FDNY Certificate of Correction: 35-Day Deadline, Filing, and Penalties

An FDNY Certificate of Correction is the notarized form you file after receiving an FDNY summons to prove you have fixed the fire code violations cited at your property. You have 35 calendar days from the date of offense on the summons to get the completed certificate to the Administrative Enforcement Unit through the FDNY Business online portal, and for a first-time violation, a timely and accepted certificate means no civil penalty and no OATH hearing.¹²

The 35-Day Deadline Drives Everything

Your completed, notarized certificate must reach the Administrative Enforcement Unit no later than the close of business on the 35th calendar day from the date of offense printed on your summons.³ The offense date and the certification deadline both appear on the face of the summons. Check them the day you receive the violation and work backward: you need time to complete the physical repairs, collect proof, get the form notarized, and upload it. Miss the window and you lose the ability to resolve the matter by certification alone. A hearing at OATH, with penalties in play, becomes your only path.

Where to Get the Form

A paper copy comes attached to your summons when the inspector issues it.¹²⁴

What to Gather Before You Start

Pull everything together before you sit down with the form.

The summons itself. You will transcribe the Record ID (a 10-digit number; if yours shows 9 digits, add a leading zero), the date of offense, and every violation category cited.⁵
Proof the corrections were made. The form requires legible copies of any bills, receipts, and other proofs of correction. Dated photographs of the repaired condition, paid contractor invoices, and inspection reports all strengthen the submission.⁴
A notary public or commissioner of deeds. Your signature must be notarized before the certificate is submitted. Banks, UPS stores, and many law offices offer notary services.¹
A NYC ID account. The FDNY Business portal requires a NYC ID login. Register at the portal’s account creation page if you don’t already have one.⁵

Filling Out the Form

The certificate is a single page in two parts: your identifying information at the top and the sworn affidavit describing what you fixed.

At the top, enter your name and indicate whether you are the named respondent on the summons or an authorized representative acting on the respondent’s behalf.⁴ Copy the summons number and date of violation exactly as they appear. If the inspector cited more than one violation category, list each one you are certifying as corrected.

The affidavit section is where certificates succeed or fail. Describe what was wrong and what was done to fix it, specifically: which contractor performed the work, what materials or equipment were installed, and when the repairs were completed. Vague descriptions like “fixed the problem” invite a disapproval. If the violation was an obstructed exit, explain that you removed the stored materials, cleared the pathway to the required width, and confirmed the exit door operates freely. Identify who performed the corrective action on the designated line.⁴

Do not sign yet. Your signature must be made in the presence of a notary public or commissioner of deeds, who then applies their seal, registration number, and commission expiration date in the notary block at the bottom.¹

If You Only Fixed Some of the Violations

When a summons lists multiple violation categories, you can file a certificate covering only the ones you corrected. You will still have to appear at an OATH hearing for any violation not covered by an accepted certificate.³ The practical approach is to correct everything and certify every count before day 35, because a single uncorrected category still puts you in a hearing.

Submitting Through the FDNY Business Portal

The FDNY no longer accepts Certificate of Correction requests by email. All submissions go through the FDNY Business online portal.² The steps:

Log in. Go to the FDNY Business home page and sign in with your NYC ID and password.⁵
Start the request. Click Initiate Application / Request, then select FDNY Summons Certificate of Correction Request from the Enforcements drop-down and click Continue Application.
Enter summons information. Type the 10-digit FDNY Summons Record ID and indicate whether you have corrected all cited violations.
Mark corrected violations. In the Violations section, click the Actions drop-down for each violation category, select Edit/View, set Corrected to Yes for each category you fixed, and click Submit.
Upload documents. On the Supporting Documents page, upload a scanned copy of the signed and notarized certificate along with your receipts, photos, and inspection reports. Label the document type as Certificate of Correction.
Certify and submit. Enter your name, select your title, check the digital affirmation box, and click Submit Application.

What Happens After You Submit

The FDNY reviews the certificate and your supporting documentation, then notifies you of one of two outcomes.¹

Acceptance comes as a Cure/Correction Letter. For a first offense, no civil penalty is imposed and you do not need to appear at OATH. Note that filing the certificate counts as an admission that the offense occurred; it eliminates the penalty when the correction is timely and accepted, but the underlying violation is on the record.⁶¹

Disapproval comes as a Letter of Disapproval explaining the deficiencies. You can resubmit with the missing proof, but the clock does not stop. If the 35-day window has already closed, a disapproval leaves you heading to a hearing.⁵

To confirm whether your certificate was processed and whether you still need to attend a scheduled OATH hearing, email CureLetterVerification@fdny.nyc.gov with the subject line “Cure Verification Unit.”⁷

What a Missed or Rejected Certificate Costs

If no certificate is filed, it arrives late, or it is not accepted, you must appear at OATH on the date printed on the summons. First-offense penalties under the FDNY schedule reach up to $1,000 per violation depending on the category, and second and subsequent violations carry standard penalties of $1,500 to $2,375 with a maximum of $5,000 per violation.⁸ For a first offense, an accepted certificate takes those numbers to zero.

False Certification Is a Separate Offense

Do not file a certificate claiming corrections were made when they were not. Submitting a false certification is punishable by a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 and up to six months in jail.⁴ The FDNY conducts follow-up inspections. If the work was not done, you face both the original violation penalties and the false-certification charges on top.

1
American Legal Publishing. Rules of the City of New York – 109-01 FDNY Summons, Certification of Correction and Stipulation Procedures
2
FDNY. Violations
3
UpCodes. New York City RCNY Title 3 – Fire Department
4
FDNY Business. FDNY Summons Certificate of Correction
5
Fire Department of the City of New York. Submitting a Certificate of Correction (CCR) Request for an FDNY Summons
6
American Legal Publishing. Rules of the City of New York – Penalty Schedule for FDNY Summonses
7
NYC OATH. Hearings and Defaults
8
UpCodes. 109-03 Penalty Schedule for FDNY Summonses