If you own or manage residential property in New York City, an HPD violation is one of the fastest ways to lose money. Fines accumulate daily. Tenants can withhold rent. Unresolved violations get your building enrolled in enforcement programs that increase inspections, increase fines, and put liens on your property. And every open violation transfers to a buyer if you ever sell — meaning your property loses value with every day the violation sits open.
The good news: HPD violations are absolutely resolvable, and the process is straightforward once you understand it. Here's the full guide.
What is an HPD violation?
HPD stands for the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. HPD enforces the NYC Housing Maintenance Code (HMC) — the city's minimum standards for residential building conditions. When an HPD inspector finds a condition that violates the code, they issue a Notice of Violation (NOV) classified by severity into one of three classes.
Most HPD violations are triggered by tenant complaints filed through 311 (around 86% of all violations). The rest come from proactive inspections — particularly in buildings flagged for repeat issues.
The three HPD violation classes
| Class | Severity | Examples | Correction Deadline | Daily Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | Non-hazardous | Peeling paint (non-lead), missing apartment number, broken doorbell | 90 days | $10–$50/day |
| Class B | Hazardous | Broken locks, large leaks, no heat in winter, mold (small areas) | 30 days | $25–$100/day |
| Class C | Immediately hazardous | No heat, no hot water, gas leaks, exposed wiring, lead paint, severe mold | 24 hours | $50–$250/day |
A single Class B violation left uncorrected can cost over $1,800 per year. A Class C violation can hit $90,000+ if left open for a full year. And these are just the daily fines — additional inspection fees, emergency repair charges, and legal costs stack on top.
How to clear a newly issued HPD violation
The process is the same for all three classes — just with different deadlines. Here are the five steps:
Step 1: Verify the violation. Look up your property on HPD Online to confirm the violation details. Document the actual condition with photos before you do anything else — these matter later.
Step 2: Make sure your property registration is current. You cannot certify a correction or file a Dismissal Request if your annual property registration is out of date. Confirm and update before you do anything else.
Step 3: Correct the condition. Hire a contractor if needed. Keep all invoices, work orders, and before/after photos. For violations involving lead paint or mold, additional documentation requirements apply — including specialized clearance tests for lead.
Step 4: Certify the correction with HPD. This is the legal step that closes the violation. Log into HPD eCertification or mail in a Certification of Correction form within the certification deadline. Attach photos, invoices, and any required documentation.
Step 5: Wait for HPD verification. HPD may schedule a re-inspection to verify. If no re-inspection happens, the violation is automatically deemed corrected and closed 70 days after HPD receives your certification (except for lead-based paint, which has stricter requirements).
⚠️ Never falsely certify a correction. HPD inspectors do verify — and falsely certifying a violation carries civil penalties of $50–$500 per violation, criminal misdemeanor charges, and disqualifies you from clearing future violations through certification.
How to clear old violations past the certification deadline
If the certification window has passed, you have two options:
Option A: File a Dismissal Request.
- Submit a Dismissal Request form to your borough's HPD Code Enforcement Office
- Pay the fee: $250 for a 1-2 family dwelling, or $300 for a multiple dwelling with up to 300 open violations
- HPD will schedule a re-inspection. If conditions are corrected, violations are closed.
- HPD inspectors may issue new violations during the Dismissal Request inspection if they find other problems, so prepare the entire property thoroughly before they arrive.
Option B: Request a Violation Reissuance (free).
- Available one time per building, if there are no open violations in the past year and your property registration is current
- HPD reissues old violations as if they were new — and you certify them through the normal eCertification process
- See the HPD Violation Reissuance form for details
The danger zone: Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP)
Buildings with too many unresolved violations get enrolled in HPD's Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP) — essentially the city's "worst landlord" watchlist. Once a building is in AEP:
- HPD inspects every 3 months
- The city may appoint an administrator (owner pays the fees)
- Mandatory repairs are billed to the owner
- The property is publicly listed
- Owners cannot file standard Dismissal Requests — they must contact the AEP office directly at 212-863-8262
AEP enrollment is triggered by 5+ Class A or 10+ Class B violations within 12 months, or by repeated failures to correct.
If your building is at risk, fix violations now — before AEP enrollment dramatically increases your costs and oversight.
Five rules for preventing HPD violations
- Respond to tenant complaints within 24 hours. 68% of violations are preventable if owners address issues before tenants file 311 complaints.
- Keep property registration current. An outdated registration blocks every clearance pathway.
- Inspect proactively — especially before heating season starts on October 1, and after winter ends.
- Document everything. Repair invoices, communications, photos. If a violation is ever disputed, documentation is what wins.
- Track all complaints and violations centrally. A single missed deadline can mean tens of thousands of dollars in cumulative penalties.
For the official HPD guidance, see the HPD Clear Violations page.
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