Notice of Violation (NOV): What You Need to Know.
A Notice of Violation (NOV) is a written notice from a New York City agency that alleges a property condition may violate applicable laws, rules, or safety requirements. For DOB enforcement matters, the official document is often a DOB summons that may be heard at OATH.
Receiving a Notice of Violation does not automatically mean that your building is unsafe. It does mean, however, that the City expects you to take action. The violation remains “open” in the City’s records until DOB accepts a Certificate of Correction* confirming that the issue has been resolved.
A DOB OATH/ECB summons includes an OATH hearing process. Other city-agency violation notices may follow different enforcement and appeal procedures. For immediately hazardous conditions — (see: Violation Class*) — penalties can grow quickly if the notice is ignored, sometimes reaching tens of thousands of dollars, with additional daily fines until the unsafe condition is corrected.
You need to clearly distinguish these terms:
DOB OATH/ECB summons: alleges a DOB violation, usually has an OATH hearing process, and generally requires correction plus a Certificate of Correction unless dismissed.
DOB Notice of Violation: can be used colloquially, but NYC materials also use it in specific contexts such as AEUHAZ notices, which concern failure to submit acceptable correction certification for an underlying Class 1 summons.
Other-agency notices: HPD, FDNY, DEP, and other city agencies use their own violation classifications, deadlines, correction processes, and tribunals.
What to do next
Do not ignore the NOV. As soon as you receive it, read it carefully and note the violation class, the hearing date (if any), and the deadline to correct the condition. Keep all pages in a safe place and take clear photos or scans for your records.
For most homeowners, the steps are straightforward:
- Hire a licensed professional — an architect, engineer, or contractor — to inspect the condition and determine the code-compliant solution.
- Apply for any required permits before starting the work.
- Complete the correction and gather supporting documents (photos, invoices, permits, inspection reports).
- Submit the required proof of correction through the agency’s required process. For many DOB summonses, this means filing a Certificate of Correction with supporting documents.
- Attend the OATH hearing, if one is scheduled. You or your representative can present proof of correction and request a reduction or cancellation of civil penalties.
Remember!
A violation does not disappear on its own. You must correct the condition, prove the correction to the City, and pay any required penalties before the violation is closed in DOB records.
For a complete step-by-step guide to correcting a DOB violation, visit our blog: Violation Correction for Homeowners.
NOVs are time-sensitive. If you are not sure how to proceed, you do not have to handle it alone. Contact us through our contact page and we will help you understand your options.
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This page is for general education only and is based on public New York City sources when available. Some technical and legal terms are simplified into plain English to help homeowners and ESL readers. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from a licensed professional. NYC construction and safety requirements can change, and a project may have additional DOB*, zoning, floodplain, utility, or local requirements. Before starting work, verify current requirements with a New York State licensed design professional or directly with the NYC Department of Buildings.
If you see any capital letter abbreviations on this page or in an official letter you received from the city and you do not understand them, you can try to look them up on our NYC Violation Codes HUB page with the search tool.
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