How to check DOB violations by address
Last reviewed Oct 6, 2026 · NYC property compliance guides
Use the DOB Building Information System property profile. Search by address, borough and street, then open the property profile, which lists DOB violations, ECB violations, complaints and permits for that building. Recent permit filings may only appear in DOB NOW.
The lookup, step by step
Open DOB BIS and choose a search
BIS will find a building by address, by BIN or by Borough-Block-Lot. Address search is easiest; BIN is the most precise, and is worth using on a lot with more than one building.
Open the property profile
This is the page worth bookmarking. It summarises the building and links to every record type DOB holds against it.
Open "Violations — DOB" and "Violations — ECB" separately
These are two different lists and a building can have entries in one and not the other. Checking only one is the most common way to miss something.
Check complaints and any active orders
DOB complaints can be open without a violation yet existing. A stop-work order or vacate order will also show here, and both are urgent in a way an ordinary violation is not.
Cross-check permits in DOB NOW
DOB moved filings to DOB NOW progressively, so a building can have an active permit there and nothing recent in BIS. For any question about current work, check both.
DOB violation or ECB summons?
Both are issued by the Department of Buildings and both appear on the property profile, which is why they get conflated. They do different things.
A DOB violation records that a condition breaches the Building Code or another rule DOB enforces. It stays against the building until it is resolved, and some classes must be cleared before DOB will sign off on related work.
An ECB summons is a charge brought to a tribunal. It carries a hearing date at OATH and a penalty if it is sustained or if nobody appears. The underlying condition may be the same; the consequence is money and a hearing rather than a note on the record.
A single inspection can produce both, which is why a building can appear to have a violation twice. It usually does not.
Common questions
What is the difference between BIS and DOB NOW?
BIS is the older Building Information System and still holds the long history for most buildings. DOB NOW is the newer filing platform, and work filed in recent years lives there. Neither is a complete picture on its own, so for current work you check both.
Do DOB violations expire?
No. They remain against the building until resolved through the process DOB specifies for that violation type. Age makes a violation more of a problem rather than less, because it tends to surface at the worst moment, during a sale, a refinance or an application for new work.
Can I check DOB violations for a building I do not own?
Yes. DOB records are public and searchable by address or BIN with no account. This is routine in due diligence before a purchase.
Official sources
Rules and figures change. Check anything you are about to act on against the agency itself.
Related guides
- DOB violation or ECB violation? The difference that changes what you do
DOB violations and ECB summonses look alike on a property profile but resolve differently. What each one is, what it costs, and how each is actually cleared.
- DOB NOW permits: checking what work is filed at a building
How to see permits and job filings in DOB NOW, why older work is in BIS instead, and what an expired or withdrawn permit means for a NYC property.
- How to check violations on a NYC property
Check HPD, DOB, ECB/OATH, 311, DEP and FDNY records for any New York City building, with the official lookup for each and what every system does not show.
- You have an ECB summons: what happens next
What to do in the days after an ECB summons is issued: read the charge and cure period, decide how to respond, correct and document, and confirm the outcome.
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