Spring Valley NY illegal renovation stopped by Rockland, fine issued

SPRING VALLEY – A landlord and contractors were fined $26,750 for illegal renovations to a Jill Lane house without permits and ignoring a stop-work order, Rockland officials said on Thursday, July 17.

Rockland Office of Buildings & Codes inspectors on July 10 observed construction work at 36 Jill Lane and learned the contractor and owner lacked a valid building permit and license, county officials said.

An application for window and siding replacement had been pending. Inspectors found the single-family house undergoing full renovation/remodel conversion into a two-family dwelling, county officials said.

The unpermitted work included:

Partition walls separating the first and second floors
A complete gut renovation of the second story
Extensive electrical, plumbing, framing, and insulation work

The county obtained a stop-work order at the property, but Buildings & Codes inspectors found on Friday, July 11, that work continued. Officials said people were unloading materials into the house, a direct violation of the stop work order posted the previous day.

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Penalties issued for lack of licenses, violation of stop-work order

As a result, property owner Devorah Landau is facing 28 violations and a $18,750 penalty, Buildings & Codes Director Edward Markunas said in a news release. The owner could not be reached for comment.

The contractor’s lack of a license and permits led to the Rockland Office of Consumer Protection getting involved.

Yisroel Sandel of YMS Home Improvement had hired subcontractor Nery Estuardo Medina Sandoval to install sheetrock. The work violated the stop-work order and lacked a valid building permit, officials said. They could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Sandoval paid a $3,000 penalty for operating without a county home improvement license, and Sandel/YMS Home Improvement paid a $5,000 penalty for hiring unlicensed subcontractors and ignoring a stop-work order, officials said. Sandel and his company have also been summoned before the Home Improvement Licensing Board for consideration of suspending or revoking their license for repeated disregard of the local laws.

“Unlicensed contractors put the safety of residents and the integrity of our housing stock at serious risk, and anyone working in Rockland County must be properly licensed and insured—no exceptions,” Consumer Protection Director Kimberly Von Ronn said.

Three years of Rockland-led code enforcement in Spring Valley

Buildings & Codes has been responsible for enforcing state fire and safety codes in Spring Valley since February 2022, marking three years of the work in early 2025. The New York Department of State deputized the Rockland County government in late 2021 to inspect and prosecute code violations in the Ramapo village.

The removal of inspection and enforcement responsibilities from the Spring Valley Building Department came after more than a decade of complaints from firefighters and officials about the poor enforcement. The state’s decision followed the death of a village firefighter and resident of an adult home in the village in March 2021.

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at [email protected] Twitter: @lohudlegal Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

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