A DOB Violation is a notice that a property is not in compliance with some provision of applicable law and includes an order from the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings to correct the violating condition. 

The violation is entered against the property in the Department's Buildings Information System (BIS) or the new DOB PUBLIC PORTAL and must be corrected before a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy (CO) can be obtained. DOB violation information is public and will appear in a property title search. Open violations can prevent an owner from selling or refinancing.

Inspectors issue violations when property or construction doesn't comply with the Construction Codes, NYC Zoning Resolution or other applicable laws and rules. Certain codes, within the violation number, help determine the type of DOB Violation.  For Example.  Violation # 042523LBLVIO00--- was issued on 4/25/2023 for Low Pressure Boiler Violation.    Click button below to learn about Boiler violations. 

To remove a DOB violation from a property record, the condition must be corrected and proof of that correction must be provided.  Applicable DOB civil penalty payments must also be paid. To view violations on your property, access the Buildings Information System (BIS) and the DOB PUBLIC PORTAL for more recent records. . DOB violations are shown without an asterisk next to the violation number; dismissed DOB violations are shown with an asterisk, e.g., V*8052-28P.

Detailed information on certain DOB violations are available in BIS. If detailed information is not available, you can request copies of DOB violations. 

 Environmental Control Board judgments are handled by OATH’s Hearings Division. The Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the City of New York’s central, independent administrative law court. OATH adjudicates cases that originate from the various agencies that enforce the city’s rules, regulations, and laws. The violation NYC most commonly issues is a Notice of Violation (NOV) that is settled at the City’s Environmental Control Board. The Environmental Control Board (ECB) is a type of court called an administrative tribunal. It is like a regular court, but it is not part of the State court system.

The NOVs issued will include a hearing date for when property owner or their representative must appear before a judge at ECB and tell their side of the story. The NOV may also include the date by when the violations must be corrected, which is also known as a “Cure Date.”

A FDNY violation is an official notice that a property is not in compliance with the New York City Fire Code and/or Fire Department Rules. Some violations are minor, while others can create dangerous situations resulting in immediate action by the Fire Department or even the issuance of a criminal summons. Violations can be found during a routine FDNY inspection or from  complaints to the City. The following types of violations are issued/ordered in New York City. If you receive a FDNY Summons, the unsafe condition must be corrected and proof of the correction must be provided to the FDNY.

To avoid penalty and a hearing, a condition must be corrected and Certificate of Correction (instructions for filing online above) must be received by FDNY within 35 days from the date the violation originally was issued. After 35 days, you will be required to appear for a hearing at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings and must bring all proof of corrections to the hearings.

Backflow - You will receive a notification letter in the mail when your backflow prevention device is due for its annual test. Failure to perform this annual test could result in fines or the disconnection of your water service. For the annual test, the test form needs to be filled out by the certified tester and signed by a Licensed Master Plumber (LMP). 

Property owners in New York City are required to register their boilers every (3)three years.  This is filed with the NYC (DEP). This is a separate process from your annual boiler inspection. 

There are requirements for DEP Boiler Registrations, and created two categories of Registrations:

Boiler Registration I (350,000 BTU/hr to less than 2.8 million BTU/hr) and -

Boiler Registration II (2.8 million BTU/hr to 4.2 million BTU/hr).