Unaddressed facade conditions on a FISP report don't just carry escalating DOB penalties — they grow more expensive to fix with every inspection cycle that passes.
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NYC's facade inspection law traces back to a tragedy: in May 1979, a Barnard College student was killed by a piece of terracotta that fell from a building facade on the Upper West Side. The City Council responded with Local Law 10 of 1980, the first law in the country requiring periodic facade inspections by a licensed engineer or architect. In December 1997, a chunk of facade fell from 540 Madison Avenue; weeks later, Mayor Giuliani signed Local Law 11 of 1998, tightening the inspection cycle and reporting requirements. The combined program — still called FISP (Facade Inspection Safety Program) today — is the oldest continuously enforced facade inspection law in the country.
Under the current cycle, buildings taller than six stories must be inspected every five years by a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI), who files one of three ratings: Safe, Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP), or Unsafe. A SWARMP or Unsafe rating starts the clock on repairs and DOB filings — and since facade conditions don't improve on their own, an unaddressed rating is typically worse, and more expensive, by the next cycle.
Call or email for a free estimate — we'll walk through your FISP report and what's needed to close it out.