Local Law 11 (FISP) Cycle 10: Filing Windows, QEWI Costs & SWARMP (2026)

Cycle 9 of the Façade Inspection Safety Program closed in February 2025. Cycle 10 opened the day after, runs through February 2030, and brings several procedural changes — sub-cycle assignments are stricter, sidewalk shed expectations are more aggressive, and the QEWI talent market has tightened on the front end of every sub-cycle.

If you own or manage a NYC building over six stories, FISP is the single most expensive ongoing compliance obligation you face. A bad cycle can mean a sidewalk shed for 12 months ($30,000+), a flagrant SWARMP escalation ($100,000+ in repair work), or a missed filing penalty stacking $5,000/month. Understanding Cycle 10 isn't optional; it's how you avoid those outcomes.

This guide covers the Cycle 10 sub-cycle calendar, what hiring a QEWI actually costs in 2026, the SAFE / SWARMP / UNSAFE classification math, the 30-day shed rule, and the four most common reasons facade reports get rejected on first filing.

01 · WHO'S COVEREDFISP applicability in 2026

Local Law 11 — formally the Façade Inspection Safety Program — applies to:

• Every NYC building over six stories. Story count is measured from the lowest occupied floor; not foundation height.
• Including residential, commercial, mixed-use, and institutional. No occupancy exemption.
• Including buildings with non-masonry exterior walls (curtain wall, glass, metal panel — all subject to FISP).

The lone exception: buildings whose only exterior walls are less than 12 inches from an adjacent building (the "no exposed wall" rule), or whose exterior is fully covered by an approved permanent canopy. Both exemptions are rare.

About 13,500 NYC buildings sit on the FISP cycle. The QEWI market — the licensed PEs and RAs authorized to perform the inspection — is approximately 800 firms statewide. Demand spikes hit each sub-cycle's filing window.

02 · CYCLE 10 SUB-CYCLESWhich buildings file when

FISP staggers buildings across three sub-cycles (A, B, C) within each five-year cycle. Sub-cycle is determined by the last digit of the building's block number.

Note the overlapping windows. A building with last digit 9 falls into both Sub-cycle A and B — DOB resolves the conflict by sub-cycle assignment in your DOB NOW property record. If you don't know yours, check your prior cycle 9 filing record on DOB NOW. The sub-cycle stays consistent across cycles unless DOB explicitly reassigns the building.

03 · HIRING A QEWIThe 2026 market

A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector is a licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect with at least one year of facade experience, who has completed the QEWI seal application with DOB. Only QEWIs may stamp the FISP report.

What hiring actually costs in 2026

Drop platforms (suspended scaffolding) are required for any close-up inspection that can't be done from interior windows or balconies. The platform contractor is separate from the QEWI fee. For tower-class buildings, the drop platform itself can run $30,000–$80,000 over the inspection window.

What hiring early saves

QEWI capacity tightens dramatically in the last 9 months of every sub-cycle window. Owners who book QEWIs 18+ months before their filing deadline save 15–25% on fees and have a meaningful choice of firms. Owners who wait until the final 6 months pay premium pricing and often accept whichever QEWI has availability.

04 · THE INSPECTIONWhat the QEWI actually does

The QEWI inspection is more involved than most owners assume. It includes:

• Document review — prior FISP reports, building drawings, repair history, any historical SWARMP items.
• Hands-on inspection of a representative sample of the facade — not a fly-by from the street, not just a binocular review. The QEWI must physically reach close enough to inspect mortar joints, anchor systems, terra cotta, balcony railings, and parapets.
• Probes where required — for masonry tie-back assessment in older buildings, the QEWI may pull a brick or open a small portion of the wall to inspect concealed conditions.
• Photographic documentation of every defect, with location plotted on facade drawings.
• Classification of every defect as Safe, SWARMP, or Unsafe.
• Recommendation of repair scope with priority ranking.

The QEWI's report is then submitted through DOB NOW within the sub-cycle filing window.

05 · THE THREE CLASSIFICATIONSSafe, SWARMP, and Unsafe — what each means

SAFE

The facade has no defects requiring repair. The building is compliant for the cycle. No further action until the next sub-cycle window opens.

SWARMP — Safe With a Repair And Maintenance Program

The facade has defects that do not currently pose an immediate hazard, but require repair within the cycle. SWARMP items must be:

• Documented in the report
• Repaired before the next FISP filing (i.e., within five years)
• Re-inspected and signed off by a QEWI as part of the next cycle's filing

SWARMP is the most common classification in NYC. Ignoring SWARMP items between cycles converts them to Unsafe at the next inspection — and the cost of repair grows rapidly.

UNSAFE

The facade has defects that pose an immediate hazard. The owner must:

• Install a sidewalk shed within 30 days of the QEWI report (or sooner — the QEWI can require an immediate shed in their professional judgment)
• Begin repair work on an expedited timeline
• Re-inspect after repairs and refile with the unsafe condition cleared

06 · CYCLE 10 PROCEDURAL CHANGESWhat's different from Cycle 9

The DOB issued updated FISP rules effective Cycle 10 (Feb 2025). Major changes affecting 2026 filings:

1. Stricter SWARMP-to-Unsafe escalation review. DOB now reviews the prior cycle's SWARMP items at every new filing. A SWARMP from Cycle 9 that hasn't been repaired in Cycle 10 is presumptively reclassified as Unsafe.
2. Mandatory probe protocols for buildings 50+ years old. Where the QEWI suspects concealed deterioration in mortar tie-backs, probes are now required, not optional.
3. 30-day shed rule enforced more aggressively. Late shed installation now triggers an immediate ECB violation in addition to the underlying FISP penalty.
4. Drone-only inspections disqualified. A QEWI may use drone imagery to supplement, but cannot rely on drones as the sole inspection method.
5. Photographic documentation requirements expanded — minimum resolution and per-defect photo counts increased.

07 · PENALTIESWhat missing the cycle costs in 2026

FISP penalties stack on multiple axes:

08 · WHY REPORTS GET REJECTEDThe four most common rejection reasons

Roughly 8–12% of FISP filings are rejected by DOB on first submission, requiring resubmission. The four most common reasons:

1. Missing or insufficient photographic documentation. Cycle 10 has stricter requirements; Cycle 9-style reports get bounced.
2. Missing inspection of all four facades. Some QEWIs document only the visible street facades; rear and side facades must be inspected.
3. SWARMP repair completion not properly documented. If a Cycle 9 SWARMP was repaired, the Cycle 10 filing must show the completion documentation, not just say "completed."
4. Wrong sub-cycle filed. Filing under Sub-cycle A when the building is assigned to B, or vice versa, results in immediate rejection.

Resubmission burns 4–8 weeks. If the sub-cycle window is closing, that delay can cost six figures.

09 · MONITORINGTracking FISP across a portfolio

For owners managing more than one FISP-eligible building, manual cycle tracking quickly fails — different sub-cycles, overlapping QEWI procurement, prior-cycle SWARMP items that re-emerge as Unsafe at the next filing, and sidewalk shed permits that expire on different schedules.

ViolationWatch's compliance calendar tracks every covered building's sub-cycle deadline, sends 18-month / 12-month / 6-month / 90-day reminders before the QEWI inspection should be booked, monitors DOB NOW for filing acceptance, and surfaces any new ECB violations on the building tied to FISP non-compliance. Run a free check on any address to see its current FISP status.

10 · BOTTOM LINEThe 2026 FISP playbook

1. Confirm your sub-cycle. Pull last cycle's filing record on DOB NOW.
2. Book the QEWI 18 months early. Save 15–25% and have a real choice.
3. Pre-walk the facade. Address obvious issues — loose mortar, cracked lintels, missing flashing — before the QEWI arrives.
4. Plan SWARMP repair budget at the same time as inspection budget.
5. If Unsafe is filed: sidewalk shed within 30 days, no exceptions.
6. Document SWARMP repairs as you do them. The next cycle's filing will need that paper trail.
7. File on time. The late-filing penalty can exceed the inspection cost.

For the regulatory background, see our LL11 reference page. For the broader 2026 NYC compliance landscape, start at our 2026 NYC local laws guide. For how FISP compares to LL126 parking-structure inspection, see FISP vs LL126.