What Is FISP and Why Your NYC Building Needs It

What Is FISP?

The Facade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP) is a New York City law that requires the exterior walls of certain buildings to be inspected every five years by a licensed professional. The program exists for one reason: to protect people on the sidewalks below from falling debris.

New York City has more than 15,000 buildings that fall under FISP jurisdiction. These buildings must hire a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) to examine every accessible surface of the facade, file a report with the Department of Buildings (DOB), and complete any necessary repairs within the inspection cycle.

Failure to comply with FISP results in escalating penalties that can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. More importantly, an uninspected facade can pose a genuine safety risk to tenants, visitors, and pedestrians. Pieces of masonry, terra cotta, or stone can detach from aging facades without warning, and the consequences can be fatal.

From Local Law 11 to FISP: A Brief History

The program that we now call FISP began in 1980 as Local Law 10, passed in direct response to a series of facade failures in Manhattan during the late 1970s. In 1979, a Barnard College student was killed by a piece of masonry that fell from a building on Broadway. The tragedy prompted the City Council to act.

Local Law 10 required the first round of facade inspections for buildings over 6 stories. It established the basic framework that still exists today: hire a qualified inspector, file a report, fix what is broken.

In 1998, the city updated the law with Local Law 11, which expanded the scope of inspections and tightened the enforcement mechanism. Local Law 11 became synonymous with facade inspections in New York, and many building owners and managers still refer to the program by that name.

In 2020, the Department of Buildings formally rebranded the program as the Facade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP). The underlying requirements remain largely the same, but the DOB consolidated rules, updated filing procedures, and introduced a digital filing system. Whether people call it "LL11" or "FISP," they are referring to the same program.

Which Buildings Are Affected?

FISP applies to all buildings in New York City that are greater than 6 stories in height. This is a strict rule with very limited exceptions. The law does not distinguish between building types. Residential co-ops and condos, rental apartment buildings, commercial office towers, hotels, hospitals, schools, and mixed-use buildings are all subject to the same requirements.

The DOB measures building height by the number of stories, not by total feet. A building with a ground floor plus six upper floors (7 stories total) is subject to FISP. Mezzanines, basements, and mechanical floors may or may not count toward the story count depending on how they are classified in the building's Certificate of Occupancy.

Across the five boroughs, the breakdown is roughly as follows: Manhattan has the highest concentration of FISP-covered buildings, followed by Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. Manhattan alone has over 7,700 buildings subject to the program.

The Inspection Cycle System

FISP operates on a 5-year inspection cycle. Each cycle is divided into three sub-cycles (A, B, and C), and each building is assigned to a sub-cycle based on its block number. This staggering system prevents all 15,000+ buildings from needing inspections at the same time.

How Sub-Cycles Work

Your building's sub-cycle is determined by the last digit of its tax block number:

• Sub-Cycle A: Blocks ending in 4, 5, 6, or 9
• Sub-Cycle B: Blocks ending in 0, 7, or 8
• Sub-Cycle C: Blocks ending in 1, 2, or 3

Each sub-cycle has a roughly two-year window during which buildings in that group must file their inspection reports. The current cycle is Cycle 9, which runs from 2020 through 2025. Sub-Cycle 9A deadlines have already passed, 9B buildings are in their filing window, and 9C buildings will follow.

If your building misses its sub-cycle deadline, it incurs a late filing fee. If it misses the entire cycle without filing, the penalties escalate to failure-to-file charges.

What QEWI Inspectors Do

A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI) is a licensed professional, either a registered architect or a professional engineer, who has been approved by the DOB to conduct FISP inspections. Not every architect or engineer qualifies; they must meet specific experience and training requirements set by the department.

During a FISP inspection, the QEWI is required to perform a hands-on, close-up examination of the building's exterior walls. This is not a visual scan from the street. The inspector must physically access the facade, which typically means using scaffolding, swing stages (suspended scaffolds), or rope access techniques.

The QEWI examines every element of the exterior envelope: brick, stone, terra cotta, concrete, stucco, metal panels, glass, window frames, lintels, sills, copings, parapets, cornices, fire escapes, balconies, railings, and any other appurtenance attached to the building's exterior. They are looking for cracks, spalling, loose mortar, rusted anchors, deteriorated joints, water infiltration damage, and any condition that could lead to a piece of the facade detaching.

After completing the inspection, the QEWI files a report with the DOB that classifies the building's facade into one of three categories. If unsafe conditions are found during the inspection, the QEWI is required to immediately notify the building owner and, in some cases, the DOB, even before the formal report is filed.

The Three Classifications: SAFE, SWARMP, and UNSAFE

Every FISP inspection results in one of three classifications. Understanding what each one means, and what obligations it triggers, is critical for building owners.

SAFE

A SAFE classification means the building's exterior walls and appurtenances are in good condition. No repairs are needed, and the building is compliant with FISP for the current cycle. The building owner does not need to take any further action until the next inspection cycle begins.

A SAFE classification is the best-case outcome. However, it is worth noting that "SAFE" does not mean the building will never need repairs. It means that at the time of inspection, the facade met the DOB's standards. Buildings age, and conditions can change between cycles.

SWARMP (Safe With A Repair and Maintenance Program)

SWARMP means the inspector found conditions that need attention, but none of them are immediately dangerous. The building is not a public safety hazard, but repairs are required. Examples of SWARMP conditions include minor spalling, deteriorating mortar joints, small cracks, rusted lintels, or worn sealant around windows.

When a building receives a SWARMP classification, the owner must file a repair plan and complete the repairs before the end of the current FISP cycle. If repairs are not completed on time, the building may face penalties and could be reclassified as UNSAFE in the next cycle.

SWARMP is by far the most common classification. The majority of NYC buildings over 6 stories have at least some facade conditions that need maintenance.

UNSAFE

An UNSAFE classification is the most serious outcome. It means the QEWI found conditions that pose an immediate risk to public safety. This could be loose bricks, crumbling concrete, detached terra cotta, unstable parapets, or any condition where falling debris is a real possibility.

An UNSAFE building must install protective measures (typically a sidewalk shed or netting) immediately upon notification. The building owner must then hire a contractor to perform the necessary repairs, and the QEWI must verify that the repairs have been completed. Only after the QEWI files an amended report with the DOB can the building be reclassified as SAFE or SWARMP.

As of 2026, there are nearly 2,000 buildings across New York City classified as UNSAFE under FISP. Manhattan alone accounts for nearly 1,000 of them.

Why FISP Matters for Your Building

FISP compliance is not optional, and the consequences of ignoring it are significant. There are three main reasons every building owner should take the program seriously.

Public safety. The entire purpose of FISP is to prevent falling debris from injuring or killing people. This is not a theoretical risk. Facade failures have caused deaths in New York City, and they continue to occur. As a building owner, you have a legal and moral obligation to ensure your facade is sound.

Financial penalties. FISP non-compliance triggers escalating penalties. Late filing fees start at $1,000 per month and can climb quickly. Failure to file can result in charges of $5,000 or more per filing period. Failure to correct unsafe conditions leads to the steepest penalties, which can accumulate to hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. Many buildings in NYC currently owe $50,000 to $200,000 or more in outstanding FISP penalties.

Property value and liability. An UNSAFE classification or a trail of outstanding violations can affect property transactions, refinancing, and insurance. Prospective buyers and lenders look at DOB records, and unresolved FISP issues are red flags. Additionally, if someone is injured by falling debris from your building, the liability exposure is enormous.

The good news is that FISP compliance is straightforward when handled proactively. Hire a QEWI, get inspected on schedule, and address any repairs promptly. The cost of a timely inspection and minor repairs is a fraction of what penalties and emergency repairs cost when a building falls behind.