A violation is an official notice from a city agency that something about your building breaks the law. It does not go away on its own, and it compounds.
Who issues them
DOB for structural, construction, and occupancy. FDNY for fire safety — blocked exits, missing sprinklers. HPD for housing conditions such as heat and ventilation. OATH/ECB runs the hearings and collects the penalties.
What they are usually for
Illegal conversions. A basement, attic, or garage turned into living space without permits. Usually a Multiple Dwelling Law problem as much as a code one.
Work without a permit.
Failure to maintain the property.
Fire Code violations — smoke detectors, blocked egress, non-compliant rooftop grills.
Noise and Energy Code infractions, often HVAC.
Penalties run from a few hundred dollars into the tens of thousands. Some carry a Stop Work Order.
The cost of leaving it
An open violation blocks the Certificate of Occupancy. It obstructs refinancing and it obstructs sale. It delays every permit you file afterward. And in many cases it accrues daily.
How we clear them
- Review and classification. We pull the record from DOB BIS and DOB NOW and establish what you are actually facing.
- On-site assessment.
- Action plan and filing strategy — structural drawings, affidavits, or a CCD1/ZRD1 reconsideration where the violation rests on an interpretation.
- Correction and execution.
- Final certification, and the clearance letter that proves it.
By property type
Residential brings illegal basements, egress windows, and the MDL. Commercial brings fire protection, ADA, and energy. High-rise and senior housing bring façade safety and Local Law 11.
Prevention costs less
Pre-construction audits and ongoing compliance review are cheaper than clearance, by a wide margin. Local Law 97 and the Energy Code both reward planning and punish retrofits.