application Fee: A $1,000 fee to individuals who apply and are certified to conduct workplace safety and loss prevention consultations.
Workplace Safety and Loss DOL Consultation Fee: A $350 fee charged to clients who receive a workplace safety and loss prevention consultation from DOL staff.
Workplace Safety and Loss Incentive Application and Renewal Fees: A $100 regulatory fee to individuals or businesses who apply for certification as a workplace safety and loss prevention management specialist. The fee was assessed per program for a maximum of $300 per individual applicant. A $100 renewal application fee was charged per program every three years for a maximum of $300.
Workplace Safety and Loss Recertification Application Fee: A $300 regulatory recertification fee charged every three years to individuals certified to conduct workplace safety and loss prevention consultations.
Workplace Safety and Loss Specialist Certification and Recertification Fees: An $800 fee charged to individuals who receive certification as a workplace safety and loss prevention management specialist. A $600 recertification fee is charged every three years with $100 charged for each additional recertification.
Written Assurances Fee: A $100 fee charged to apparel industry manufacturers or contractors when they apply for a one-year written assurance from DOL that a subcontractor has complied with certain requirements of the Labor Law.
Workers’ Compensation Board
A total of 12 fees will be repealed, saving New Yorkers $95,000 annually.
Chiropractic Arbitration Request Fee: A $5 fee paid by a service provider related to any chiropractic dispute or arbitration of a bill handled by the board.
Claimant’s Representative License Fee: A $100 fee paid by individuals who are licensed with the WCB and represent claimants.
Hospital Arbitration Request Fee: A $5 fee paid by a service provider related to any hospital dispute or arbitration of a bill.
Medical Arbitration Request Fee: A $5 fee paid by a service provider for any medical dispute or arbitration of a bill.
Medical Center Authorization License Fee: A $200 license fee for compensation medical bureaus operated by qualified physicians for the diagnosis and treatment of industrial injuries or illnesses.
Medical/X-Ray Bureau Authorization License Fee: A $200 license fee paid by compensation medical bureaus operated by qualified physicians for the diagnosis and treatment of industrial injuries or illnesses.
Podiatry Arbitration Request Fee: A $5 fee paid by a service provider related to any podiatry dispute or arbitration of a bill.
Psychology Arbitration Request Fee: A $5 fee paid by a service provider related to any psychology dispute or arbitration of a bill.
Publication Fee: A $5 regulatory fee for purchasing board publications.
Self Insurer’s Representative License Fee: A $100 license fee paid by a third party administrator and/or self-insured employer representing employers at board hearings.
Subpoena Fee: A $15 regulatory fee for subpoenas to obtain board documents.
X-Ray Laboratory Authorization License Fee: A $5 license fee paid for a separate laboratory to engage in X-ray diagnosis or treatment of an injured worker.
Department of Agriculture and Markets
Ten fees will be repealed, saving New Yorkers $40,000 annually.
Commercial Feed License Fee: A $100 annual license fee collected from manufacturers of commercial feed.
Commercial Feed Tonnage Fee: A 10 cents-per-ton license fee collected annually from commercial feed distributors was amended to establish a minimum reporting requirement. Commercial distributors will be relieved of the nuisance of paying a small annual fee when handling commercial feed of 100 tons or less per year.
Farm Product Dealer’s License Fee: A $20 license fee collected annually from farm product dealers.
Food Salvage Fee: A $100 license fee collected from food salvage dealers every two years.
Liming Brands License Fee: A $40 license fee is collected from suppliers of liming materials every two years.
Refrigerated Warehouse Fee: A $200 license fee collected from refrigerated warehouses every two years.
Rendering Transportation Fee: An annual license fee collected from animal-remains transportation facilities. The fee was $25 per service and $10 per vehicle.
Rendering Plants Fee: A $100 annual license fee collected from operators of disposal plants and an inspection fee of $10 for each vehicle.
Seed Potato Inspection Fee: A $34 annual regulatory fee for the inspection of both seed potato plants and seed potato tubers for the NY Seed Improvement Project.
Soil and Plant Inoculants Fee: A biyearly $20 license fee for sellers of product brands that contain micro-organisms for inoculation purposes.
Department of Transportation
One fee will be repealed, saving New Yorkers $40,000 annually.
Intrastate Authority Application Fee: A one-time $50 fee paid by new trucking companies, movers, ambulette providers and charter bus operators.
Department of Environmental Conservation
One fee will be repealed, saving New Yorkers $1,000 annually.
Flood Control Permit Fee: A $25 regulatory fee for a permit to determine if an applicant’s activity will impair the operation and maintenance of flood control works.
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