NYC Facade Inspection Safety Program: Owner's Complete Handbook (2026)

New York City's Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) is one of the most consequential — and frequently misunderstood — property compliance obligations in the five boroughs. Every qualifying building owner must understand how the program works, what triggers violations, what the penalties are, and how to monitor their building's status continuously. This handbook covers all of it.

If you own or manage a New York City building that is six stories or taller, the Facade Inspection Safety Program applies to you. Compliance is not discretionary. Missed deadlines, ignored UNSAFE conditions, and incomplete filings generate financial penalties that are publicly recorded, accrue monthly, and can become liens against your property.

The Legal Basis for NYC's Facade Inspection Program

The NYC Facade Inspection Safety Program is codified in Administrative Code §28-302 and enforced by the Department of Buildings. The program's roots go back to Local Law 10 of 1980, enacted following a fatal accident caused by falling facade masonry on a Columbia University student on 113th Street in Manhattan.

Local Law 11 of 1998 significantly expanded the inspection requirements beyond street-facing facades to include all exterior walls and appurtenances — parapets, balconies, cornices, fire escape brackets, and window frames — regardless of their street orientation. The five-year inspection cycle, mandatory QEWI qualification, and the SAFE/SWARMP/UNSAFE rating system all originate from Local Law 11.

Subsequent Building Code revisions renamed the program to FISP and introduced DOB NOW as the mandatory filing platform, but the underlying legal obligation has remained constant since 1998. "Local Law 11" and "FISP" are interchangeable in common usage, and both refer to the same compliance program.

Which Buildings Must Comply with the NYC Facade Inspection Safety Program?

The coverage criteria are straightforward:

• Any building in the five boroughs of New York City
• Six stories or more in height (regardless of occupancy type)
• Whether residential, commercial, mixed-use, institutional, or industrial

Buildings that are exempt or modified include certain government-owned structures, but private owners should not assume exemption without specific DOB confirmation. A six-story warehouse in Queens and a six-story co-op on the Upper West Side are both subject to identical FISP requirements.

The threshold is height, not number of units or occupancy class. A four-family building that is seven stories tall (an unusual but real scenario in some Bronx buildings with high floor-to-floor heights) must comply with FISP.

The Five-Year FISP Inspection Cycle

FISP operates on a mandatory five-year inspection cycle. The Department of Buildings divides buildings into sub-cycles based on the last digit of the building's tax block number, staggering filings to avoid system overload:

• Sub-Cycle A: Block numbers ending in 4, 5, 6, or 9
• Sub-Cycle B: Block numbers ending in 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, or 8

The current cycle is Cycle 9. Within each five-year cycle, buildings in Sub-Cycle A have a different filing window than Sub-Cycle B. Missing a sub-cycle filing window — even by a single day — triggers automatic late filing penalties with no grace period. The DOB does not send reminder notices.

Step-by-Step FISP Compliance Process

1. Determine your sub-cycle: Identify your building's block number (from the tax lot record) and confirm the applicable filing window dates.
2. Retain a QEWI: Hire a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (licensed NYS architect or engineer) at least 90 days before the filing window opens. QEWIs have heavy scheduling demand as deadlines approach.
3. Physical inspection: The QEWI performs a close-up inspection of all exterior walls and appurtenances. Close-up means within arm's reach — rope access, scaffolding, or a swing stage may be required for taller buildings.
4. Rating assignment: The QEWI assigns one of four ratings: SAFE, SWARMP, UNSAFE, or documents a failure to file (generating No Report Filed status automatically).
5. TR6 filing through DOB NOW: The QEWI files the technical report electronically through DOB NOW: Safety within the applicable filing window. The filing includes photographic evidence, condition descriptions, and the QEWI's professional seal.
6. Respond to rating: If SAFE, no further action is required until the next cycle. If SWARMP or UNSAFE, specific follow-up obligations apply (see below).

Facade Inspection Ratings: Full Explanation

SAFE

All exterior walls and appurtenances are in sound condition. The QEWI has found no significant structural deterioration, surface delamination, or hazardous projections. A SAFE designation satisfies the FISP cycle requirement. The building is not subject to any remediation or follow-up filing obligations until the next sub-cycle window.

SWARMP — Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program

The QEWI has found defects that are not immediately dangerous but require corrective action. A SWARMP designation is one of the most important compliance obligations to track because it involves two distinct filing events:

1. The initial TR6 filing assigning SWARMP status
2. A follow-up TR6 filing confirming all SWARMP repairs have been completed (required before the end of the cycle)

Buildings that receive SWARMP status and complete the repairs but fail to file the follow-up TR6 are treated by DOB as having unresolved SWARMP conditions — despite physical compliance. The second filing is legally required. DOBGuard monitors for SWARMP designations and alerts you when the status appears so follow-up filing deadlines can be tracked proactively.

UNSAFE

The facade presents an immediate public safety hazard. An UNSAFE designation triggers the most demanding compliance timeline in the FISP program:

• Within 24 hours: Install public protection meeting DOB specifications — typically a DOB-approved sidewalk shed along the building perimeter
• Immediately: Notify the Department of Buildings
• Within 30 days: Submit a progress report through DOB NOW confirming public protection is in place and repair work is underway
• Ongoing: Maintain public protection continuously until repairs are complete and re-inspection confirms resolution
• Upon completion: File an amended TR6 through DOB NOW; QEWI assigns a new rating (SAFE or SWARMP) based on final conditions

No Report Filed

This status is automatically assigned when the filing window closes without a TR6 submission for a qualifying building. It is not an inspection result — it is a compliance failure. Late filing penalties begin the day after the deadline. There is no grace period. The only remedy is to file as quickly as possible to stop the penalty clock.

Financial Exposure: NYC Facade Inspection Safety Program Penalties

All FISP penalties are structured, compounding, and public. They appear in the NYC Open Data facade compliance dataset (xubg-57si) in three separate fields that DOBGuard monitors continuously:

Illustrative Penalty Scenario

A building misses its FISP filing deadline by six months. The QEWI inspection, when finally completed, reveals an UNSAFE condition. Repairs take an additional four months to complete.

• Late filing penalties: 6 months × $1,000 = $6,000
• Failure-to-correct UNSAFE penalties: 4 months × $5,000 = $20,000
• Total penalties: $26,000+ before any repair costs

This scenario is not uncommon. Many building owners discover FISP violations only when a lender's title search or a prospective buyer's due diligence surfaces the open DOB NOW record — at which point months of avoidable penalties have already accrued.

The QEWI's Role in the NYC Facade Inspection Safety Program

A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) is the licensed professional who physically inspects the building and signs the TR6 filing. Key facts about QEWIs:

• Must be a New York State licensed architect or engineer
• Must have demonstrated experience in facade inspections (DOB maintains a registry of QEWIs)
• Cannot be an employee of the building owner or the contractor performing repairs (to prevent conflicts of interest)
• Is professionally and legally liable for the accuracy of the TR6 filing
• Name, business name, and license number appear in the public DOB NOW record for every filing

Building owners should retain a QEWI well in advance of the sub-cycle window. During peak filing periods — typically in the 90 days before a sub-cycle deadline — qualified QEWIs become difficult to schedule at short notice. Late scheduling directly causes late filings and penalties.

How to Look Up Your Building's FISP Status

The NYC facade inspection safety program's public record is available through two channels:

1. DOB NOW Online (dobonline.nyc.gov): Enter the building's BIN or address. The current FISP filing status, rating, filing date, QEWI identity, and penalty balances are all displayed.
2. NYC Open Data (dataset xubg-57si): Programmatic API access to the full facades compliance dataset. This is the source DOBGuard queries every hour to monitor your properties automatically.

For a one-time lookup, the DOB NOW online portal is sufficient. For continuous monitoring of a portfolio, an automated system is necessary — status changes happen on any day, without advance notice.

FISP Compliance and Property Transactions

The NYC facade inspection safety program record is a standard component of commercial real estate due diligence for any building six stories or taller. Buyers and their counsel should review:

• Current filing status and rating (SAFE, SWARMP, UNSAFE, No Report Filed)
• Filing date relative to the sub-cycle window (was it on time?)
• All three penalty fields for any outstanding balance
• Prior cycle filing history (pattern of compliance or repeated non-compliance)
• Open SWARMP follow-up filing obligations (were repairs completed and re-filed?)

Sellers are increasingly required to disclose open FISP violations as material encumbrances in purchase and sale agreements. Lenders underwriting acquisition or refinancing of tall NYC buildings routinely pull the facade compliance record as part of environmental and compliance due diligence. An open UNSAFE designation with accrued failure-to-correct penalties can derail a closing or require a specific escrow holdback for remediation.

Automated Monitoring: How DOBGuard Tracks Your Building's Facade Status

DOBGuard integrates directly with the NYC Open Data API for the DOB NOW Facades Compliance Filings dataset (xubg-57si). Our system checks your registered properties every hour against the full dataset and triggers alerts when any of the following changes are detected:

• CRITICAL alert: Building rated UNSAFE — 24-hour public protection deadline triggered
• HIGH alert: Building rated SWARMP — repair program and follow-up filing required within cycle
• HIGH alert: No Report Filed status with assessed penalty balance
• INFO alert: New FISP filing detected — confirms TR6 has been received by DOB NOW

For portfolio managers with buildings in multiple boroughs and different sub-cycles, DOBGuard eliminates the need for manual calendar tracking and periodic DOB NOW lookups. You are notified the moment something changes — giving you hours or days to respond before penalties compound further.

Frequently Asked Questions About the NYC Facade Inspection Safety Program

Does the NYC facade inspection safety program apply to condominium buildings?

Yes. Condominium boards are responsible for FISP compliance for the building as a whole. Individual unit owners are not separately responsible, but the condo board — acting on behalf of the building's ownership structure — must retain a QEWI and file through DOB NOW. Penalty liability falls on the building's legal owner of record.

What happens if my building changes ownership during a FISP cycle?

FISP compliance obligations transfer with property ownership. When you acquire a building, you acquire all existing FISP obligations — including any open SWARMP remediation requirements, pending follow-up filings, and accrued penalty balances from prior ownership. This is why facade compliance due diligence is essential before closing.

Can a building be vacated for an UNSAFE FISP condition?

Yes, but it is uncommon. In extreme cases where a building presents an acute and immediate danger to occupants — not just to street-level pedestrians — the DOB has authority to issue a vacate order. More commonly, the DOB requires public protection (sidewalk sheds) rather than vacating, as the primary hazard from facade conditions is pedestrian risk at street level.

Are FISP inspections the same as a general building inspection?

No. FISP inspections are specifically focused on exterior walls, parapets, balconies, cornices, fire escape attachments, and window assemblies. They do not cover interior conditions, mechanical systems, or code compliance for the building's interior. A general building inspection for mortgage purposes or a property condition assessment (PCA) covers a much broader scope but may not go into the close-up detail required for FISP compliance.

How long does a FISP inspection take?

The duration varies significantly with building height, facade complexity, and the inspection method required. A six-story pre-war brick building may require one to two days of close-up inspection using scaffolding or a swing stage. A 30-story mixed-facade glass and masonry tower with complex appurtenances may require two to four weeks of inspection time plus additional time for laboratory testing of material samples.

Related Resources

• FISP NYC: Facade Inspection Safety Program Guide
• NYC DOB FISP: Compliance, Violations & Monitoring
• NYC DOB NOW: Complete Property Owner's Guide
• Free NYC Violation Lookup Tool

External Resources

• NYC DOB: Official Facade Inspection Safety Program Page
• DOB NOW Online Portal: FISP Filing & Status Lookup
• NYC Open Data: DOB NOW Facades Compliance Filings

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 FISP compliance situations.