A QEWI, or Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector, is the licensed professional that New York City requires a building owner to retain to inspect the exterior walls and file the facade report under Local Law 11 (FISP). Under the DOB rule 1 RCNY §101-07, a QEWI must be a New York State licensed professional engineer (PE) or registered architect (RA) in good standing, with at least seven years of relevant experience inspecting facades on buildings over six stories, and must be separately approved by the DOB before filing. A general engineer or architect does not qualify; the inspector must hold that DOB approval, and a report filed by anyone else will be rejected, leaving the building out of compliance.
The QEWI designs the building’s inspection program, performs the critical examination as a hands-on, up-close inspection rather than a drive-by, and files the technical report through DOB NOW: Safety, classifying the facade as Safe, SWARMP, or Unsafe. If the inspector finds an Unsafe condition, they must notify the DOB and the owner immediately, which starts the clock on pedestrian protection and repairs. Two limits on the role matter for boards. The QEWI inspects and recommends but does not perform the repairs, and cannot certify the work of a contractor they have a financial stake in, so the inspector and the repair contractor are normally separate firms. The QEWI must also keep inspection records for at least six years and carry insurance the DOB can request.
Choosing the wrong inspector can cost you a rejected filing and a blown deadline. MD Squared helps your board vet and retain a DOB-approved QEWI, coordinates the inspection against your FISP sub-cycle, and manages the repair contractors separately so the roles stay clean and conflict-free. It is part of our Local Law 11 project services. Talk to our team today and line up the right QEWI before your window opens.
