NYC Local Law 11 / FISP — Facade Inspection Definitive Guide 2026

NYC Local Law 11 (1998), now formally administered as the Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) under NYC Administrative Code § 28-302 and 1 RCNY § 103-04, is NYC's mandatory facade-inspection regime for buildings six stories and taller. The law was enacted after the 1998 fatality on the Upper West Side caused by a falling brick facade fragment, and it now drives a five-year inspection cycle for every six-plus-story building in the city. Inspections are filed in 5-year cycles ending in 0/2/3 etc., signed by a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI), and result in one of three classifications: Safe, Safe With a Repair And Maintenance Program (SWARMP), or Unsafe.

What it governs

The FISP regime requires building owners of any structure six stories or taller to retain a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — typically a licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect with seven years of facade-specific experience and a passing FISP-certification track record — to inspect every public-facing wall, parapet, cornice, balcony, and appurtenance once every five years.

The Inspector files the Technical Facade Report (TFR) with NYC DOB. The TFR classifies the facade as:

• Safe: no immediate or near-term action required
• SWARMP: certain conditions must be repaired before the next cycle but pose no imminent danger
• Unsafe: immediate stabilization (sidewalk shed, scaffold, repair) required within strict timelines

Filing windows are staggered by building tax-block + tax-lot grouping into Sub-Cycle 9, 10, 11, etc., with each sub-cycle running on a two-year filing window. Late filings trigger civil penalties; failure to file an Unsafe condition triggers escalating penalties plus DOB-issued repair orders.

Homeowner implications

For a NYC homeowner in a six-plus-story condo or co-op, FISP is a building-level cost that flows down to unit owners through assessments and maintenance fees. The classification determines what the building must do:

• Safe: no immediate cost beyond the Inspector's fee (typically $5,000 to $25,000 per cycle)
• SWARMP: repairs over the five-year cycle, typically $50,000 to $500,000+ depending on facade size and condition
• Unsafe: immediate stabilization (sidewalk shed, scaffold), often $100,000+ for stabilization alone, plus repair costs

For homeowners contemplating purchase, request the most recent TFR from the seller's broker. A SWARMP or Unsafe classification with significant outstanding work is a material disclosure that affects valuation. The TFR is public-record at DOB BIS — search by Building Identification Number (BIN) and locate the FISP filing for the current sub-cycle.

Contractor implications

Facade-restoration contractors must work closely with the QEWI on FISP-driven repairs. The work scope is defined by the TFR and re-verified by the QEWI on completion. Common FISP repair scopes: brick + mortar repointing, parapet rebuilding, cornice reattachment, balcony slab repair, terra-cotta restoration. Specialty trades — masons, terra-cotta restorers, sheet-metal workers — see most of the work.

Sidewalk-shed cost is significant. A typical sidewalk shed runs $200 to $400 per linear foot per month, plus a one-time installation of $5,000 to $25,000. Buildings under SWARMP or Unsafe classification frequently carry a sidewalk shed for 12+ months while repairs proceed.

The QEWI is the design professional of record. Facade contractors do NOT file the TFR; they execute the work scope under the QEWI's direction, and the QEWI re-inspects and re-files the cycle status update.

How AskBaily uses it

Every AskBaily NYC match for a building 6+ stories runs:

• Building-height lookup against NYC tax records to identify FISP-applicable structures
• TFR posture lookup at DOB BIS
• Routing to facade-restoration contractors with documented FISP-cycle portfolio
• Cross-link to our NYC DOB canonical for permit context
• Cross-link to our NYC LL97 canonical when the project overlaps with envelope-energy retrofit
• Surface a flag on homeowner-facing scope card noting FISP cycle posture

Recent changes 2024–2026

The DOB published the Sub-Cycle 10 schedule covering filings due 2025-2029 with revised filing-window dates per tax block. The 2024 DOB rule update tightened the QEWI re-certification requirements and standardized the TFR digital-filing format. Several 2025 NYC City Council bills considered extending FISP to four-and-five-story buildings; no statutory change resulted.

DOB enforcement intensified in 2024 + 2025 with public reporting of buildings with overdue or missing TFRs. Penalty amounts on individual buildings reached $50,000+ in highest-profile cases.

Frequently asked questions

Does FISP apply to my brownstone or 4-story walkup? No. FISP covers buildings 6 stories and taller.

Who pays for the inspection and repairs? The building owner. In condos and co-ops, costs flow to unit owners via assessment or maintenance fee.

Where do I find my building's FISP status? DOB BIS — search by BIN. The FISP filing tab shows current sub-cycle status.

What does SWARMP mean? Safe With a Repair And Maintenance Program. Conditions need repair before the next cycle but pose no imminent danger.

Can my building skip a FISP cycle? No. Failure to file is an enforceable violation with civil penalties.