TR6 is the official DOB technical report form for FISP filings. It documents the QEWI's inspection findings, assigned rating, photographs of defects, and professional certification. TR6 filings are submitted through DOB NOW and become part of the building's permanent public compliance record.

NYC DOB FISP: Facade Compliance, Violations & Monitoring Guide (2026)

Q: How do I check if my building has an open DOB FISP violation?

You can check NYC Open Data (dataset xubg-57si) using your building's BIN or address, or access DOB NOW directly at dobonline.nyc.gov. DOBGuard also provides a free property lookup covering all 15+ monitored datasets including FISP status.

Q: Can I appeal a DOB FISP UNSAFE designation?

Yes, but the appeal does not stay the obligation to erect public protection. You can retain a second QEWI for a supplemental inspection and file an amended TR6, but public protection must remain in place during any appeal.

When NYC property owners search "NYC DOB FISP", they are typically looking for one of two things: how to comply with the Facade Inspection Safety Program before a deadline, or how to understand — and resolve — an active FISP violation that has appeared against their building. This guide covers both.

NYC DOB FISP refers to the New York City Department of Buildings' administration of the Facade Inspection Safety Program through the DOB NOW digital portal. As of the current cycle, all FISP filings are submitted and processed through DOB NOW: Safety, and all records — including pending penalty balances — are publicly accessible through NYC Open Data (dataset ID: xubg-57si). DOBGuard monitors this public dataset for enrolled properties. Cadence varies by source.

The Legal Foundation: What Requires FISP Compliance?

FISP compliance is mandated by New York City Administrative Code §28-302. The law applies to every building in New York City that is:

Six stories or taller
In any of the five boroughs
Privately or publicly owned (with limited government exemptions)

The legal origin traces to Local Law 10 (1980), enacted after a Barnard College student was killed by falling facade masonry. Local Law 11 (1998) expanded inspection requirements to all facades (not just street-facing walls) and established the five-year inspection cycle still in use today. The program was renamed FISP in subsequent code revisions but the substance — periodic expert inspection, mandatory filing, and legal obligation to correct hazards — remains the same.

How the FISP Filing Process Works Through DOB NOW

The FISP filing workflow in DOB NOW has four stages:

Inspection: The building owner retains a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) — a licensed NYS architect or engineer — who performs a close-up physical inspection of all exterior walls, parapets, balconies, fire escapes, and appurtenances.
Rating: The QEWI assigns one of four ratings: SAFE, SWARMP, UNSAFE, or No Report Filed. This determination is based on observed conditions and professional judgment.
DOB NOW Filing: The QEWI files the TR6 technical report through DOB NOW, attaching photographic evidence, condition descriptions, and their professional seal. The filing is timestamped and assigned to the building's block/lot/BIN record.
Penalty Assessment: DOB's system automatically calculates any applicable late filing, failure-to-file, or failure-to-correct penalty balances, which appear in the public DOB NOW record and in NYC Open Data immediately upon filing or deadline passage.

The filing deadline is non-negotiable. The DOB does not proactively notify individual building owners of upcoming deadlines. It is entirely the owner's (or their managing agent's) responsibility to track sub-cycle windows and retain a QEWI in advance.

FISP Status Types and Their Legal Obligations

SAFE — No Action Required

The building's exterior walls have been inspected and found to be in sound condition. The QEWI certifies there are no significant structural or surface defects presenting a hazard. A SAFE designation satisfies the current FISP cycle requirement. No repairs or follow-up filings are required until the next sub-cycle window.

SWARMP — Repair Program Required Within Cycle

The QEWI has identified defects that are not immediately dangerous but require corrective action. SWARMP is legally defined as "Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program." The owner's legal obligations under a SWARMP designation are:

Document a specific repair and maintenance program for the identified defects
Complete all required repairs within the five-year FISP cycle
File an amended TR6 report confirming repairs are complete before the cycle closes

Failure to re-file after completing SWARMP repairs is treated by DOB as an unresolved condition. At the opening of the next sub-cycle, the building will appear in DOB NOW as having an unresolved SWARMP designation from the prior cycle — a red flag for lenders, buyers, and inspectors.

UNSAFE — Immediate Emergency Action Required

The QEWI has identified conditions presenting an immediate hazard to public safety. The DOB's legal requirements upon an UNSAFE rating are among the most stringent in New York City property law:

Within 24 hours: Erect full public protection at the building's perimeter (sidewalk shed, bridge, or netting meeting DOB specifications)
Within 30 days: File a progress report through DOB NOW describing repair status and projected completion date
Continuously: Maintain public protection until all repairs are complete and re-inspection confirms SAFE or SWARMP status
Upon completion: File an amended TR6 confirming all UNSAFE conditions have been remediated; QEWI assigns a new rating

No Report Filed — Automatic Penalty Status

This is not a physical inspection rating but a compliance status automatically assigned to any building that misses its DOB FISP filing deadline. Penalties begin the day after the deadline passes. The owner's only remedy is to file a complete TR6 report as quickly as possible — penalties stop accruing from the date of filing, but previously accrued amounts remain due.

NYC DOB FISP Penalty Structure (2026)

The DOB NOW facade compliance dataset tracks three distinct financial penalty fields for each building:

Violation Type	Penalty Rate	NYC Open Data Field	Lien Eligible
Late Filing	$1,000/month from deadline	`late_filing_amt`	Yes
Failure to File	Up to $5,000 per cycle	`failure_to_file_amt`	Yes
Failure to Correct UNSAFE	$5,000+/month	`failure_to_correct_amt`	Yes

Penalties can be compounded. A building that misses its filing deadline (generating late filing penalties), is then found UNSAFE (generating failure-to-correct penalties), and still has not filed at the end of the cycle (generating failure-to-file penalties) can accumulate all three simultaneously. Total exposure over a 12-month period can exceed $70,000 in penalties alone before repair costs.

All three amounts are visible in real time in the NYC Open Data dataset — accessible to any lender, buyer, title company, or compliance system that queries the API.

What Triggers a DOB FISP UNSAFE Condition?

QEWIs assess the following conditions most frequently when issuing UNSAFE designations:

Masonry Deterioration (Most Common)

Brick, terracotta, limestone, and concrete panels are subject to moisture intrusion, freeze-thaw cycling, and mortar joint failure over decades. When masonry spalling or delamination reaches the point where material could separate and fall, the QEWI must rate the building UNSAFE. Pre-war buildings (pre-1940 construction) are disproportionately represented in UNSAFE designations.

Parapet and Cornice Instability

Parapets (the low walls above the roofline) and cornices (decorative projecting elements at the building crown) are particularly vulnerable to wind loading and freeze-thaw. A destabilized parapet or detached cornice section is an immediate UNSAFE condition.

Lintel Failure

Window and door lintels — structural steel or stone elements that bear the wall above openings — are subject to significant corrosion and deflection. A failing lintel can destabilize large sections of masonry above multiple floors simultaneously.

Modern Cladding Delamination

Post-war buildings with glass, metal panel, or stone cladding systems face different but equally serious risks. Panel anchors corrode; adhesive systems degrade; gasket failures allow water infiltration and freeze damage. Detaching cladding panels on a high-rise can become lethal projectiles.

Borough Patterns in NYC DOB FISP Data

Manhattan

Highest absolute number of FISP filings of any borough. Pre-war masonry midrise buildings in Midtown, the Upper West Side, and Upper East Side generate the most UNSAFE designations. Complex facades on landmarked buildings require specialized QEWIs and longer repair timelines.

Brooklyn

Growing FISP filing volume as outer-borough midrises built in the 1950s–1980s age toward the periods where masonry failures become more common. Crown Heights, Flatbush, and Park Slope have notable concentrations of aging 6–12 story buildings requiring FISP compliance.

Queens

Large commercial and mixed-use portfolio in Flushing, Jamaica, and Long Island City. Many mid-century office and apartment buildings approaching the age at which facade deterioration accelerates. DOB FISP enforcement has increased in Queens over the most recent cycle.

The Bronx and Staten Island

Lower absolute filing volume but significant concentrations of public housing and institutional buildings that require FISP compliance. Penalty balances in the Bronx are among the highest per building relative to building value, as smaller property owners sometimes lack financial resources to comply with UNSAFE remediation requirements quickly.

DOB FISP in Property Due Diligence

For buyers, lenders, and investors evaluating any NYC building of six stories or taller, a FISP due diligence check should be a standard component of the acquisition workflow. The DOB NOW record for FISP provides:

Current status rating — SAFE, SWARMP, UNSAFE, or No Report Filed
Filing date — confirms the inspection was performed and filed within the required window
QEWI identity — confirms the inspector is qualified and licensed
Penalty balances — all three penalty fields, showing total outstanding liability
Prior cycle records — pattern of compliance or repeated violations over time

A seller who has an open UNSAFE designation with accrued failure-to-correct penalties is carrying a material undisclosed liability. In most commercial real estate purchase and sale agreements in New York, unresolved DOB violations — including FISP violations — are disclosable items that can affect purchase price, closing conditions, or escrow requirements.

Automated DOB FISP Monitoring with DOBGuard

DOBGuard monitors the NYC Open Data facade compliance dataset (xubg-57si) every hour for changes affecting your registered properties. Every building's current FISP status, filing date, and penalty balances are checked against the last known record.

When any status change is detected, DOBGuard sends an immediate alert:

CRITICAL: UNSAFE facade designation — requires emergency response within 24 hours
HIGH: SWARMP designation — repair program and re-filing required
HIGH: No Report Filed — deadline missed, penalties accruing
INFO: New FISP filing detected — confirms inspection has been filed

For property managers overseeing multiple buildings at different sub-cycle deadlines across multiple boroughs, DOBGuard provides a single unified monitoring layer. Instead of manually checking DOB NOW for each building before each deadline, you receive alerts only when something changes — and you receive them before penalties compound.

Frequently Asked Questions About NYC DOB FISP

How do I check if my building has an open DOB FISP violation?

You can check the NYC Open Data portal (dataset xubg-57si) using your building's BIN or address, or access DOB NOW directly at dobonline.nyc.gov. DOBGuard also provides a free property lookup that checks all 15+ monitored datasets simultaneously, including FISP status.

What's the difference between a DOB FISP violation and a DOB violation?

A "DOB violation" in common usage often refers to violations in the legacy BIS system (ECB violations, DOB violations, HPD violations). A "DOB FISP violation" specifically refers to a compliance failure in the Facade Inspection Safety Program — either a missed filing, an UNSAFE rating, or failure to complete SWARMP repairs. These are tracked in DOB NOW and appear in a separate dataset from BIS-era violations.

Can I appeal a DOB FISP UNSAFE designation?

Yes, but the appeal process does not stay the obligation to erect public protection. If you believe your QEWI's UNSAFE designation was in error, you can retain a second QEWI for a supplemental inspection and file an amended TR6. However, during any appeal, the sidewalk shed or other public protection must remain in place.

What is a TR6 form?

TR6 is the official DOB technical report form used for FISP filings. It documents the QEWI's inspection findings, the assigned rating, photographs of defects, and the professional's certification. TR6 filings are submitted through DOB NOW and become part of the building's permanent public compliance record.

Related Resources

External Resources

Last updated: February 2026. This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed architect, engineer, or attorney for specific compliance situations.