FISP (LL11) Inspections

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FISP (LL11) INSPECTIONS

FAÇADE INSPECTION AND SAFETY PROGRAM (FISP) Cycle 8 (formerly Local Law 11 of 1998)

Formerly Local Law 11 program was established to maintain safety of buildings and public in New York City to limit accidents due to poorly maintained buildings. All exterior walls, balconies, railings and appurtenances of buildings SIX STORIES OR HIGHER must be inspected every FIVE years. The inspections have to be performed by a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI), a Registered Architect or a Professional Engineer and results shall be filed as a TECHNICAL REPORT with the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB).

Current CYCLE 8th will run from FEBRUARY 21, 2015 – FEBRUARY 21, 2020 and is divided into three SUB-CYCLES determined by the last digit of the building block number.

Owners who fail to file a technical report within the specific filing period are subject to a monthly penalty fee until an acceptable report is approved by the Department of Buildings.

If you are the owner or managing agent for an applicable property, please CONTACT DS2 Studio to develop customized FISP plan and schedule an inspection.

FISP SUB-CYCLES

FILING WINDOW SUB-CYCLE LAST DIGIT OF BLOCK # START DATE END DATE
A 4, 5, 6, OR 9 2/21/2015 2/21/2017
B 0, 7 OR 8 2/21/2016 2/21/2018
C 1, 2, OR 3 2/21/2017 2/21/2019

FISP INSPECTIONS & CLASSIFICATIONS

SAFE

Building’s walls or appurtenances have no problems and will not become unsafe during the next 5 years.

SWARMP SAFE WITH A REPAIR & MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Building’s walls or appurtenances are safe at the time of inspection but require repairs and/or maintenance during the next 5 years to prevent deterioration into an UNSAFE condition.

UNSAFE

Building’s walls or appurtenances are hazardous and require prompt repair.  Owners must START Corrections WITHIN 30 DAYS from filing the report and IMMEDIATLY install SAFERY MEASURES in form of sheds, barricades, etc). Progress reports shall be filed with DOB and amended report must then be filed WITHIN 15 DAYS of completing the repairs.

In addition, any condition reported as SWARMP in previous Cycle and not corrected shall be reported as an UNSAFE condition.

FILING FEES

Report and forms shall be submitted to the Department of Buildings with a filing fee as follows:

Initial Report   $265
Amended / Subsequent Report   $100
Extension Request   $135

VIOLATIONS & PENALTIES

PENALTIES are enforced for failing to submit reports or to correct UNSAFE conditions within 30-day period, if a request for an extension of time has not been filed. The penalties are as follows:

Late Filing (Initial Report)   $250 / MONTH
Failure to File (Initial Report)   $1,000/ YEAR
Failure to correct UNSAFE conditions   $1,000/ MONTH

EXTENSION OF TIME

UNSAFE conditions must be corrected within 30 days of filing the Initial Report and Amended Report should be filed within 15 days of completing repairs. However, if the repair work takes longer than 30 days, extension of time should be requested. Generally, the DOB grants up to 90 days of extension, subject to submittal of evidence for securing the site by installation of sidewalk shed, fence, etc. However, any further extensions will be considered by the DOB only with proof of an unforeseen circumstance that delay completion of the ongoing repair work.

There is an additional fee for filing for each extension of time which need to be renewed until the UNSAFE conditions are corrected.

NEW BUILDINGS

FISP REPORT has to be filed 5 years from the date the 1st Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) has been issued.

BALCONIES / RAILINGS

Starting from Cycle 7, balcony railings and guards must be inspected for structural stability and code compliance. The REQUIREMENTS of the inspection are outlined in the DOB Memo issued on May 5, 2014.  The DOB Memo stipulates:

 

  • All railings and guards must be inspected for both STRUCTURAL STABILITY and CODE COMPLIANCE
  • Structural safety is evaluated based on lateral load stability, the condition of the materials, connections and anchoring.  Based on observed conditions, invasive load testing, pull-testing, and destructive or non-destructive testing may have to be performed
  • Code compliance will include review of the railings and guards with respect to codes in effect at the time they were installed, or substantially altered.  Code compliance issues will not result in Unsafe reports, unless there is an issue of public safety
  • Fire escapes are inspected for structural stability only

In Cycle 8, balcony railings and guards must be incorporated into the FISP inspection and technical report.

WINDOW MOUNT A/C UNITS INSTALLATION

Window-mount air conditioning units shall be included in the FISP inspection performed by the QEWI, and shall be classified as Safe or Unsafe. The Department of Buildings issued GUIDELINES which include:

 

  • Support the unit from underneath with metal brackets or firmly fasten from inside with angles – supports shall be STRUCTURALLY FASTENED TO THE BUILDING (not to the window frames) and must be strong for the weight of the AC unit.
  • AC unit shall remains in place when the window is opened, or window has to be permanently closed/locked so it cannot be opened accidentally.
  • LOOSE OBJECT SUPPORTS NOT PERMITTED, such as wood blocking, bricks, telephone books, or gypsum board to support the leveling of an AC unit.

    RELATED DOCUMENTS & LINKS

     

    RCNY §101-07 APPROVED AGENCIES (pdf)

    1 RCNY §103-04            (http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/rules/1_RCNY_103-04.pdf)

    LOCAL LAW 11 OF 1998 (http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/local_laws/locallaw_1998_package.pdf)

    DOB FEES & PENALTIES (http://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/safety/facade-fees-penalties.page)

    DOB MEMO, MAY 5, 2014, FISP CYCLE 7 REPORT: HANDRAIL AND GUARD ASSEMBLIES: BALCONIES (pdf)

    ARTICLE 302 OF TITLE 28 MAINTENANCE OF EXTERIOR WALLS (pdf)

    DOB AIR CONDITIONER INSTALLATION TIPS (pdf)

    We would like to work with you to develop customized Cycle 8 ACTION PLAN. For specific questions, or a proposal, please CONTACT US

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