How to File the NYC DEP ACP-7 Asbestos Project Notification

To file an NYC ACP-7 asbestos notification, submit the form through the Department of Environmental Protection’s Asbestos Reporting and Tracking System (ARTS) at least one week before any abatement work begins that will disturb more than 25 linear feet or 10 square feet of asbestos-containing material. The filing fee runs from $200 to $1,200 depending on the quantity involved, and a late or missing filing carries a $2,400 penalty for a first offense.¹²

When the ACP-7 Is Required

NYC rules split asbestos work into two categories. An “asbestos project” disturbs more than 25 linear feet or more than 10 square feet of asbestos-containing material, and every asbestos project needs an ACP-7. A “minor project” at or below those thresholds does not trigger the ACP-7, though a survey and proper handling still apply.³

The threshold is cumulative. A renovation that touches asbestos-containing material in three rooms is measured by the combined total across all affected surfaces, not room by room. Undercounting at the survey stage is a common path into enforcement trouble, so measurements need to be accurate before any paperwork gets filed.

What to Have Ready Before You File

The ACP-7 pulls together information from several other people. If you try to open the form before these pieces are in place, you will stop partway through.

The ACP-5 Asbestos Survey

A DEP-certified asbestos investigator must survey the work area and identify every asbestos-containing material the project will disturb. The findings are documented in an Asbestos Assessment Report (ACP-5), filed separately with the DEP.¹ The ACP-5 is what tells you the quantities, locations, and material types you will enter on the ACP-7. Missing or filing the ACP-5 late carries its own $2,400 first-offense penalty.²

A Licensed Contractor and an Independent Air Monitor

You must retain both a licensed asbestos abatement contractor and an independent air monitoring firm before filing. The DEP references the licensed contractor and monitor list maintained through the New York State Department of Labor.⁴ The monitoring firm has to be independent of the contractor, because its job is to verify the contractor’s work, including the clearance testing at the end.⁵ One company cannot wear both hats.

Project Details

Have the following in front of you before you log in:

Name, address, and phone number of the building owner or authorized agent.
The abatement contractor’s current DEP license number.
Name, address, and phone number of the independent air monitoring firm.
The certified investigator who performed the ACP-5 survey.
Planned start and completion dates. Work can only happen inside the authorized window.
Exact quantities to be disturbed in linear feet and square feet, the abatement method (removal, enclosure, or encapsulation), and the location of each work area in the building.

Every entry on the ACP-7 needs to match the investigator’s findings and the contractor’s work plan. Discrepancies between the filing and what inspectors see on site can trigger stop-work orders or fines.

Filing Fees

Under 15 RCNY § 1-25, the fee is tiered to the quantity of asbestos-containing material being disturbed:⁶

$200 for more than 25 but less than 100 linear feet, or more than 10 but less than 50 square feet.
$400 for at least 100 but less than 260 linear feet, or at least 50 but less than 160 square feet.
$800 for at least 260 but less than 1,000 linear feet, or at least 160 but less than 1,000 square feet.
$1,200 for 1,000 linear feet or more, or 1,000 square feet or more.

Payment goes through ARTS at submission. The fee is non-refundable once the filing is accepted.

Submitting the Form Through ARTS

All ACP-7 filings go through ARTS, the DEP’s web portal at a826-web01.nyc.gov/acpefile. The process is entirely paperless; the DEP does not accept mailed or hand-delivered forms.⁷

If you don’t already have an ARTS account, register through the portal’s login page early. Account setup takes some lead time, and the one-week pre-work notification clock still has to run on top of that. Once logged in, select the ACP-7, enter the project details, pay the fee, and submit. ARTS tracks status in real time, so you can see whether the DEP has accepted the filing, objected to it, or asked for clarification.¹

The One-Week Waiting Period and A-TRU Review

No abatement work can begin until at least one week after the DEP accepts the ACP-7.¹ The clock starts on acceptance, not on submission. If the DEP objects or asks for more information, the project cannot proceed until that is resolved.

During review, the DEP screens the scope-of-work entries in questions 28 and 29 for keywords tied to fire safety and egress components. Terms like “stairwell,” “fire door,” “lobby,” “corridor,” “elevator door,” and “fire stopping materials” push the filing into an Asbestos Technical Review Unit (A-TRU) review, which may require a separate A-TRU permit before abatement can start.¹ A-TRU holds are one of the more common reasons an ACP-7 stalls, so describing the work precisely and checking the published trigger-word list before submitting will save time.

Changing an Accepted ACP-7

If anything about the project changes after filing (contractor, dates, scope, quantity), the modification has to go in immediately through an ACP-8 amendment in ARTS.¹ The ACP-8 updates the information originally provided on the ACP-7.³

There is one catch. If the amendment answers “yes” to Question 5 on the ACP-8, meaning the changes fundamentally alter the project, you cannot proceed with the amendment at all. You have to file a brand-new ACP-7 along with a new A-TRU application.¹ Not notifying the DEP of changes carries a $1,200 first-offense penalty and $2,400 for a second offense within two years.²

Emergency Projects

When a sudden event like a pipe burst, fire, or structural collapse disturbs asbestos and the standard one-week filing isn’t possible, the DEP allows an emergency notification under 15 RCNY § 1-27.⁸

The process runs in two steps. First, if you have an ARTS account, submit an emergency notification through the portal immediately, with a detailed scope of work on the contractor’s letterhead and a cover letter from the building owner. Without an ARTS account or access to the system, call 311 right away and give the caller’s name, the nature of the emergency, the scope and location of work, the contractor and air monitoring details, and the projected timeline.⁸

Second, a formal ACP-7 still has to be filed through ARTS within 48 hours of the project starting, with a cover letter explaining the emergency. The DEP may inspect and can exempt the project from some standard permit requirements based on what it finds.⁸ Missing the immediate notification is a $2,400 first-offense penalty, and missing the 48-hour follow-up is another $2,400.²

Penalties for Getting the Filing Wrong

The DEP’s penalty schedule puts the heaviest weight on notification failures, which is exactly what the ACP-7 process is built to prevent. The filing-related penalties are:²

Not filing an ACP-7 at least seven days before work starts: $2,400 first offense, $4,800 second offense within two years.
Not notifying the DEP of changes to a filed ACP-7: $1,200 first, $2,400 second.
Not immediately notifying the DEP of an emergency project: $2,400 first, $4,800 second.
Not filing the written emergency notification within 48 hours: $2,400 first, $4,800 second.
Not filing the required ACP-5 assessment report: $2,400 first, $4,800 second.
Submitting a false statement or document to the DEP: $2,400 first, $4,800 second.

A “second offense” is a violation by the same party within two years in the same category. Beyond the fines, the DEP can issue stop-work orders that freeze the project until compliance is restored, which usually costs more in delays than the penalty itself.

Federal NESHAP Notification Is Separate

The ACP-7 handles the city requirement, but larger demolition and renovation projects may also owe a federal notification under the EPA’s Asbestos NESHAP, due at least 10 business days before work begins. The federal filing runs parallel to the city filing; one does not substitute for the other, the EPA does not waive the 10-day requirement, and faxed submissions are not accepted.⁹ Confirm with the abatement contractor whether the project crosses the NESHAP threshold.

1
NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Asbestos Abatement Forms
2
NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Air Asbestos Penalty Schedule
3
NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Asbestos Rules – Title 15 Chapter 1
4
NYC Department of Environmental Protection. Asbestos Abatement
5
NYC Rules. 15 RCNY 1-43 Post-Abatement Clearance Air Monitoring
6
NYC Rules. 15 RCNY 1-25 Asbestos Project Notifications
7
NYC Open Data. Asbestos Control Program ACP7
8
NYC Rules. 15 RCNY 1-27 Emergency Asbestos Project Notification
9
Environmental Protection Agency. Less-Than-10-Day Notifications Under the Asbestos NESHAP Regulations