Local Law 11 is the New York City rule, officially the Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP), that requires owners of buildings taller than six stories to have the exterior professionally inspected every five years and to file a report with the Department of Buildings. The program is currently in Cycle 10, with staggered filing windows running from February 2025 through February 2029 depending on your building’s block number.1NYC.gov. Facade and Local Law – Buildings
Which Buildings Have to Comply
FISP applies to every building in New York City greater than six stories tall, regardless of what the Certificate of Occupancy says and regardless of whether the building is residential, commercial, or mixed-use. The entire exterior must be inspected, including setbacks and returns at varying heights.2NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 103-04 – Periodic Inspection of Exterior Walls and Appurtenances of Buildings
One narrow carve-out: portions of an exterior wall sitting less than 12 inches from an adjacent building’s exterior wall are excluded, which in practice covers lot-line walls pressed too tight together for debris to reach the street.2NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 103-04 – Periodic Inspection of Exterior Walls and Appurtenances of Buildings Buildings six stories or shorter are outside FISP entirely.
What the Inspection Covers
The inspection takes in every exterior wall surface plus a long list of attached features the DOB calls “appurtenances”: fire escapes, balconies, parapets, railings, window frames and hardware, window air conditioners, flower boxes, satellite dishes, antennas, signs, flagpoles, and any equipment protruding from the facade.2NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 103-04 – Periodic Inspection of Exterior Walls and Appurtenances of Buildings Balcony railings and guards get particular scrutiny: if their components are not positively secured against movement, the condition is automatically classified as unsafe.
Only a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) can perform the critical examination. A QEWI must be a New York State licensed professional engineer or registered architect in good standing with both the State Education Department and the NYC Department of Buildings.1NYC.gov. Facade and Local Law – Buildings
The QEWI cannot do the job from the sidewalk. The critical examination requires physical close-up inspection from a scaffold, boom lift, or other observation platform along the full height of every facade fronting a public street, with at least one close-up pass per 60 linear feet of facade length. A building with 180 feet of street frontage needs a minimum of three separate vertical drops. Drones and high-resolution photography can supplement the inspection but do not replace the hands-on requirement.3NYC.gov. FISP Recommendations Report – A Review of the New York City Facade Inspection and Safety Program
The Three Possible Classifications
After the inspection, the QEWI files an electronic technical report through DOB NOW: Safety and places the building in one of three categories:1NYC.gov. Facade and Local Law – Buildings
- Safe. The facade and appurtenances are in good condition. Nothing further is required until the next cycle.
- Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP). The facade has deterioration that is not an immediate danger but must be repaired before the next cycle.
- Unsafe. Conditions exist that could endanger the public. Immediate protective measures and repairs are required.
The report must be filed within 60 days of the inspection, with a $425 filing fee for both initial and amended reports.4NYC.gov. Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP) Filing InstructionsFacade Fees and Penalties – Buildings
Cycle 10 Filing Windows
FISP runs on five-year cycles, and the city staggers filing deadlines across three sub-cycles based on the last digit of your building’s block number. For Cycle 10:5NYC.gov. Facades Inspection and Safety Program (FISP) Cycle 10 Filing Windows
- Sub-Cycle A (block numbers ending in 4, 5, 6, or 9): February 21, 2025 through February 21, 2027.
- Sub-Cycle B (block numbers ending in 0, 7, or 8): February 21, 2026 through February 21, 2028.
- Sub-Cycle C (block numbers ending in 1, 2, or 3): February 21, 2027 through February 21, 2029.
Your block number appears on your tax bill, in ACRIS records, and in the DOB’s Building Information System. Waiting until the final months of your window is risky: QEWI availability tightens as the deadline nears, and bad weather can push scaffold work back for weeks.
What You Have to Do After an Unsafe Finding
When a QEWI identifies an unsafe condition, the owner must immediately install public protection. Acceptable forms are a sidewalk shed, construction fence, or structural netting, and the protection stays up until every unsafe condition has been corrected.1NYC.gov. Facade and Local Law – Buildings Once repairs are done, the QEWI reinspects and files an amended report within two weeks confirming the issues are resolved.6NYC Administrative Code. Article 302 – Maintenance of Exterior Walls A sidewalk shed cannot simply be taken down afterward: the owner has to submit a removal request through DOB NOW: Build and pass a city inspection first.7NYC.gov. Sidewalk Sheds
A SWARMP classification is not a free pass. If the flagged repairs are not completed before the next cycle begins, the building is reclassified as unsafe, and the owner picks up a one-time $2,000 civil penalty on top of the unsafe penalty schedule.8NYC.gov. Facade – Failure to Correct Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP) Civil Penalty
Penalties for Missing Deadlines or Ignoring Problems
The DOB uses a tiered penalty system that gets more expensive the longer an owner waits.9NYC.gov. Facade Fees and Penalties – Buildings Late filing of the initial report runs $1,000 per month. Complete failure to file runs $5,000 per year.
Failure to correct unsafe conditions is where the costs climb hardest. The base penalty is $1,000 per month starting immediately. Beginning in year two, the DOB adds a per-linear-foot charge based on the length of sidewalk shed the building requires, and that charge rises each year:10NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 103-04 – Periodic Inspection of Exterior Walls and Appurtenances of Buildings
- Year 1: $1,000 per month.
- Year 2: $1,000 per month plus $10 per linear foot of shed per month.
- Year 3: $1,000 per month plus $20 per linear foot of shed per month.
- Year 4: $1,000 per month plus $30 per linear foot of shed per month.
- Year 5: $1,000 per month plus $40 per linear foot of shed per month.
For a building with 100 linear feet of sidewalk shed, that works out to roughly $12,000 in year one, $24,000 in year two, $36,000 in year three, and up from there. The penalties pile on top of shed rental costs and the repair work itself, so an owner who ignores an unsafe classification for several years can easily face six figures in penalties alone.
Typical Costs to Budget For
Professional fees for a QEWI to perform the critical examination and file the report typically run between $3,000 and $8,000, with complex buildings and extensive street frontage pushing higher. The DOB filing fee is $425.9NYC.gov. Facade Fees and Penalties – Buildings
If a sidewalk shed is required, installation and monthly rental generally run $120 to $180 per linear foot. A 100-foot shed can cost $12,000 to $18,000 just to put up, with monthly rental charges continuing until it comes down. The repair work itself varies enormously, from relatively modest repointing to full facade restoration that can run into the millions on large buildings.
Who Is Responsible in a Co-op or Condo
FISP compliance falls on the building owner. In a co-op that means the cooperative corporation; in a condominium it means the condominium association, typically acting through its board. The board hires the QEWI, makes sure the report is filed on time, authorizes repairs, and installs any required public protection. Individual shareholders and unit owners do not file separately, but they absorb the cost through maintenance charges, common charges, or special assessments. If facade work disrupts your apartment, whether you are owed any compensation or maintenance reduction depends on the language of your proprietary lease or condo bylaws.