Local Law 11 repairs: from the SWARMP or UNSAFE report to the repair filing
The steps, the deadlines and how long it really takes, from public DOB filings. Today 594 of 1,439 NYC buildings with a cycle 10 SWARMP or UNSAFE report show no repair work yet (DOB data as of Oct 19, 2026).
The four steps after the report
Under the Facade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP, also called Local Law 11), an engineer or architect inspects the facades of every NYC building taller than six stories once per five-year cycle and files a report with the Department of Buildings. A SAFE report ends the matter for the cycle. A SWARMP or UNSAFE report starts a repair job. Inspection and filing deadlines are covered by our sister site FISP Radar; this page is about what comes after.
- Step 1Report filedThe inspector rates the facade SAFE, SWARMP or UNSAFE. Owner and managing agent now know a repair is due.
- Step 2Protection and scopeUNSAFE: protect the public at once, usually with a sidewalk shed. The engineer of record writes the repair scope; the owner collects bids.
- Step 3Repair filingThe contractor or the design professional files the repair job in DOB NOW: Build and the permit is issued. The job is awarded.
- Step 4Repair and amended reportAfter the work the inspector files an amended report. For UNSAFE conditions, the penalty for failure to correct ends once that report is accepted, the shed is removed and the permits are signed off (or the Department grants an extension).
Deadlines in the rule
| Finding | What the owner must do |
|---|---|
| UNSAFE | Protect the public immediately; correct the condition within 90 days of filing the report. An extension of up to 90 days is possible on request, with the repair contract and the inspector's time estimate. |
| UNSAFE, not corrected | Penalty for failure to correct: $1,000 per month until an acceptable amended report is filed, the shed is removed and the permits are signed off (or an extension is granted), with additional amounts per foot of shed from the second year (1 RCNY § 103-04 (d)(3)). |
| SWARMP | Repair within the time frame set in the report and before the next cycle. If the next inspection reports the condition as UNSAFE: $2,000 (d)(4). |
| Sidewalk shed | Since 2026 also Local Laws 48 and 51: monthly amounts for sheds without work and repair milestones, see LL48/LL51 penalties. |
Amounts as stated in the rule; the Department of Buildings decides whether a penalty is imposed. Full list of FISP penalties on FISP Radar. Not legal advice.
The real timeline: cycle 9
7,552 SWARMP or UNSAFE first reports filed July 2021 to June 2024. Only 52% got a facade repair filing in DOB NOW at all; the medians count only the reports that got one:
| From report to repair filing (reports that got one) | Median |
|---|---|
| UNSAFE reports that got a repair filing (60%) | 213 days |
| SWARMP reports that got a repair filing (49%) | 620 days |
| all reports that got a repair filing (52%) | 446 days |
| first work signal of any kind (repair filing, scaffold, GC or structural permit), among the 81% that had one | 160 days |
Across all 7,552 reports, 22% had a repair filing within 12 months and 35% within 24 months, so the median over all reports lies beyond 24 months. One-time analysis of cycle 9, as of Oct 23, 2026: own count of NYC Open Data, details on our track record. Past cycles say nothing certain about cycle 10.
Where cycle 10 stands
Cycle 10 is still running, so its timeline is not complete. As of Oct 19, 2026, these are the 1,439 buildings with a cycle 10 SWARMP or UNSAFE first report:
| Cycle 10 SWARMP / UNSAFE buildings | Buildings |
|---|---|
| no repair work on file yet (our list) | 594 |
| repair work on file (repair filing or permit, scaffold for the repair) | 333 |
| large project on the building (demolition, new building, major alteration) | 6 |
| rating later corrected to SAFE | 133 |
| public or NYCHA owner (not on our list) | 373 |
DOB data of Oct 19, 2026. Of the 333 buildings with repair work, 161 already had a facade permit in force when the report was filed. For the other 172 the median from report to first repair work was 146 days (UNSAFE 135, SWARMP 185). That median only covers jobs that have moved so far, so it is shorter than the final one will be.
| Open cases: report age | UNSAFE | SWARMP |
|---|---|---|
| less than 90 days | 35 | 155 |
| 90 to 179 days | 9 | 49 |
| 6 to 12 months | 24 | 127 |
| 1 year or more | 35 | 160 |
| All open cases | 103 | 491 |
DOB data of Oct 19, 2026; median report age 245 days. 68 open UNSAFE reports are older than 90 days and show no repair filing or permit. Extensions granted by the Department are not visible in the data we use.
What facade contractors can read from this
The gap is long, and it is where jobs are decided. Between the report and the repair filing lie months, often years: in cycle 9, the reports that got a repair filing at all (52%) waited a median of 446 days, and after 24 months only 35% of all reports had one. In that time the engineer of record writes the scope and the owner or managing agent picks the bidders. By the time a permit shows up, the job is awarded. A contractor who hears about the building only then is too late.
UNSAFE moves faster, and older UNSAFE cases are under pressure. UNSAFE reports reached a repair filing three times faster than SWARMP reports in cycle 9. An open UNSAFE report older than 90 days means the correction deadline has passed unless the Department granted an extension, and 63 of the 103 open UNSAFE cases have a sidewalk shed that can cost money every month (see how long sidewalk sheds stay up).
SWARMP gives more time, but not forever. A SWARMP condition that is still there at the next inspection becomes UNSAFE. Half of the SWARMP buildings of cycle 8 were rated SAFE in cycle 9, so many of these conditions were repaired or resolved in the end (see SWARMP explained).
Ask the inspection firm first. The engineer or architect who filed the report usually writes the repair scope and often invites the bidders. The managing agent is the second address. The owner decides.
What Facade Repair Radar delivers, and what it does not
Every week we re-check the cycle 10 SWARMP and UNSAFE reports against public DOB data and list the buildings with no repair filing or repair permit since the report. For each case you get the finding and report date, the inspection firm of record, the managing agent, sidewalk shed age with an LL48/LL51 estimate, an estimated job size and whether a contractor did facade work there before. A case leaves the list as soon as repair work shows up, so the list stays current.
What we do not have: the text of the report or the list of conditions (public data shows the rating, not the details), the repair scope, bid invitations or the bidder list. Work without a permit and contracts that are signed but not yet filed cannot be seen, so a listed case can already have a contractor. Dollar amounts are estimates, not fines. Before you contact anyone, verify the filing in DOB NOW.
See five open cases from your borough for free: Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island. The full list and what it costs are on the pricing page, and every rule we apply is on the method page.
Questions about Local Law 11 repairs
How long do Local Law 11 repairs take?
Longer than the rules suggest. Of the cycle 9 facade reports rated SWARMP or UNSAFE, only 52% got a facade repair filing in DOB NOW at all. Among those, the median time from the report to the first repair filing was 446 days: 213 days for UNSAFE and 620 days for SWARMP. Across all reports, 22% had a repair filing within 12 months and 35% within 24 months, so the median over all reports lies beyond 24 months.
What is the deadline to repair an UNSAFE facade condition?
The owner must protect the public right away, usually with a sidewalk shed, and correct the unsafe condition within 90 days of filing the report (1 RCNY § 103-04). The Department of Buildings can grant an extension of up to 90 days on request. Until an acceptable amended report is filed, the sidewalk shed is removed and the related permits are signed off (or the Department grants an extension), the rule provides a penalty for failure to correct of $1,000 per month (1 RCNY § 103-04 (d)(3)).
Who files the repair permit for a Local Law 11 repair?
The contractor or the design professional files the repair job in DOB NOW: Build, usually against a scope written by the engineer or architect who filed the facade report. After the repair, the inspector files an amended report.
When does a building leave the Facade Repair Radar list?
As soon as a facade repair filing or repair permit shows up in public DOB data after the report, or the report is corrected to SAFE. A sidewalk shed alone does not count as work.
Sources: NYC Department of Buildings: Facade & Local Law (FISP) · 1 RCNY § 103-04 (PDF) · Local Law 48 of 2025 (PDF) · FISP filings and job filings on NYC Open Data (DOB NOW: Safety - Facades Compliance Filings, DOB NOW: Build - Job Application Filings, DOB permit issuance). Our numbers: own count, DOB data of Oct 19, 2026, informational only, verify every filing in DOB NOW. Not legal advice.
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