All buildings in New York City over six stories tall are subject to regulations under the Façade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP), also known as Local Law 11. Buildings under the purview of FISP must be inspected by a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector who identifies the building’s level of safety and submits a report to the NYC DOB. FISP has three classifications for buildings: Safe, Unsafe, and SWARMP. Safe means the building does not need any repairs and poses no hazard to the public. Unsafe means the building needs repairs, and the current condition poses a potential hazard to the public. SWARMP, on the other hand, is a little less self-explanatory causing many people to get confused about what SWARMP means.
What Does SWARMP Mean?
SWARMP is an acronym for Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program. This term is one of three classifications for building facade safety status in NYC, the others being Safe and Unsafe. A building is classified as SWARMP if it has no unsafe conditions but needs repairs and does not pose any hazard to the public.
The most crucial aspect of SWARMP is that the building must not have any deficiencies that could be dangerous. If such issues were present, the building would be classified as Unsafe. The DOB even mandates the inspector to state on the report that ‘There are no unsafe conditions’ for all SWARMP filings. Despite not being Unsafe, it is our responsibility to rectify SWARMP issues in line with FISP regulations to ensure building safety and compliance with all applicable laws.
I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Fontan Architecture, an architecture firm based in NYC. At our office, we work on various project types, including Facade Safety Inspections and repairs.
Timeline for SWARMP Repairs
Facade Safety Inspections in NYC are to be conducted by an architect or engineer listed with the NYC DOB as a Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI). When a QEWI designates a building as SWARMP, they are responsible for notifying the DOB of the repair schedule, which must be at least twelve months from the report’s filing date. Failure to complete the repairs by the next FISP Cycle will result in the building being classified as Unsafe. Each FISP Cycle spans five years.
Resolving SWARMP Issues
Addressing the issues that caused the building to be SWARMP is essential to avoid violations and prevent it from being classified as Unsafe. All issues must be repaired before the building can be reclassified as Safe. If repairs or construction are ongoing, the building cannot be classified as Safe and must stay in SWARMP or Unsafe status, depending on its condition.
NYC Facade Inspection
FISP Compliance
Complying with all Facade Inspection Safety & Maintenance Program regulations is critical. Noncompliance can lead to violations, penalties, buildings being classified as Unsafe, and continued deterioration.
If you want to read more about FISP, you can see another post we wrote explaining Local Law11/FISP in more detail.
Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on SWARMP for Local Law 11.
I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a potential project, you can contact us at Fontan Architecture directly. Learn about our NYC Facade Inspection Services.
You can read more about Facade Violations on the DOB website: DOB Facade Violations
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This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
