FISP / Local Law 11: The NYC Facade Inspection Cycle Explained

The Facade Inspection Safety Program — FISP, still widely called Local Law 11 after the 1998 law that created its predecessor — requires periodic inspection of exterior walls on buildings taller than six stories, and a filed report on what DOB finds.

Which buildings are covered

The six-story threshold is the starting point, but DOB’s own filing history for a BIN can put a building in the FISP universe even when its recorded story count is ambiguous — common for condominium billing lots, where PLUTO’s story count doesn’t always reflect the whole building. If you’re not sure whether a building is covered, DOB’s FISP universe list is the record that governs, not an estimate from public data.

The sub-cycle schedule

FISP runs on a citywide cycle (Cycle 10 is current), split into three filing sub-cycles — A, B and C — assigned by the last digit of the building’s tax block number: blocks ending in 4, 5, 6 or 9 are sub-cycle A; 0, 7 or 8 are B; 1, 2 or 3 are C. DOB’s own record for the building (the TR6 filing number) governs if it differs from the block-number estimate; an owner can also file for a different sub-cycle than the block assigns.

Safe, SWARMP, or Unsafe

A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector examines the facade and files one of three findings in DOB NOW: Safety. “Safe” closes the cycle. “SWARMP” (Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program) means conditions need ongoing monitoring and scheduled repair, tracked through amended filings. “Unsafe” means a condition needs correcting now: DOB requires the unsafe condition repaired within 90 days of the filing, and any public protection — a sidewalk shed, typically — stays up until an amended report confirms the condition is resolved. Late or missing FISP filings carry their own civil penalties on top of whatever the inspection finds.

Our FISP cycle radar reads a building’s DOB NOW filing history and tells you its sub-cycle, filing status and next deadline — free to check for one address.