Local Law 11 — Facade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP)

Who is covered

All buildings greater than six stories in height, regardless of occupancy type or use. This includes residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional buildings across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.

What the law requires

• Engage a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect with the required DOB qualifications.
• Complete a hands-on, close-up inspection of the entire exterior envelope, including walls, balconies, parapets, copings, and terra cotta or masonry ornamentation.
• File a technical report with DOB classifying the facade condition as Safe, Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP), or Unsafe.
• If classified Unsafe, immediately install sidewalk sheds or netting and begin remediation within 90 days.
• SWARMP conditions must be repaired within the current inspection cycle.

Filing frequency and deadlines

Penalty structure

Non-compliance with LL11 / FISP can result in the following penalties:

• $5,000 per year for failure to file the required technical report.
• $1,000 per month in late-filing penalties after the initial deadline.
• Additional civil penalties of $1,000 to $5,000 for Unsafe conditions left unaddressed.
• Sidewalk shed installation and maintenance costs ($15,000–$100,000+ per year) for Unsafe facades.

Exemptions

• Buildings six stories or fewer are not covered by FISP.
• New construction is exempt during its first inspection cycle.

Recent updates and amendments

Cycle 9 introduced phased sub-cycles to distribute the inspection workload across the five-year period. DOB has increased enforcement of SWARMP timelines and begun issuing violations for buildings that do not begin SWARMP repairs within the same cycle.

Reference

Official source: NYC DOB — FISP