5,819 NYC facade-inspection filings came back rated 'Unsafe'
Across New York City's facade-inspection filings, 5,819 have come back rated 'Unsafe' and another 32,127 are listed as 'SWARMP' — safe only with required repairs — according to NYC OpenData's DOB NOW: Safety Facades Compliance Filings dataset. The records cover 86,713 filings in all. More than half of the unsafe filings, 3,059 of 5,819, are in Manhattan. The data tracks filings, not unique buildings.
5,819 filings came back rated 'Unsafe'
New York City requires owners of buildings taller than six stories to have their facades inspected on a recurring cycle and to file the results with the city. Across those filings, 5,819 are rated 'Unsafe,' according to NYC OpenData, DOB NOW: Safety Facades Compliance Filings (dataset xubg-57si), queried July 2026.
The same records show 44,124 filings rated 'Safe' and 32,127 rated 'SWARMP,' a status that means the wall is stable for now but needs required repairs. Another 4,355 filings are marked 'No Report Filed,' meaning the owner never filed a result.
In total the dataset holds 86,713 filings, with 288 left blank. The program is administered by the Department of Buildings (DOB).
More than half the unsafe filings are in Manhattan
The unsafe filings are not spread evenly across the five boroughs. Manhattan accounts for 3,059 of the 5,819 unsafe filings — more than half.
Brooklyn follows with 1,155 and the Bronx with 1,045. Queens has 519 unsafe filings, and Staten Island has 41.
The concentration in Manhattan tracks with where the city's tall buildings cluster, since the inspection requirement applies only to buildings above six stories.
The most recent completed cycle
Inspections run in five-year cycles. In the most recent completed cycle, known as Cycle 9, filings totaled 30,526.
Of those, 13,433 were rated 'Safe' and 10,987 'SWARMP.' Another 3,622 came back 'Unsafe,' and 2,465 were 'No Report Filed.'
That works out to about 12% of Cycle 9 filings rated unsafe and about 36% rated SWARMP, according to the same NYC OpenData dataset.
What 'SWARMP' and the other labels mean
'SWARMP' stands for 'Safe With A Repair And Maintenance Program.' It describes a facade that is deficient and needs scheduled repair — not a wall at immediate risk of collapse.
An important caveat: each row is a filing, not a unique building. The dataset holds one filing per building per five-year cycle, covering cycles 6 through 10, so the same address can appear more than once.
The program is the Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP), the city's name for the Local Law 11 facade compliance rules. RegWatch is one tool that tracks a building's FISP or Local Law 11 status and its filing deadlines.
How to check a specific building
The dataset is a citywide snapshot, not a verdict on any one address. Because rows are filings rather than buildings, and because a status can change between cycles, verify a specific building or case against the official agency — the Department of Buildings — before relying on it.
This article is general information drawn from public data, not legal advice. A building's current status, any matter before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) or its Environmental Control Board (ECB), and pending deadlines should be confirmed with the city.
The figures here were queried in July 2026 and will shift as owners file for the current cycle.
Frequently asked questions
What does 'Unsafe' mean in a facade filing?
An 'Unsafe' rating means the inspecting engineer found a facade condition that poses a risk to the public, obliging the owner to install protection and make repairs. Across the NYC OpenData facade dataset, 5,819 filings carry this status.
What does 'SWARMP' mean?
SWARMP stands for 'Safe With A Repair And Maintenance Program.' The facade is stable now but has deficiencies that need scheduled repair, not immediate action for collapse risk. The dataset lists 32,127 filings as SWARMP.
Why is Manhattan so heavily represented?
Manhattan accounts for 3,059 of the 5,819 unsafe filings, more than half. The inspection requirement applies only to buildings taller than six stories, and Manhattan holds a large share of the city's tall buildings.
Does each filing represent a different building?
No. Each row is one filing per building per five-year cycle, covering cycles 6 through 10, so a single address can appear more than once. The counts are filings, not unique buildings.
How current is this data?
The figures come from NYC OpenData's DOB NOW: Safety Facades Compliance Filings dataset (xubg-57si), queried July 2026. Confirm any specific building's status with the Department of Buildings, since this is general information, not legal advice.