Small businesses that complain of being besieged by city fines for obscure rules and regulations may soon get a reprieve.
The City Council announced yesterday it is examining outdated and onerous laws and will recommend that the Bloomberg administration modify them or remove them from the books altogether.
Some of the obscure laws the council is looking to change include requiring companies to put their business-license numbers on business cards and mandating large signs instructing customers to call 311 with complaints.
Robert Bookman, an attorney representing many business owners in the city, said an Upper West Side newsstand operator was recently fined for making the 311 sign too small — at 8 1/2-by-11 inches instead of 11-by-17 inches.He also criticized the city for forcing establishments to post outdated signs — like warning pregnant women that drinking could harm them — and said sidewalk cafes can be fined for pushing together two tables to seat four, even though a four-person table the same size is legal.
“We could fill up a wall with all the signage that’s required,” Bookman said.