NYC DOB Violation
A violation is an official notice issued by a New York City agency (such as the Department of Buildings, HPD*, or other authorities) for not following building, housing, safety, or environmental rules. A violation can lead to fines, hearings, and, in some cases, daily penalties until the condition is corrected.
Important information
The violation attaches to the property, not the person. The current owner is responsible even if work was done by a previous owner 20 years ago. Old illegal work does not automatically ‘expire’ – DOB can still issue violations or penalties when it is discovered, even many years later.
Common types of violations include boiler, electrical, HPD, landmark, plumbing, sidewalk, and structural issues.
Before you plead guilty
Many violations can be challenged or corrected before you admit guilt. Always try to get advice from a qualified professional (expeditor, architect, engineer, or attorney) before pleading. Some violations generate daily penalties, so do not wait too long to act.
How to check violations on a property yourself
You can check open Department of Buildings (DOB) violations on a property you own or plan to buy.
- On your computer, go to the Buildings Information System (BIS) website.
- Search for the property and open the Property Profile Overview.
- Look at the violations section to see how many open violations exist and view available details.
If detailed information is not available online, you may request copies from DOB. At this time, the processing fee is $8.00 per copy of each violation and each additional duplicate copy of the same violation is $5.00.
You may also submit a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request through NYC OpenRecords to obtain more records. For more information on severity levels, see: Class of Violation.
Time to correct a violation (HPD classes)
Depending on the class of violation, the owner has a limited time to correct it.
- 90 days for Class A (Non-hazardous)
- 30 days for Class B (Hazardous)
- 21 days for Class C – Window guards or lead-based paint
- Immediately for Class C – Heat and hot water
- Within 24 hours for Class C – Everything else
Note: These timeframes apply to HPD violations. DOB violations may have different correction deadlines.
If you do not feel comfortable resolving a violation on your own, you can hire an expeditor or another experienced professional to help.
Link to our advisory – ” How to handle NYC DOB violations”
Types of violations in NYC.
- ECB* violations
- Plumbing violations
- Electrical violations
- HPD* violations
- Zoning* violations
- Boiler violations
- Building code violations
- Environmental violations
- Structural violations
- Landmark violations
- Construction violations
- Class of violation
- Notice of violation
- Sidewalk violations
- Safety violations
A Step-by-Step Guide to Resolving DOB
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