FISP Facade Inspection in NYC for Buildings Over Six Stories
A FISP facade inspection is the five-year critical examination DOB requires on every NYC building above six stories. A licensed partner QEWI examines the walls, rates each condition and signs the report. We line up the scaffold drops, the records and the building itself so the filing lands inside your sub-cycle.
Who We Arrange FISP Facade Inspections For
Co-op and Condo Boards
Volunteer boards that need the exam scheduled, residents informed and the filing tracked without chasing three vendors.
Managing Agents
Agents running several addresses with different sub-cycles who need every deadline on one calendar.
Rental and Commercial Owners
Owners who want the exam done once, filed on time and kept clear of late penalties.
What NYC Requires in a FISP Facade Inspection
FISP, DOB’s Facade Inspection and Safety Program under 1 RCNY 103-04, calls for a critical examination of every exterior wall and appurtenance on buildings over six stories, once in each five-year cycle. The owner must retain a QEWI, a DOB-approved architect or engineer holding a New York license, who reviews the earlier reports before examining the facade. Walls facing a street need hands-on close-ups from a scaffold drop or platform, set at intervals of 60 feet or less, each one covering the wall from the sidewalk up to the top.
The QEWI then files a technical report in DOB NOW Safety, with a deadline of 60 days from the last inspection day. A report cannot go in once a full year has passed since the close-ups ended. Each condition in that report is classified Safe, SWARMP or Unsafe. Once DOB accepts the filing, the owner has 30 days to frame and post the facade conditions certificate in the lobby.
What Our FISP Inspection Service Includes in NYC
Each booking runs from the first deadline check to the certificate hanging in your lobby.
- Sub-Cycle and Deadline Check. We read your block number and set field dates that leave room before the window closes.
- Partner QEWI Booking. A licensed partner inspector suited to your wall type is booked for the field days.
- Prior Report Collection. Past FISP reports, permits and open violations gathered for the review the inspector must do first.
- Close-Up Access. Scaffold drops, swing stages or rope access rigged at the spots the inspector marks.
- Probe Openings. Small cuts in cavity walls opened for the tie check and closed again afterward.
- Resident and Board Notices. Written notices telling occupants when crews will be outside their windows.
- Unsafe Condition Response. Netting or a shed arranged right away if a hazard turns up, while the QEWI alerts DOB.
- Filing and Certificate Follow-Up. We track the DOB NOW filing and remind you when the lobby certificate is due.
How the FISP Inspection Process Works, From Booking to Filing
Sub-Cycle Check and Records
We confirm your sub-cycle, collect the last report and book the partner QEWI.
Drops Rigged on Each Street Wall
Crews set access along each street wall at the spacing the inspector chooses.
Close-Up Exam by the QEWI
The QEWI works down each drop, sounds the wall, opens probes where needed and photographs every condition.
Report Filed and Certificate Issued
The QEWI files in DOB NOW, and the accepted report brings the certificate for your lobby.
FISP Inspection Checklist Items Owners Often Overlook
Beyond brick and windows, the report has to account for everything fixed to the exterior. These eight items are where hidden defects tend to sit.
Cavity Wall Ties
Metal ties linking brick veneer to the backup wall, checked through probes in odd-numbered cycles.
Relieving Angles
Steel shelves at the floor lines that carry the brick and rust out of sight.
Terra Cotta and Stone Trim
Glazed units and carved stone that crack from trapped water and corroded anchors.
Window AC Sleeves
Through-wall units and their brackets, which loosen as the masonry around them wears.
Signs, Flagpoles and Antennas
Anything bolted to the wall that could pull free in a strong wind.
Guard and Railing Anchors
Balcony and roof guards, which the rule requires the inspector to check for secure attachment.
Setback and Courtyard Walls
Upper setbacks and inner walls, which belong in the examination even when they are hard to see.
Joints and Sealants
Expansion joints and caulked seams that let water into the wall once they fail.
Who Performs the FISP Inspection and What Our Team Handles in NYC
Licensed Partner Inspector
- Retained by the owner, as the rule requires, and holding DOB approval as a QEWI.
- Performs the critical examination, classifies every condition and seals the report.
- Alerts DOB and the owner at once when anything is found Unsafe.
Our Team
- Tracks the sub-cycle and keeps the field days on schedule.
- Rigs access, opens and closes probes, and posts resident notices.
- Takes on SWARMP and Unsafe repairs afterward if you choose our crews.
How to Prepare Your NYC Building for a FISP Inspection
A Pre-Inspection Assessment can flag trouble early, and these five items keep the field days moving.
Roof Access
Keys or codes for the roof door and bulkhead so riggers can set outriggers and tiebacks.
Apartment and Terrace Keys
Entry to units whose balconies or terraces the inspector has to reach.
Resident Notices
A posted notice about a week ahead that names the days crews will work outside windows.
Past FISP Reports
The last two reports, plus any amended filings and extension approvals.
Building Plans
Elevation drawings or old permit sets that help the inspector map walls and setbacks.
Not sure which sub-cycle your block falls in? Send us the address and we will check it before booking the inspector.
FISP Facade Inspection Cost Factors in NYC
| Factor | How It Affects Cost |
|---|---|
|
Street Frontage |
Each added stretch of 60 feet along the street means one more required close-up drop. |
|
Building Height |
More stories and stepped upper floors mean longer drops and extra rigging time. |
|
Wall Construction |
Cavity walls need probe openings in odd-numbered cycles, which adds labor and patching. |
|
Access Method |
Swing stages, rope access, manlifts or a neighbor’s roof each price differently, and some need permits. |
|
Building History |
Open Unsafe items, missing past reports or a No Report Filed status add review and penalty steps. |
FISP Facade Inspection FAQs on Drops, Fees and Filing
One per 60 feet of street-facing wall, with a minimum of one. A 100-foot frontage needs two, a 150-foot frontage needs three, and the count rises by one for every further 60 feet. Drones and photos can support that work but never replace the drops.
DOB charges $425 for the initial report and the same for an amended or subsequent report. Each request for more time on Unsafe repairs costs $305, and a request to waive penalties costs $140.
Yes. Every exterior wall is part of the examination. Close-up drops are required on walls facing a public right-of-way, and the other elevations are checked from roofs, windows or the ground. A wall standing 12 inches or less from another wall, with no public access between them, is left out.
Yes. In Cycle 10, a building marked No Report Filed can file before its own window opens, once the outstanding civil penalties are paid. Cavity wall buildings still need probes as part of that late report.
The QEWI writes in an exact repair date, no sooner than one year away and no later than five. A condition still there in the next cycle must be reported as Unsafe, and leaving SWARMP work undone draws a $2,000 penalty.
A certificate DOB issues that shows the current state of the exterior walls. It must hang in a frame with a clear cover in the lobby or vestibule within 30 days of being issued, and each day it is missing can bring a $500 violation.
The rule says the inspector must be retained by the building owner. We introduce a licensed partner QEWI and run the schedule, but the inspector answers to you and DOB, not to us.
Yes, within limits. Close-up work can take place up to a year before filing, but the QEWI's last site visit has to come no more than 60 days before the filing. Since a report can only go in once your window opens, most owners book the close-ups a few months ahead of it.
Next, Plan Scaffold and Rope Access for Every Drop
See how scaffolds, swing stages and rope access put the inspector within reach of each street wall.