NYC building fines: $3.13 billion issued, about $819 million still unpaid
New York City has issued about $3.13 billion in building-code penalties through its OATH/ECB enforcement system, and it is still owed roughly $819 million of that total, according to NYC OpenData. The figures come from the DOB ECB (OATH) Violations dataset, queried in July 2026, covering 1,824,490 violations. The unpaid balance is largest in Brooklyn, and the Bronx is owed more than Manhattan despite issuing far fewer violations.
About $3.13 billion imposed, roughly $819 million unpaid
New York City's building-code enforcement has produced about $3.13 billion in penalties over the life of the system, according to NYC OpenData. Of that, about $1.39 billion has been paid, leaving an unpaid balance of about $819 million. The records cover 1,824,490 violations.
The figures come from the DOB ECB (OATH) Violations dataset (6bgk-3dad), queried in July 2026. DOB is the city's Department of Buildings; ECB refers to the Environmental Control Board; and OATH is the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings, which now runs the hearings for these cases.
In plain terms, these are civil penalties for building-code and related violations — the kind of tickets a building can accumulate over years. The dataset tracks how much was charged, how much came in, and how much is still outstanding.
Brooklyn holds the largest unpaid balance
Broken out by borough, Brooklyn carries the most unpaid money: about $293.9 million across 547,900 violations. Queens is next at about $207.6 million on 483,322 violations.
The Bronx follows at about $175.5 million on 248,334 violations, then Manhattan at about $111.0 million on 472,440 violations. Staten Island is smallest at about $31.2 million on 72,493 violations.
Those five balances are cumulative and reflect the city's records as reported to NYC OpenData.
The Bronx owes more than Manhattan
One pattern stands out. The Bronx is owed about $175.5 million on 248,334 violations — more than Manhattan's about $111.0 million on 472,440 violations, even though Manhattan has roughly twice as many violations on record.
The dataset does not explain the gap, and these figures do not measure how much of each balance is realistically collectible. They show only what the city's records report as charged and unpaid.
Most of the unpaid money sits in active cases
Violations flagged as active status account for 275,903 of the cases and hold about $523.6 million in unpaid penalties — about 64% of the total unpaid balance, according to the dataset.
That leaves the rest spread across cases in other statuses. Importantly, a case marked 'resolved' can still carry an unpaid balance, so the outstanding money spans both active and resolved cases.
How to read these numbers
These totals are cumulative. The enforcement records run back to roughly 1988, so the figures represent decades of activity, not a single year. A high balance in one borough partly reflects how long and how heavily the system has operated there.
Two caveats matter. A 'resolved' status can still carry an unpaid balance, so unpaid money is not the same as open cases. And the data reflects the city's records, not a judgment of what is currently collectible.
For a single address, it helps to check the underlying records directly. RegWatch offers a NYC ECB/OATH violation lookup that surfaces a building's ECB/OATH penalties and whether unpaid fines have hardened into liens. Always verify a specific building or case against the official city agency, and treat this as general information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much does New York City say it is owed in building fines?
About $819 million, according to NYC OpenData's DOB ECB (OATH) Violations dataset queried in July 2026. That is the unpaid balance out of about $3.13 billion in penalties imposed across 1,824,490 violations; about $1.39 billion has been paid.
Which borough owes the most?
Brooklyn, with about $293.9 million unpaid across 547,900 violations. Queens follows at about $207.6 million, the Bronx at about $175.5 million, Manhattan at about $111.0 million, and Staten Island at about $31.2 million.
Why does the Bronx owe more than Manhattan?
The dataset does not say. It only shows that the Bronx has about $175.5 million unpaid on 248,334 violations, more than Manhattan's about $111.0 million on 472,440 violations — even though Manhattan has roughly twice as many violations on record.
Does a 'resolved' case mean the fine was paid?
Not necessarily. A case marked resolved can still carry an unpaid balance, so unpaid money spans both active and resolved cases. Active-status violations alone hold about $523.6 million, about 64% of the unpaid total.
Do these figures cover a single year?
No. They are cumulative and the records run back to roughly 1988, so they represent decades of enforcement. The numbers reflect the city's records, not a judgment of what is currently collectible. Verify any specific building or case against the official city agency; this is general information, not legal advice.