An open DOB or ECB/OATH violation can leave you juggling repairs and paperwork. We help address the physical condition and navigate the required NYC filing process. You get one clear path from identifying the work needed to moving the violation toward resolution.
Send us your violation number and our team will review what the notice says, what correction may be required, and what steps remain before the record can be cleared.
These are issued directly by the Department of Buildings, and function as an order to fix physical property defects. They carry heavy fines that vary by violation class and can reach tens of thousands of dollars for serious infractions. Violations can block property sales until fully resolved and cleared.
These are financial summonses issued by city inspectors that require you to attend an OATH hearing. They involve a distinct civil penalty that must be paid to the city.
Most property owners assume that completing the repair closes the violation. It doesn’t. The physical correction and the administrative closure are two separate tracks. On the DOB side, a Certificate of Correction must be filed and accepted. On the OATH side, the civil penalty must be addressed at or before the hearing. Both tracks have to close independently; completing one doesn’t automatically close the other.
A routine title search during a sale or refinancing surfaces both open records. A lender will block your transaction and deny a Certificate of Occupancy until both tracks are clear.
The NYC Department of Buildings categorizes infractions under 1 RCNY 102-01.
Critical structural risks like unstable walls in Park Slope trigger immediate stop work or vacate orders. Fixing the problem isn't enough. You must certify the repairs via DOB NOW, or the city will issue separate, stacking AEUHAZ penalties.
Severe code violations without immediate danger, like unpermitted basement lowering in Crown Heights, fall here. You must complete physical corrections to clear administrative holds blocking your property transaction or sale.
Minor infractions, like missing permit posts in Greenpoint, offer a cure period. Correcting the work and filing a certification of correction before the hearing secures an outright dismissal, updating its public record status to Resolved and bypassing penalties.
Lesser infractions offer an off-ramp. Filing a certified physical correction package before your scheduled OATH date permanently updates the public record to Dismissed without costing a dime in fines.
Ignoring notices brings massive risk. Missing your court date triggers a default judgment, which scales baseline fines significantly. It adds maximum statutory penalties directly to your Brooklyn building's tax lot.
Modifying any load-bearing foundation wall, shifting structural footings, or altering a basement drainage system without an active ALT-2 filing via DOB NOW Build triggers immediate work without permit summonses. This is a frequent issue in gut renovations across Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy.
Any site digging deeper than five feet adjacent to an adjoining property, along with all basement floor lowering projects, strictly requires PE-stamped plans and active city permits.
If a contractor fails to properly protect an adjacent party wall or neighboring structure during foundation work on a historic townhouse in Greenpoint or Bushwick, inspectors will shut down the entire site.
Diverting groundwater or altering below-grade discharge lines without approved engineering plans creates severe environmental infractions. If discovered during a sale or refinancing, these open issues freeze the deal until an approved professional signs off on the correction.
We audit your structural file directly via the NYC BIS and DOB NOW portals. Our team maps the exact code mandates to pinpoint your specific below-grade building infraction.
Our specialized crew executes the necessary foundation underpinning, drainage fixes, or structural waterproofing to NYC building codes. We handle deep corrections, documenting all work with time-stamped compliance photographs.
We compile your entire closeout package, gathering engineering photos, construction receipts, and official forms. Our team manages the technical upload through an authorized eFiling account straight into DOB NOW: Safety.
We align your physical proof with the upcoming OATH hearing timeline. Submitting verified structural compliance ahead of your court date secures maximum mitigation to protect your building from penalties.
We track the submission until the city issues an official order of dismissal. The process concludes only when your public BIS record updates to show your violation is formally resolved
Not sure whether your violation is actually closed? Send us the violation number at (347) 337-6482 and we’ll review what the notice says and what remains before the record can be cleared. .
Physical repairs take days or weeks depending on structural complexity. However, the final administrative closeout relies entirely on the city’s timeline. Straightforward paperwork filings generally process through DOB NOW in two to three weeks. But complex structural violations requiring official engineering sign-off or physical city inspections will take several months to fully clear.
If you’re working toward a closing or hearing date, tell us the deadline when you contact us. We can identify what needs to happen on the construction side and where outside agency processing may affect the schedule.
Not necessarily. Correcting the physical condition and closing the associated violation are separate steps. Depending on the notice, additional certification, filing, hearing, or administrative action may be required.
A Class 1 violation may come with a stop work order or vacate order requiring immediate action. The physical condition must be corrected and certified through DOB NOW before the order can be lifted. These situations are time-sensitive; contact us with the violation notice as soon as it's received so we can assess the required scope and move quickly on the physical correction.
Missing a required hearing can result in a default judgment. If you have an upcoming hearing date, don't wait until after the date has passed to determine what needs to be done.
A property can be subject to an open violation during a sale, but the violation may create issues during title review, lender underwriting, or closing. The exact impact depends on the violation and the transaction.
It depends on the work being performed. Waterproofing that involves structural alterations, excavation, drainage changes, or other regulated work may trigger permitting requirements. The scope should be determined before work begins.
The fact that a previous owner performed the work does not necessarily make an open property violation disappear. If you're dealing with a violation inherited from a previous owner, have the notice reviewed before assuming you need to repeat or simply document the old work.
Whether it involves drainage, waterproofing, foundation work, or excavation, we’ll help you understand what needs to happen next.
Call (347) 337-6482 for an assessment.
429 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Water-management solutions for Brooklyn properties. Built around your building, moisture source, and drainage conditions. Serving brownstones, row houses, and homes since 2004.
