FISP, the Facade Inspection Safety Program, is the NYC Department of Buildings program that enforces Local Law 11, requiring the owner of every building taller than six stories to have its exterior walls inspected every five years and file a report with the DOB under the city’s Facade Rule (1 RCNY §103-04). The inspection, a critical examination, must be performed by a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI), a New York State licensed professional engineer or registered architect approved by the DOB, who files an electronic report through DOB NOW: Safety classifying the building as Safe, SWARMP (Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program), or Unsafe.
Filings run on staggered five-year cycles split into three sub-cycles, A, B, and C, assigned by the last digit of the building’s block number. The current period, Cycle 10, began February 21, 2025, with sub-cycle filing deadlines of February 21, 2027 for 10A, 2028 for 10B, and 2029 for 10C. A building filed Unsafe must install pedestrian protection such as a sidewalk shed immediately, correct the conditions within 90 days of notifying the DOB, and file an amended report once repairs are signed off. Late filings accrue penalties that compound monthly, and an unrepaired SWARMP condition from the prior cycle defaults to Unsafe, which means violations, escalating fines, and a sidewalk shed eating curb space until the work is done. The DOB publishes the current fee and penalty schedule.
Not sure which sub-cycle your building falls into, or whether last cycle’s SWARMP conditions are about to default to Unsafe? MD Squared keeps your facade compliance on schedule, tracking your sub-cycle deadline, coordinating the QEWI, engineers, and restoration contractors, and managing the filing through DOB NOW: Safety. It is the core of our Local Law 11 project services, and you can go deeper in our guide to understanding Local Law 11 requirements. Talk to our team today and get ahead of your next FISP filing.
