The following story is an extended and updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. 

District 11 Council Member Eric Dinowitz and Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz (A.D. 81) visited Webster Avenue with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and members of the 47th Precinct on Friday, April 29, to observe firsthand what was described as an escalating situation regarding the increased presence of mobile car washes along the avenue, as first reported by Norwood News in 2016.

The council member and assemblyman discussed with agency representatives how best the issue could be remedied after they said significant concerns were raised about it by local community members in the surrounding area.

Bronx Community Board 12 District Manager George Torres, Alina Dowe, Bronx borough director of the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, and Norwood News were also present for the walkthrough scheduled for 10 a.m. when, strangely, no mobile car washers were to be found on the avenue. Concerns reported and attributed to the situation included an increase of trash and illegal dumping. Additionally, residents had complained that car washers reportedly left fire hydrants open and water running.

Since the walkthrough, according to Eric Dinowitz’s office, several of the hydrants were allegedly found to be empty, which raised concerns for residents in case there were fires in the area and the water was needed by FDNY. In addition, according to the councilman’s office, in the warmer months, practices such as car washes have been found to breed mosquitoes. Discussed on the day was also the danger posed by such mobile car washes of traffic hazards and traffic congestion.

“The mobile car washes we see on Webster Avenue are certainly a display of entrepreneurship, and are an important source of income for the operators,” the councilman said. “The expansion of them has raised concerns for some neighbors, and poses questions about car washes as a regulated industry.”

He continued, “I believe we made great strides in addressing some of the concerns during our walkthrough and gained a greater sense of the roles each agency plays in regulating operations, as well as the side effects of the car washes, such as trash accumulation and excessive use of water. We are now counting on our agencies to take action and mitigate the problems while allowing operators to conduct business.”

In May 2021, Norwood News reported on a car accident that it seems may potentially have been caused by a “pop-up car wash.” We have since followed up with both DOT and the NYPD to check the final cause of the crash and will update this story upon receipt of any feedback. For investigations carried out by the Collisions Investigation Squad, the NYPD handles all criminal investigations, while NYC DOT reviews the street design at the locations of the crashes. 

We also reported on a shooting that occurred inside a car wash business on East Tremont Avenue in the Van Nest section of the Bronx on Sunday, October 17, 2021, following an apparent dispute over the use of car wash equipment.

Updated rules for mobile car washes went into effect on February 27, 2020, according to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), which is now called the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). The agency defines a “mobile car wash” as any individual, group of individuals, or business that provides car washing services at a place other than the fixed business address of the car wash.

Licensees must conspicuously display their license or a copy of the license in every operator vehicle used to provide mobile car wash services while the services are being provided. The license must be easy for someone outside the vehicle to see either from the vehicle’s back window or the front windshield. Failure to display a DCA license will result in a violation and penalty. DCA began enforcing the Car Wash Accountability Law on January 15, 2018.

The NY Daily News reported on June 10 2018 that the City Council passed the related bill which aimed to clean up car washes by requiring the businesses to get licenses from the city. “After years of complaints from workers who say their wages were stolen and an aggressive campaign to unionize the businesses, the Council voted 43 to 7 for the bill that would subject car washes to checks to make sure they’re following labor and environmental laws,” the article read.

Operators do not need a car wash license if 1) they sell, lease, rent, or repair motor vehicles as their main service and only offer car washing as an additional service to this main service, 2) they operate a self-service facility for washing vehicles, where customers—not facility employees— clean vehicles, 3) they clean vehicles on an intermittent basis to raise funds for a nonprofit or 4) they are a federal, state, or local governmental agency. License fees range from $137.50 to $550, depending on the year. See attached table below for more information.

Meanwhile, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) handles enforcement relating to the disposal of chemicals including those used in such car washes. Norwood News previously reported in 2016 that in one historical case, officers dealt significant fines to a mobile car wash owner for dumping chemicals labeled “Danger! Poison!” into the Harlem River. The owner was also charged with two misdemeanors for the action. We’ve followed up with the department to check the trajectory of any recent violation trends and will update this story upon receipt of any feedback we receive.

For his part, Jeffrey Dinowitz said in the context of the walkthrough on April 29, “We have a vibrant city, full of entrepreneurial spirit and I wholeheartedly support our ambitious neighbors who take the initiative to start their own businesses. However, we live in a city with eight and a half million people in it and in a metropolitan region with nearly twenty million people.” He added, “It is necessary to have rules about how and where businesses can operate safely and in a way that is respectful of neighbors and nearby businesses. We need the City to step up and address the proliferation of unregulated, mobile car washes along Webster Avenue.”

Meanwhile, Torres said Webster Avenue has long been a problem from illegal dumping to tractor trailer parking. “In the last two years, we have seen more than a dozen mobile car washing outfits taking up residence on Webster Avenue making residents and travelers’ quality of life worse,” he said. “This walkthrough with the elected officials and city agencies will bring some accountability and resolve some of these longstanding complaints from the folks who live and work in this area.”

None of the city agency representatives in attendance during the walkthrough were comfortable giving a comment on the day, though it was inferred that enforcement around licensing was problematic and similar to problems regarding enforcement of street vendor licensing. Norwood News has asked NYC Small Business Services and DCPA for an update on the discussions since the walkthrough took place and will update this story upon receipt of any feedback we receive. (SBS was busy with Small Business Week 2022, which finished on May 6).

It was not clear how many of the car wash operators on Webster Avenue actually have licenses nor how many licenses have been issued by DCPA citywide. We await feedback from the agency on this point. It was confirmed on the day of the walkthrough by DCPA that there is no cap on the number of licenses that can be issued citywide.

Norwood News has asked DCPA if there is any restriction on the concentration of such licenses within the radius of any one area of the City. Agency officials are following up and in the meantime, a department spokesperson issued the following statement, “Operating a mobile car wash requires a license, and we are exploring additional enforcement opportunities in this area. We have been in communication with the council member and his office on this matter.”

As the walkthrough finished up at around 11:29 a.m., there were still no car washers in sight. By 1:17 p.m., there were at least three crews opening up on the avenue, and two others looked like they were also about to open up. Norwood News attempted unsuccessfully to speak to them to ask if they were licensed, and to get their perspective on the matter.

On Saturday, April 30, we, again, attempted to speak to one street car washer, located outside a former [legal] car wash unit on the 3200 block of Webster Avenue, between East 205th Street and East Gun Hill Road, a block or two away from where the walkthrough took place. We are still checking but it is understood that the former car wash unit closed just before or just after the onset of the pandemic.

The apparent manager running the car wash said of any potential crackdowns by police, “The police come here, but they tell me I’m alright. I’m not worried.” A small group of men were standing on the street with buckets and rags assisting with the wash, as another group of about 10 men and women were sitting on chairs and milk crates across Webster Avenue, apparently drinking alcohol.

We spoke to a second street car washer at the same location. Speaking through a translator, the operator who said he lives in Fordham, explained he was going through the process of obtaining a license. Asked if police had ever checked on his license before, he said, “No,” adding that he intends to wait for that moment, but if he has his license by then, he feels there will not be any problem.

We asked if he operated the car wash business before the pandemic, or if he started due to losing his job. He said he hadn’t been doing it prior to the pandemic but when it hit, he did lose his job, and that was the way he survived.

Asked what he did before, he said, “construction and deliveries.” He added that he has his own business now, it’s going well, and he can survive on it. Asked if his customers liked his service, he said, “They are very kind and treat me with respect.” He added that he charges the same as a regular car wash – $10, $15 or $20.

We also spoke to one customer who was present at the car wash during our interview and asked him for his rationale for doing so. “They do a better job,” he said. “Yes, they do a better job.” The car wash operator added, in English, “Yeah, the people are good.”

Car wash operators can refer to the DCA’s Inspection Checklist: Car Washes at nyc.gov/BusinessToolbox and monitor DCA’s website at nyc.gov/dca for any updates to find resources to help prepare for inspections and avoid violations.

For more information on car washes, go to: license-checklist-car-wash (nyc.gov).

In the context of a later story about fire hydrants, an FDNY spokesperson clarified for Norwood News the general situation regarding the water supply in fire hydrants. to Norwood News, saying, “Fire hydrants are connected to the water mains of NYC. A fire hydrant can never be empty [though leaving hydrants open and wasting water can deplete the water and pressure, making it harder for firefighters to fight fires]. Technically, every fire hydrant is empty until one of our members utilizes the appropriate tool to allow it to flow water. While missing side covers pose a threat to the community, it has more to do with litter bugs disposing of garbage within hydrants that can later clog up the hose lines we use to supply water [in the event of a fire].”

The spokesperson added, “When you look inside a fire hydrant, it should not have water pooling within it. In fact water pooling inside of a hydrant not being used is more of an indication of a problem than an empty hydrant.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.