Cycle 10B filing windows are open. SWARMP conditions not repaired by your deadline automatically become UNSAFE. AAA NY Contracting Corp. performs FISP-qualifying facade repairs and coordinates with your QEWI from assessment to DOB sign-off.
Most owners hear “SWARMP” and assume it means “fine for now.” It doesn’t. SWARMP means safe with a repair and maintenance program, and if that program doesn’t happen inside your inspection cycle, the rating doesn’t stay SWARMP. It becomes UNSAFE automatically, no new inspection required to trigger it, just a missed deadline.
Building owners call us once they understand what that automatic reclassification actually means. We don’t just perform the repair. We coordinate directly with your QEWI so the paperwork and the physical work move on the same timeline, because a repair that’s finished but not filed correctly doesn’t close anything.
If your building is already UNSAFE, the clock is shorter and the stakes are higher, a sidewalk shed goes up immediately and DOB expects protective measures and a 90-day repair window. We handle both the shed and the underlying repair as one coordinated job.
Every FISP inspection ends with one of three ratings, and which one your building gets determines exactly what happens next.
SAFE: No immediate action required. Your facade passed this cycle’s inspection with no conditions that need repair before the next one.
SWARMP (Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program): The facade is safe right now, on the condition that specific repairs happen within this inspection cycle. Miss that window and the rating becomes UNSAFE without anyone re-inspecting first.
UNSAFE: The condition requires immediate protective measures, almost always a sidewalk shed, plus a 90-day window to complete the actual repair.
Filing follows a citywide schedule tied to the last digit of your block number. Cycle 10 is currently active, and 10B covers buildings with block numbers ending in 0, 7, or 8. That sub-window closes February 2028.
If your block number doesn’t end in one of those digits, you’re not in 10B, and confirming which sub-cycle you are in is usually the first thing we sort out on a call, before we even talk about scope.
(914) 912-1067
An UNSAFE facade rating under FISP-3 makes a sidewalk shed mandatory. It’s there to protect pedestrians until crews finish the underlying repair. Our masonry services team handles most of that facade work directly. The problem most owners run into isn’t the shed itself, it’s that nobody ties the shed to a repair timeline, so it just sits.
Local Laws 47-51 of 2025, the “Get Sheds Down” rules, put a real clock on this: 180 days, then additional fines start stacking on top of what you’re already paying in rental fees.
We install the shed and coordinate the facade repair timeline at the same time, so the countdown actually has an endpoint instead of becoming an open-ended expense nobody’s tracking.
From routine pointing to full structural work, here’s what falls under FISP-qualifying repair.
Brick Pointing & Tuckpointing: The most common SWARMP repair, open or deteriorated mortar joints are exactly what a QEWI flags first.
Parapet Repair & Rebuilding: Frequently the difference between SWARMP and UNSAFE, a compromised parapet is a fall hazard DOB takes seriously.
Lintel, Sill & Cornice Repair: Rusting steel lintels crack the brick around them from the inside out, this shows up on facade reports more than owners expect.
Facade Waterproofing: Elastomeric coating or crystalline waterproofing, applied after repair to prevent the same deficiency from reappearing next cycle.
EIFS Repair. Synthetic stucco systems fail at seams and penetrations, a different repair approach than traditional masonry.
Terracotta & Brownstone Surface Restoration: Older facade materials that crack and spall differently than brick, requiring their own matching technique.
Window Perimeter Sealing. A frequent source of water intrusion that gets flagged during facade inspection even when the window itself is fine.
Balcony & Guardrail Repair: Structural and safety-code repair in one, often required before a certificate of correction can be filed.
Spandrel Panel Repair: Common on mid-century and modern facades, spandrel deterioration is a specific QEWI flag point.
Fire Escape Painting & Structural Repair: Painting violations clear fast, structural fire escape issues take longer and sometimes need engineering sign-off.
Getting a rating changed from SWARMP or UNSAFE back to SAFE isn’t just finishing the work, it’s proving to your QEWI and DOB that the work matches what the inspection actually flagged. Here’s how we run that process:
An UNSAFE rating triggers mandatory sidewalk shed installation under FISP-3, notification of unsafe conditions, before repair work even starts. That part isn’t optional.
What changed under Local Laws 47-51 of 2025, the “Get Sheds Down” package, is the clock on how long that shed can legally stay up. 180 days, then additional fines start accumulating on top of whatever you’re already paying in shed rental.
The disconnect most owners run into is that installing the shed and repairing the facade get treated as two separate problems by two separate contractors, so the shed just sits there long after the fine-free window closes.
We install the shed and manage the facade repair as one project with one timeline, specifically so the shed comes down inside the 180-day window instead of becoming its own ongoing expense.
Facade repair cost tracks closely with your rating and scope. A light SWARMP repair, isolated pointing, minor joint work, costs far less than a full UNSAFE scope involving structural masonry, shed installation, and DOB filing.
Rather than publish a range that won’t reflect your specific building, we assess the actual QEWI findings first and give you a real, written scope and cost before anything starts. If the repair is significant, we can also walk through phased scheduling so the work doesn’t have to happen all at once.
See what your building’s repair actually needs before a generic number tells you otherwise.
A SWARMP condition doesn’t wait for you to be ready, it just becomes UNSAFE on schedule if the repair isn’t done. Contact us at (914) 912-1067 or request an assessment. We’ll coordinate with your QEWI, build the repair scope around what was actually flagged, and get your rating back to SAFE.
FISP, the Facade Inspection & Safety Program, is New York City's mandatory cyclical inspection requirement for buildings over a certain height. Local Law 11 is the underlying law that created it, the two terms are commonly used interchangeably.
Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program. It means your facade is currently safe on the condition that specific repairs get completed within your inspection cycle.
An UNSAFE rating means a condition requires immediate protective measures, typically a sidewalk shed, plus a 90-day window to complete the actual repair.
A Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector, the licensed professional who performs your facade inspection and files the FISP report that determines your rating.
90 days from the UNSAFE designation. A SWARMP condition has until the end of the current inspection cycle before it automatically becomes UNSAFE.
FISP applies to buildings over six stories in New York City. If you're unsure whether your building falls under it, that's one of the first things we confirm during an assessment.
It depends on your rating and scope, a light SWARMP repair costs far less than a full UNSAFE scope with structural work and shed installation involved. We assess the actual condition first and give you a real, written number before anything starts.
A New York general contractor with twenty years of permits pulled and violations cleared across all five boroughs. We’re the firm you call when you need the paperwork done right and the construction held to a higher standard.
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