Section 24-261. Citizen's complaint

(a) Any person other than personnel of
  the department and employees of the city of New York authorized  by  law
  to  serve  summonses  for  violation  of  the  code  may  serve upon the
  department a complaint in a form prescribed by the commissioner alleging
  that a person has violated a provision of this code set forth  in  table
  VI,  below,  or  an order or regulation promulgated under such provision
  together with evidence of such violation.
 
                                  Table VI
 
  Violation related to
  section or subdivision
  and order or regulation
  thereunder
  24-208
  24-216
  24-220 (b)
  24-224
  24-232, except that the provisions of this section  24-261  shall  apply
    only  to violations by persons operating motor vehicles listed in sub-
    divisions one and two of column I, and subdivisions  one  and  two  of
    column II of Table 1. 24-234 24-236 24-237, except that the provisions
    of  this  section  24-261  shall apply only to a violation by a person
    operating a circulation device with a  rated  capacity  in  excess  of
    fifty thousand British thermal units per hour or its equivalent.
  24-238
  24-240
  24-241
  24-244
  24-245
 
    (b) A person who has served a complaint pursuant to subdivision (a) of
  this  section  may serve upon the person allegedly in violation and upon
  the board a notice of violation in a form prescribed by  the  board,  if
  within thirty days from service of such complaint:
    (1) The department has failed to serve a notice of violation, pursuant
  to section 24-259 of this code, for the violation alleged in a complaint
  pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section; or
    (2)   The  department  fails  to  serve  a  written  notice  upon  the
  complainant of its determination that his or her complaint is  frivolous
  or duplicitous.
    (c) A person commencing a proceeding before the board pursuant to this
  section, shall prosecute such proceeding at his or her own expense.  The
  department may intervene in such a proceeding at any time.
    (d)  In  any  proceeding  brought  by the department after receiving a
  complaint pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section, the  board  shall
  award   the  complainant,  out  of  the  proceeds  collected,  fair  and
  reasonable compensation, which shall not exceed twenty-five  percent  of
  the proceeds collected, for disclosure of information or evidence not in
  the  possession  of the department, which leads to the imposition of the
  civil penalty.
    (e) In any proceeding brought by a complainant, the board shall award,
  out of the proceeds collected, fifty percent of  any  civil  penalty  as
  fair and reasonable compensation to such person.