If you own or manage a building taller than six stories anywhere in New York City — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, or Staten Island — Local Law 11 affects you. And right now, the city is in the middle of its tenth inspection cycle: FISP Cycle 10, which began on February 21, 2025 and runs through February 21, 2030.
Miss your filing deadline and the penalties stack up fast. Late filing fines start at $1,000 per month. SWARMP conditions left uncorrected default to "Unsafe" status — which can require sidewalk sheds costing tens of thousands of dollars a year. And that's before you factor in the legal liability of an actually unsafe facade.
This guide explains who's affected, what you need to do, and how to find your specific deadline.
What is FISP (Local Law 11)?
Local Law 11, formally renamed the Facade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP), is a NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) rule requiring that every building over six stories have its exterior walls inspected by a licensed professional every five years. The inspector — called a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) — must be a New York State licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect approved by the DOB.
After inspecting, the QEWI files a report through the DOB's DOB NOW: Safety portal classifying your facade into one of three categories:
- Safe — No repairs needed. Building is good for the next five years.
- SWARMP (Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program) — Conditions aren't immediately hazardous but must be repaired before the next cycle, or they automatically become "Unsafe."
- Unsafe — Immediate hazard to public safety. Requires urgent repair and protective measures like sidewalk sheds.
Cycle 10 sub-cycles: find your deadline by block number
Cycle 10 is split into three two-year sub-cycles, and your building's sub-cycle is determined by the last digit of its block number. You can look up your block number at the NYC DOB Building Information System.
| Sub-Cycle | Block Number Ends In | Filing Window |
|---|---|---|
| 10A | 4, 5, 6, or 9 | February 21, 2025 – February 21, 2027 |
| 10B | 0, 7, or 8 | February 21, 2026 – February 21, 2028 |
| 10C | 1, 2, or 3 | February 21, 2027 – February 21, 2029 |
If your block number ends in 4, 5, 6, or 9, your filing window is already open and closes February 21, 2027.
What happens if you miss the deadline
The DOB doesn't send polite reminders. Penalties are automatic and significant:
- Late filing penalty: $1,000 per month until the report is filed
- Failure to correct unsafe condition: Additional $1,000 per month
- Unrepaired SWARMP condition at cycle end: $2,000 violation, plus the condition automatically reclassifies to "Unsafe"
- Unsafe classification: Sidewalk sheds required immediately, often $5,000–$20,000+ per year to maintain
- Legal liability: If someone is injured by falling debris from a non-compliant facade, the property owner is exposed to significant civil and potentially criminal liability
In short: the cost of being late is always far higher than the cost of being on time.
The Cycle 10 amnesty program
If you have a building that missed previous cycles, there's actually good news. For Cycle 10, the DOB introduced an amnesty program. Buildings that haven't filed in past cycles can file an "early" Cycle 10 report during the current Sub-Cycle 10A window — and this stops the clock on Late Filing and No Report Filed (NRF) penalties.
If you've inherited a building with old FISP issues, this is the best window to resolve them. Once Sub-Cycle 10A closes on February 21, 2027, the amnesty closes with it.
How to stay compliant in Cycle 10
Five things every owner should do:
- Find your sub-cycle using the DOB BIS lookup and confirm your deadline.
- Hire a qualified QEWI early. Thousands of NYC buildings need inspections every cycle, and qualified inspectors get booked solid as deadlines approach. Engage one in the first half of your sub-cycle window.
- Address any SWARMP conditions from Cycle 9 immediately — these will automatically become "Unsafe" if left unrepaired by the close of Sub-Cycle 10A.
- File the report on time through DOB NOW: Safety. The QEWI handles the filing, but it's the owner's legal responsibility to ensure it gets done.
- Document everything. Keep records of repairs, inspections, and communications. If you ever face a violation, this documentation can be the difference between a clear and an expensive court fight.
For the full DOB guidance, see the official FISP page on NYC.gov.
One firm. Every deadline. Tracked.
FISP is just one of dozens of compliance requirements NYC building owners face. Local Law 97, Local Law 84, FDNY inspections, DOB violations, HPD violations, boiler inspections, elevator compliance, and more — all on their own schedules, all with their own penalties for missing deadlines.
StreetComply tracks every NYC compliance obligation for every property in your portfolio in one place. We coordinate inspections, handle filings, resolve violations, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Get in touch and we'll pull your building's compliance profile in 24 hours.