VIOLATION CODES – NYC DOB

Use this glossary to quickly decode violation, status, and agency codes that appear on your NYC DOB and HPD paperwork, including BIS and DOB NOW search results. This page is under active development, so some DOB and related agency codes may still be missing or simplified.

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VIOLATION CODES – NYC DOB

Use this glossary to quickly decode violation, status, and agency codes that appear on your NYC DOB and HPD paperwork, including BIS and DOB NOW search results.

• B101 – Work without a permit, Class 1. (NYC Admin Code 28-105.1). This means DOB believes construction, plumbing, electrical, or other work was done without the required building permit.
• BIN – (Building Identification Number) – Every building in NYC is assigned a unique 7-digit BIN by the Department of Buildings. It’s used to track all DOB records for that building.
• FTF-PL-PER – (Failure to File a Periodic Plumbing Inspection report)
• LLA – (Limited Alteration Application) – a simple DOB filing used for small plumbing, fire-sprinkler, and oil-burner jobs that are repairs or replacements, not major construction.
• P – Plumbing

• ACM – asbestos-containing materials
• ACP-5 – form which certifies that a property is free from asbestos-containing materials
• ACRIS – (Automated City Register Information System) is an online database for public property records (deeds, mortgages, liens, etc.), used to look up ownership history and recorded documents.
• AEU2 – Certificate of Correction form (not used today)
• AEP – (Alternative Enforcement Program) – Alternative Enforcement Program. This is an HPD program for apartment buildings with extremely serious, repeated housing violations. If your building is placed in AEP, HPD can order emergency repairs, charge heavy fees, and pressure the owner to correct all hazardous conditions quickly.
• ADU – (Ancillary/Accessory Dwelling Unit) is a self-contained dwelling unit on the same lot as a one- or two-family house, usually max 800 sq ft, with its own kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, and private entrance.
• AHERA – (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act). A federal law that mainly covers how schools and certain public or commercial buildings handle asbestos. It usually does not apply directly to typical one‑ or two‑family NYC homes, but asbestos rules can still apply under other laws if you renovate or disturb old materials.
• ALT-1 – (Alteration Type 1) is a major alteration that changes the building’s use, egress, or occupancy and requires a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy.
• ALT-2 – (Alteration Type 2) is an alteration that does not change the use, egress, or occupancy of the building and does not require a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy 
• ALT-3 – (Alteration Type 3) A minor alteration that involves only one simple type of work (for example, a small curb cut, limited façade repair, or a temporary fence) and does not change the use, egress, or occupancy of an existing building.
• AR299 – Form AR‑299 is used to register large boilers with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). If your building’s boiler is bigger than a certain size, the law requires you to file this form. To keep the registration active, you must also submit a renewal form before it expires.
• Attic – Attic renovations in NYC require careful planning due to strict building codes
• B – Boiler
• BO13 – Boiler Inspection Defect Report and Affirmation of Correction Form
• B101 – Work without a permit, Class 1. (NYC Admin Code 28‑105.1). This means DOB believes construction, plumbing, electrical, or other work was done without the required building permit. Even small jobs can need a permit, so always check before starting work.
• B201 – Work without a permit, Class 2.
• B301 – Work without a permit, Class 3.
• BBL – (Borough, Block, Lot) is a 10‑digit identifier provided by the Department of Finance to identify a tax lot that contains one or more buildings in NYC
• BDM – Boiler
• BIN – (Building Identification Number) – Every building in NYC is assigned a unique 7-digit BIN by the Department of Buildings. It’s used to track all DOB records for that building.
• BIS – (Buildings Information System) is the NYC Department of Buildings’ free online tool where any homeowner can check details on their property without signing up.
• BMD – Boiler
• BSIU – (Buildings Special Investigations Unit)
• C – Construction
• CATS – (Clean Air Tracking System) – The online portal for submitting boiler registrations, renewals, and related air permit actions
• CCD1 – Construction Code Determination
• CDE – (Code and Zoning Determination) –  at NYC DOB, and it’s just a formal way for a building owner or professional to ask DOB to give a written yes‑or‑no answer about whether a proposed project is allowed by the rules.
• Class A – Non-Hazardous Violations
• Class B – Hazardous Violations
• Class C – Immediately Hazardous Violations
• CO – (Certificate of Occupancy) – Legally confirms that the property meets all local building codes, verifies that the building is safe to occupy and is being used for its approved purpose
• CoC – (Certificate of Competence)
• DCAS – (Department of Citywide Administrative Services) It is a key city agency that supports other government departments.
• DCVA – (Double‑check valve assembly). A type of backflow prevention device used to stop contaminated water from flowing back into the city water supply. Your violation may mention DCVA when DOB or DEP requires backflow protection.
• DCWP – The NYC (Department of Consumer and Worker Protection)
• DEP – (Department of Environmental Protection)
• DEP Triennial – (Every three years) boiler registration and inspection renewal required by the NYC DEP for certain boilers, ensuring compliance with clean air regulations.
• DHCR* – Division of Housing and Community Renewal
• DIY – (Do It Yourself)
• DOB – (Department of Buildings) – The city agency that enforces construction codes, zoning rules, and building safety standards across all five boroughs.
• DOF – NYC (Department of Finance). This agency handles property tax bills, tax classes, exemptions, and the ACRIS system for recording deeds and mortgages. Many DOB issues (like violations and permits) eventually show up in DOF records as liens or notations.
• E – Elevator
• EA – Earthwork
• ECB – (Environmental Control Board)
• eFiling – an online system from the NYC Department of Buildings that lets you submit applications and paperwork without going to a DOB* office in person
• EHS – (Environmental Health & Safety) – It refers to rules, departments, and programs that protect people and the environment from hazards in buildings, workplaces, and housing.
• EIFS – An engineered insulated exterior wall system built to control energy transfer and manage incidental moisture through a drainage layer.
• EIT – Elevator Safety Test
• ERP – (Emergency Repair Program) lien
• ES – Electric Sign
• EWO – (Emergency Work Order) in NYC Department of Buildings context.
• FC 1030 – Blocked Means of Egress (exits)
• FDNY – (The Fire Department of the City of New York) – It’s primary mission is to provide fire protection, emergency medical care, fire prevention, and other critical public safety services to both residents and visitors in New York City’s five boroughs. 
• FHA
• FISP – (The Façade Inspection & Safety Program)
• FMRD – (Facility Maintenance and Repair Division)
• FO – Foundation
• FOIL – (Freedom of Information Law) – This law allows members of the public to request records from New York State or local government agencies.
•  FTF-PL-PER – (Failure to File a Periodic Plumbing Inspection report)
• GC
• GPS2 – NYC DOB form certifying for a building that does not have gas service or any gas piping,
• HBLVIO – Boiler Violations
• HHW
• HPD* – (NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development)
• HVAC
• IBC – (International Building Code)
• LBLVIO – Boiler Violations (LBLVIO / HBLVIO)
• LL5 – (LL5/73) – Local Law 5 of 1973 [Fire Safety in Office Buildings]
• LL10/80 – Local Law 10 of 1980 [Façade: Borough Office]
• LL10/81 – Local Law 10 of 1981 [Elevator Safety Test]
• LL11/98 – Local Law 11 – [Façade]
• LL16/84 – Local Law 16 of 1984 [Fire Safety]
• LL58 – Local Law 58 of 1988 [penalties for work without a permit]
• LL62/91 – Local Law 62 of 1991 [Boiler]
• LL126 – Requires annual visual observations of parapet walls on nearly every building in the five boroughs.
• LL152 – Gas Piping Inspection
• LL157 – natural gas detectors
• LLA – (Limited Alteration Application) – a simple DOB* filing used for small plumbing, fire-sprinkler, and oil‑burner jobs that are repairs or replacements, not major construction.
• LMP – (Licensed Master Plumber)
• LNO – (Letter of No Objection)
• LOC* – (Letter of Completion)
• LPC – (Landmarks Preservation Commission)
• MDL – (Multiple Dwelling Law)
• MDV – (Multiple Dwelling Violation)
• NB – (New Building) – a brief meaning in DOB* context.
• NBBE – New Building with existing building elements to remain
• NFPA – (National Fire Protection Association) – the organization that publishes safety codes and standards used for fuel gas, flammable gases, and related fire protection issues.
• NHS Brooklyn – (Neighborhood Housing Services) of Brooklyn – a non-profit organization helping Brooklyn residents with housing issues.
• NRF – (No Report Filed)
• NYC – (New York City)
• NYC.ID – NYC.ID is the email-and-password account you need to sign in to DOB online services.
• NYCDOC – (New York City Department of Correction).
• NYCHA – (New YORK city Housing Authority)
• OATH – (The Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings) – an independent NYC city court for agency violation tickets (like DOB), not a criminal court.
• OP128
• P – Plumbing
• PCA – (Property Condition Assessment) – Comprehensive evaluation of a building’s physical condition. Conducted by qualified professionals, a PCA includes a thorough inspection of the property’s architectural and structural components, as well as its systems.
• PE
• PEO4 – Local Law 5 of 1973 Informational Checklist Form
• Precept* – is a special court order that allows the city agency HPD (Department of Housing Preservation and Development) or sometimes the building owner to start full demolition.
• PVB – (Pressure vacuum breaker). Another kind of backflow prevention device often used on irrigation or sprinkler systems. Like DCVA and RPZ, it must be installed and tested by a licensed professional.
• PW1 – Plan/work approval application
• PW2
• PW7 – Letter of Completion form.
• QEWI – Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector
• REBNY – Real Estate Board of New York
• RA
• RPIE – Real Property Income and Expense
• RPZ – (Reduced pressure zone) backflow preventer. A more advanced backflow prevention device used where there is a higher risk of contamination. If your violation mentions RPZ, you will probably need a licensed plumber and DEP approval.
• S – Sign
• SBS – (Small Business Services)
• SET – (Special Enforcement Team) at DOB. – This unit focuses on illegal and unsafe construction, repeat offenders, and complicated enforcement cases. When SET is involved, owners may face stop work orders, vacate orders, and multiple OATH summonses until all violations are corrected.
• SRO – (Single Room Occupancy) – a type of low-cost housing in NYC where tenants rent individual furnished rooms (often without private kitchens or bathrooms, sharing facilities in hallways).
• ST – Structural
• SWO* – (Stop Work Order)
• SWS – (Sidewalk Walkway Sheds)
• TPP = (Tenant Protection Plan) – is a required NYC safety document that explains how a contractor and building owner will protect tenants during construction or renovation in an occupied building.
• UB – (Unsafe Building Violation) – [indicates that the building or part of it has been officially deemed unsafe], UB* – Unsafe Building Violation dismissed)
• UB% – Precept issued for Unsafe Buildings Violation
• V – (DOB Violation), V* – (DOB Violation Dismissed)
• VA
• VAC – (Vacate), VAC* – (Vacate Dismissed)
• VCLOS – (Order of Closure) [padlock order], VCLOS* – (Order of Closure Dismissed)
• VEW – (Violation Work without Permit Elevator), VEW* – (Violation Work without Permit Elevator Dismissed)
• VECW – (Violation Work without Permit Elevator)
• VEWL – (Violation Work without Permit Elevator Lien)
• VH – (Violation Hazardous), VH* – (Violation Hazardous Dismissed)
• VPW – (Violation Pending – Work Without a Permit), VPW* – (Violation Pending – Work Without a Permit Dismissed)
• VWH – (Violation – Work Without a Permit Hazardous), VWH* (Violation – Work Without a Permit Hazardous Dismissed)
• VWL – (Violation Work without Permit Elevator Lien), VWL* – (Violation Work without Permit Elevator Lien Dismissed)
• VWP – (Work Without a Permit)
• V% – Precept issued for Unsafe Buildings Violation
• XRF
• ZD1
• ZV – (Zoning Violation), ZV* – (Zoning Violation Dismissed)

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