Department of Buildings
DOB violation search. Every DOB violation on a building, by address.
Active violations first. Elevator, boiler, facade, construction, benchmarking and the rest, with ECB summonses alongside so you can see what's carrying a penalty.
- DOB
- ECB
- + 8 more agencies in the full search
What a NYC DOB violation search turns up
The Department of Buildings writes violations when an inspector finds a building out of compliance with the Construction Codes, the Zoning Resolution or one of the local laws, or when an owner misses a required filing. On the record they look like a code, a date and a one-line description. The code tells you most of what you need. For the full list, see DOB violation codes.
Most active DOB violations in the city aren't about anything dangerous. They're missed inspections and filings:
Annual boiler inspection not filed. Around 337,000 boiler violations are active right now. That's the biggest category by far.
Missing annual or five-year test, or no affirmation of correction after a defect.
Local Law 11 report late or not filed, or an unsafe facade condition.
Benchmarking not submitted, energy grade not posted, energy audit missing.
Work without a permit, work not matching plans, site conditions.
A Class 1 ECB violation was never certified as corrected. This one carries its own $5,000 penalty.
DOB BIS search vs DOB NOW: where DOB violations live
DOB runs two systems, and a real check covers both. BIS (the Buildings Information System) holds the long history: violations going back decades, complaints, and older job filings. DOB NOW holds newer filings, Safety (boiler, elevator, facade) compliance, and since December 15, 2025, every Certificate of Correction request.
The search above reads the DOB Violations and DOB ECB Violations datasets on NYC Open Data, which carry records from both. It's faster than clicking through BIS one tab at a time. If the building is residential, the NYC building violations search on our home page adds HPD's housing violations to the same results. The step-by-step lookup guide covers BIS, DOB NOW, HPD Online and OATH in order. Before a closing, though, pull the official BIS printout as well.
Boiler and elevator violations in NYC
These two make up most open DOB violations. Both come from missed annual filings, not from an inspector walking in. A boiler inspection has to be filed each year. If it isn't, DOB writes the violation automatically and adds a penalty. Elevators work the same way: an annual test (Category 1) and a five-year full-load test (Category 5), each filed by an approved agency. When you search, check the issue dates. A string of the same boiler code year after year means nobody has been filing. The deadlines and penalty amounts for boiler violations have their own page.
How to clear a DOB violation
Fix the condition, then prove it. Depending on the code, that means filing the missing report (boiler, elevator, facade), getting a sign-off on permitted work, or submitting a Certificate of Correction with photos, invoices and an affidavit. Walkthrough on the removing a violation page.
Last checked against nyc.gov: October 23, 2026 (boiler and elevator payment pages, DOB NOW service notices of December 8, 2025 and January 6, 2026, and the Resolving Violations fact sheet). Counts from NYC Open Data, June 2026.
From the team behind this tool
Get told about new DOB violations the day they're written
This page shows what the city has on file today. Tomorrow an inspector can write a Class C, or an ECB hearing date can land, and nobody tells you until the penalty notice shows up in the mail.
ViolationWatch watches DOB, HPD, ECB, OATH, FDNY, 311 and four more agencies for each building you add. When something new appears, you get an email, WhatsApp or Slack message, usually within 10–20 minutes.
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Common questions
DOB violation search: common questions
Short answers first. Still stuck? Call (347) 201-2336 and a person picks up.
How do I run a DOB violation search by address?
Enter the address in the search box above and you get every DOB violation on file for that building, plus the DOB-issued ECB violations, with active items first. On the city's side, open the building's property profile in BIS and click Violations-DOB, then check the DOB NOW Public Portal for boiler, elevator and facade violations. Our search reads the same records from NYC Open Data.
How do I do a DOB BIS search?
Open DOB's Buildings Information System (BIS), enter the house number, street and borough (or the BIN, or the block and lot), and the property profile lists the building's DOB violations, ECB violations, complaints and permits. Boiler, elevator and facade compliance is in the DOB NOW Public Portal instead. The box on this page searches both by address.
What is a DOB violation?
A DOB violation is a notice from the NYC Department of Buildings that a building, or work on it, doesn't comply with the Construction Codes, the Zoning Resolution or another law DOB enforces. Inspectors write them on site, and DOB also issues them when an owner fails to file a required report, such as the annual boiler inspection. It stays open until DOB accepts proof of correction. If it carries a penalty and a hearing date, it's an ECB violation, heard at OATH.
Can I look up a DOB violation by its number?
Yes: in the DOB NOW Public Portal, choose Violations & Notices of Deficiency and search by violation number, address, BBL or BIN, with no login needed. That covers compliance violations such as boiler, elevator, benchmarking and AEUHAZ. For an ECB/OATH summons, enter the summons number in BIS or in OATH's Summons Finder. The search on this page works by address.
How do I pay DOB violations?
Most DOB civil penalties are paid in DOB NOW: Safety: log in with an NYC.ID account, open the Violations portal, add a violation payment and finish on the city's CityPay page. That covers boiler, elevator, facade (Cycle 6 and later), benchmarking, retro-commissioning and AEUHAZ penalties. ECB penalties are paid to OATH instead (see ECB violations). Paying doesn't close the violation. DOB still needs the missing filing or an accepted Certificate of Correction.
What does "active" mean on a DOB violation?
It means DOB hasn't accepted proof that the condition was fixed, so the violation is still open on the building's record even if the work was finished long ago. Until a Certificate of Correction or the right filing is accepted, it shows as open to anyone who searches, including a buyer's title company. In BIS, dismissed DOB violations carry an asterisk in the number.
Do DOB violations have fines?
The DOB violation itself usually doesn't carry a fine; the money comes from the ECB summons often issued alongside it, or from civil penalties for missed filings such as boiler, elevator, facade and benchmarking reports. Those filing penalties are paid in DOB NOW: Safety. See ECB violations for hearing penalties.
Can I sell or refinance with open DOB violations?
Often you can, but title companies and lenders flag open DOB violations, buyers ask for credits, and some open violations block new permits or a final Certificate of Occupancy. Clear them before you list, and pull the official BIS and DOB NOW records so you know exactly what a buyer's search will show.
Why does a building I own show violations from the 1980s?
DOB never closes a violation on its own, so old elevator and boiler items stay "active" until somebody files to close them, no matter how long ago the condition was fixed. A lot of the 582,000 active DOB violations in the city are exactly this kind of paperwork backlog. The removal guide covers how to clear them.