The 10th cycle of the New York City Facade Inspection Safety Program is now active. Sub-Cycle 10A opened on February 21, 2025, and the full five-year cycle runs through 2029. For owners and boards responsible for buildings taller than six stories, Cycle 10 controls when the next critical examination must be performed, when the report must be filed, and which conditions could trigger immediate repair obligations or sidewalk shed installation.
More than 16,000 buildings citywide fall under FISP, and the available pool of Qualified Exterior Wall Inspectors is limited. Boards that wait until the back end of their filing window typically pay more, get less control over scheduling, and have less time to absorb any repair findings. This article walks through the Cycle 10 schedule, the rules carried over from Cycle 9, the penalty structure, and the timeline a well-prepared building should follow. For a broader overview of the law itself, see our guide to Local Law 11 requirements.
What FISP Cycle 10 Requires
Local Law 11, formally the Facade Inspection Safety Program, requires owners of buildings greater than six stories to retain a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector every five years. The QEWI conducts a critical examination of all exterior walls and appurtenances and files a technical report through the DOB NOW: Safety portal.
What the QEWI Inspects
The critical examination covers the full exterior envelope, not just the front facade. That includes:
- Exterior walls on every elevation, including those facing alleys, courtyards, and shared lot lines
- Parapets, balconies, terraces, and railings
- Fire escapes, window frames, lintels, and sills
- Window-mounted air conditioning units and their supports
- Any other appurtenance attached to the exterior
The Three Rating Outcomes
Each report assigns the building one of three ratings. Safe means no defects requiring repair and no conditions expected to become hazardous before the next inspection. SWARMP, short for Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program, means the building has identified conditions that are not immediately dangerous but must be corrected before the next inspection cycle. Unsafe means the building has hazardous conditions that require immediate public protection, such as a sidewalk shed, and correction within one year.
The rating system matters because conditions carry forward between cycles. A building classified as SWARMP in Cycle 9, with conditions left uncorrected, must be classified as Unsafe in Cycle 10. This is one of the most common ways a building moves from a manageable repair plan into emergency mode.
The Cycle 10 Filing Windows
FISP is divided into three two-year sub-cycle filing windows based on the last digit of the building’s block number. The official Cycle 10 schedule from NYC DOB sets the following windows.
Sub-Cycle 10A
Block numbers ending in 4, 5, 6, or 9. Filing window: February 21, 2025 to February 21, 2027. This is the group currently filing.
Sub-Cycle 10B
Block numbers ending in 0, 7, or 8. Filing window: February 21, 2026 to February 21, 2028. This window is now open.
Sub-Cycle 10C
Block numbers ending in 1, 2, or 3. Filing window: February 21, 2027 to February 21, 2029.
How to Confirm Your Sub-Cycle
A building’s block number is available through the DOB NOW public portal. The same portal shows the building’s most recent FISP filing status, prior classification, and any open violations. Boards that are not sure which sub-cycle applies should confirm before scheduling any work.
Two timing details often catch owners off guard. An acceptable report must be on file by the end of the window, not the day the inspection takes place. And the QEWI must complete a hands-on inspection within one year of the report submission date, so the inspection cannot be performed too early either.
What Changed in Cycle 10
Cycle 10 carries forward most of the major changes introduced in Cycle 9, with a few additions worth noting. Many of these intersect with broader Local Law 11 project work that may be required to clear conditions ahead of filing.
Close-Up Inspections Every 60 Feet
The QEWI must perform a physical close-up examination of the facade at intervals of no more than 60 feet along each elevation fronting a public right-of-way. The QEWI chooses the locations based on areas of greatest potential hazard. Drone footage or binocular observation alone does not satisfy the requirement.
Cavity Wall Probes
Buildings with cavity wall construction must undergo investigative probes to confirm the condition of the wall ties, generally in every odd-numbered cycle. Since Cycle 9 was an odd cycle, most buildings that completed probes then will not need to repeat them in Cycle 10 unless the QEWI identifies new or worsening conditions. Solid wall buildings that rely on mechanical anchors to secure the facade to the backup also fall under the probe requirement.
Annual Parapet Observations
Beginning in 2024, NYC requires annual parapet observations for all buildings, regardless of height. Parapet reports are not filed with the DOB but must be kept on file for at least six years and produced on request. A FISP report can satisfy the parapet observation requirement for the year it is filed, provided the report includes the necessary parapet information. In all other years, a separate parapet observation is required, with penalties for non-compliance ranging from $1,250 to $10,000.
Public Visibility of Penalties
Civil penalties associated with FISP filings are now visible in DOB NOW. This increases scrutiny from prospective buyers, lenders, insurers, and refinancing parties reviewing a building’s compliance history before transactions.
Early Filing for Cycle 9 No-File Buildings
Owners whose buildings carry a No Report Filed status from Cycle 9 may submit a Sub-Cycle Override Request and file early as Safe or SWARMP under Cycle 10. This is one of the few mechanisms available to stop accumulating penalties before the building’s assigned filing window opens.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
The penalties for failing to comply with FISP escalate quickly, and they apply on top of any direct repair costs. The most significant Cycle 10 penalties are:
- Late filing: $1,000 per month from the day after the filing deadline until an acceptable report is filed
- Failure to file: an additional $5,000 per year on top of the monthly penalty
- Uncorrected SWARMP conditions: a $2,000 civil penalty per condition not addressed by the next cycle
- Uncorrected Unsafe conditions: $1,000 per month plus an additional monthly fee based on the linear footage of sidewalk shed required to protect the public
By comparison, the filing fee for a FISP report through DOB NOW is $425. Filing the report on time, even at a SWARMP classification, is dramatically less expensive than allowing penalties to accrue. Local Law 51 of 2025, effective January 12, 2026, adds further penalties for owners who delay completion of facade repairs after a filing.
A Practical Cycle 10 Timeline
A building’s filing window is two years, but the work behind a successful filing usually takes longer than that. The following sequence reflects what a well-prepared Sub-Cycle 10A building typically follows. Boards in 10B and 10C can use the same structure, simply shifted by one or two years.
18 to 24 Months Before the Deadline: Engage the QEWI
The board should identify and retain a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector. The pool of qualified inspectors is limited and books out quickly as deadlines approach. This is also the right time to pull the building’s previous FISP report from the DOB NOW portal and review any unresolved SWARMP conditions from Cycle 9.
12 to 18 Months Before the Deadline: Coordinate Access and Set a Budget
The board should coordinate access agreements for any inspection that requires reaching a neighboring rooftop, terrace, or facade. Access issues are one of the most common reasons inspections fall behind schedule, and they can take months to resolve through the neighboring owner or, in some cases, the courts. This is also when a preliminary repair budget should be set aside based on the building’s age, prior reports, and visible conditions.
6 to 12 Months Before the Deadline: Inspect and Review Findings
The QEWI completes the close-up inspection, including any cavity wall probes if required. The board reviews the initial findings, particularly any items trending toward Unsafe.
0 to 6 Months Before the Deadline: Scope Repairs and File
If repairs are needed, the capital project management process begins. The board reviews scopes, compares bids, finalizes contracts, and schedules access. Any work intended to clear an Unsafe condition before filing should be coordinated with the QEWI so it can be documented in the report. The QEWI then files the technical report through DOB NOW: Safety. If the building is filed as Unsafe, public protection must be installed immediately and repairs must be completed within one year, followed by an amended report.
Common Cycle 10 Mistakes That Drive Up Costs
A few patterns produce most of the avoidable cost in a FISP cycle.
Waiting Until the Second Year of the Window
Inspector availability tightens through the back half of every sub-cycle, and pricing follows the same curve. Buildings that move early secure preferred QEWIs and have time to schedule repair work without paying emergency rates.
Ignoring Open SWARMP Items From Cycle 9
This is the single most expensive mistake a board can make. A SWARMP condition that was not corrected automatically becomes Unsafe in Cycle 10. The result is mandatory public protection, a one-year repair clock, and direct exposure to monthly penalty accrual until an acceptable amended report is filed.
Treating Parapet Observation as Optional
Buildings that bundle the annual parapet observation into the FISP critical examination in the filing year, and run a separate observation in each other year of the cycle, avoid both duplicate work and the penalty risk.
Underestimating Sidewalk Shed Costs
When an Unsafe condition triggers a shed, the shed itself becomes a recurring monthly expense until DOB accepts an amended report certifying the facade is safe. Owners who delay repair scoping can find the shed running long enough that it costs more than the underlying work.
How MD Squared Manages FISP Cycle 10 for NYC Buildings
FISP is not a paperwork exercise. It is a multi-year program that touches inspections, vendor management, repair scoping, capital planning, board communication, and DOB filings. Buildings that treat it as a one-time task tend to spend more, take longer, and end up with sidewalk sheds they could have avoided.
MD Squared Property Group manages the full FISP cycle for the condominium, cooperative, and multifamily rental buildings under our care. That includes pulling the building’s filing status and prior classifications from DOB NOW, retaining a vetted QEWI on a realistic timeline, coordinating any required access agreements with neighboring properties, and working with the engineer to scope and bid any repair work the inspection identifies. When repairs are required, our capital project management team runs the contracts, schedule, and budget through completion. When an Unsafe condition is found, we move quickly on public protection and the amended report so the shed does not stay up longer than it needs to.
The goal is a building that files on time, files clean where possible, and never absorbs penalties that could have been avoided with earlier planning.
If your building falls into Sub-Cycle 10A, 10B, or 10C and your board wants a clear plan for the cycle, contact MD Squared Property Group to discuss your filing window and the work ahead.
