Guide
NYC DOB violations removal. Fix it, prove it, close it.
A violation doesn't go away when the work is done. It goes away when the city accepts proof. Here's the route for each kind.
First, sort what you have
Pull up the building's NYC building violations and split the open items into three piles:
Cleared by filing the missing report and paying the late penalties.
Summonses with a class and a hearing. Cleared with a Certificate of Correction in DOB NOW: Safety, plus a hearing, cure or penalty payment.
Cleared by correcting the work, usually with permits and a sign-off.
Not sure which code is which? Use the DOB violation codes table.
Route 1: filing violations
Hire the right inspector (boiler inspector, elevator agency, energy consultant), have them file in DOB NOW: Safety, and pay the late filing penalty. Once DOB accepts the filing, the violation for that cycle closes. Here's how to clear a boiler violation step by step, including the waiver cases. Earlier years usually need their own filing or a penalty payment. Check each one.
Route 2: ECB violations and the Certificate of Correction
- Fix the condition. Keep dated photos, invoices and any permit or sign-off.
- Submit a Certificate of Correction request in DOB NOW: Safety with that proof: how, when and by whom the condition was fixed. You type the details into the request; the old AEU2 form no longer has to be uploaded. DOB also requires any applicable DOB civil penalties to be paid.
- Class 3 and curable Class 2 (see violation classes): select the Cure Request option. If DOB accepts it by the cure date (60 days from service), there's no penalty and no hearing. Curing counts as admitting the violation.
- Class 1 and everything else: go to the OATH hearing (or settle), then pay the penalty. File the certificate regardless. For Class 1, skipping it brings a DOB civil penalty of at least $5,000 (AEUHAZ1) and re-inspections every 60 days.
Route 3: construction and zoning violations
These take a professional. An architect or engineer files to legalize or remove the work, the work gets inspected and signed off, and then the violation is resolved against the job. If the work can't be legalized, it has to come out.
Route 4: dismissal
If a DOB violation was written against the wrong building, was already corrected, or the condition no longer exists (common with decades-old elevator items), ask DOB to dismiss it with the Violation Dismissal Request form. Type it, attach every supporting document, and email it to the unit that issued the violation. Incomplete forms are rejected.
Need it done for you? ViolationWatch violation removal handles filings, Certificates of Correction and hearings.
Last checked against nyc.gov/buildings: October 23, 2026 (What is an OATH Summons?, DOB enforcement FAQ, DOB forms, 1 RCNY §102-01).
From the team behind this tool
Cleared it? Make sure nothing new lands.
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
Removing DOB violations: common questions
Short answers first. Still stuck? Call (347) 201-2336 and a person picks up.
How do I remove a DOB violation in NYC?
Fix the condition, then prove it to DOB the way that violation type requires: file the missing report and pay the penalty for boiler, elevator and other filing violations, submit a Certificate of Correction request in DOB NOW: Safety for an ECB/OATH summons, or get permits and a sign-off for construction and zoning work. The violation comes off the record only when DOB accepts that proof. Paying alone never removes it.
How do I cure a DOB violation?
Only an eligible ECB summons can be cured, meaning every Class 3 and the Class 2 codes DOB's penalty schedule marks curable: correct the condition and get a Certificate of Correction accepted in DOB NOW: Safety by the cure date on the summons, with the Cure Request option selected. Then there's no hearing and no penalty. Curing counts as admitting the violation, and Class 1 can never be cured.
How do I remove an ECB violation?
Correct the condition, settle the OATH side (cure, stipulation, payment or hearing), and get a Certificate of Correction accepted by DOB's Administrative Enforcement Unit in DOB NOW: Safety. The ECB violation stays open on DOB's records until that certificate is approved, even when the penalty is paid, unless OATH dismissed the summons at a hearing.
Where is the DOB violation dismissal request form?
It's the Violation Dismissal Request form on DOB's Forms page, used to ask DOB to dismiss one or more active DOB or Unsafe Building violations. It has to be typed, filled out correctly and sent with all supporting documents to the unit that issued the violation, by email; DOB rejects incomplete forms. ECB/OATH summonses aren't dismissed with this form.
How do I fight a DOB violation?
Contest an ECB/OATH summons at the OATH hearing, by phone, video or a written defense where allowed, with photos, permits and documents; you don't need a lawyer. A plain DOB violation issued in error is challenged with DOB's Violation Dismissal Request, and an AEUHAZ penalty can be challenged in DOB NOW: Safety within 30 days of the notice. If you lose at OATH, you can appeal the decision.
How long does it take to remove a DOB violation?
Filing violations such as boiler, elevator and benchmarking can clear within weeks once the missing report is accepted and the penalty is paid. Construction and zoning violations that need plans, permits and sign-offs often take months, because the work itself has to be legalized or removed before DOB will close anything.
What is an AEU2?
The AEU2 was DOB's paper Certificate of Correction form for ECB violations, a sworn statement with proof that the condition was fixed. Since December 15, 2025, Certificate of Correction requests go through DOB NOW: Safety, and DOB says the AEU2, AEU20 and AEU3321 forms no longer need to be uploaded: you enter the same information directly in the request.
Does paying the fine remove the violation?
No. Payment settles the penalty only, and DOB keeps the violation open until it accepts proof that the condition was corrected, whether that's a filing or a Certificate of Correction. A $0 balance next to an open violation almost always means the certificate was never filed or never accepted.
Should I hire a violation removal service?
For one boiler or benchmarking filing, usually not, since it's a report and a payment in DOB NOW. For construction or zoning violations, or a building with many open items, an expediter or architect who files with DOB every week will save time, and legalizing work goes through a registered architect or professional engineer anyway. ViolationWatch violation removal handles it end to end.