What sub-cycle is my parking structure in, and is the filing window open now?

Filing cycles are determined by Community District. Manhattan Community Districts 1-7 (Sub-cycle A) ran January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Manhattan Community Districts 8-12 and all Brooklyn Community Districts (Sub-cycle B) ran January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island Community Districts (Sub-cycle C) run January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027 — this window is currently open. Check the DOB's Parking Structure Inspections Map to confirm your specific building.

What do the Safe, SREM, and Unsafe classifications mean?

Safe means no problems and the structure is in good condition. SREM (Safe with Repairs and/or Engineering Monitoring) means the structure is safe but requires repair or monitoring. Unsafe means a defect threatens public safety, and the owner must immediately secure public safety by removing the unsafe condition or safeguarding the area. Buildings with ongoing construction may not be designated Safe.

What does it cost to file, and what happens if I miss the deadline?

NYC DOB publishes filing fees on two of its own pages with different figures, and we're not going to guess which applies to your filing — verify your exact fee against DOB NOW: Safety or with your QPSI before filing. One DOB page lists Initial Filing at $485, Amended Filing at $940, and Subsequent Filing at $485. A second DOB page (Parking Structure Classifications & Reporting) lists an Initial Report at $305, Amended/Subsequent Report at $85, and an Extension Request at $65. Regardless of which filing-fee schedule applies, the civil penalties are consistent across both DOB pages: Late Filing of an initial report is $1,000 per month, Failure to File is $5,000 per year, Failure to Correct an Unsafe Condition is $1,000 per month, and Failure to Correct an SREM Condition is a one-time $2,000 penalty.

What should I do if my parking structure comes back SREM or Unsafe?

An Unsafe finding requires the owner to immediately secure public safety — removing the unsafe condition or safeguarding the area — with repairs completed within 90 days of filing and an amended report filed within two weeks of completing repairs. An SREM finding means the structure is currently safe but needs repair or monitoring; leaving it uncorrected risks a $2,000 penalty and can affect the next assessment's classification. Either way, the next step is scoping and executing the actual restoration work with a contractor experienced in parking structure repair.

NYC Local Law 126 Parking Structure Inspection Guide: Sub-Cycle C Filing Window Is Open

Q: What is Local Law 126 and does it apply to my parking structure?

Local Law 126 of 2021 requires owners of parking structures — buildings or portions of buildings used for parking or storing motor vehicles, including open and enclosed parking garages — to have a NYS-licensed Professional Engineer who is also a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector (QPSI) inspect the structure and file a condition assessment report with NYC DOB at least once every six years. It's governed by NYC Construction Codes §28-323 and RCNY §103-13.

Sub-cycle C is open now — here’s what that means for your parking structure

New York City’s Periodic Inspection of Parking Structures (PIPS) program, created by Local Law 126 of 2021, requires owners of parking structures to have a condition assessment performed at least once every six years by a NYS-licensed Professional Engineer who is also a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector (QPSI). It’s governed by NYC Construction Codes §28-323 and 1 RCNY §103-13.

Sub-cycle C — Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island Community Districts — runs January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. If your parking structure is in one of those boroughs, you’re in an active filing window right now.

Sub-cycle	Community Districts	Filing window
A	Manhattan CDs 1–7	Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2023 (closed)
B	Manhattan CDs 8–12, all Brooklyn CDs	Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2025 (closed)
C	Bronx, Queens, Staten Island	Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2027 (open now)

Source: NYC DOB, Parking Structures and the Parking Structure Staggered Filing Cycle diagram (PDF).

What counts as a “parking structure” under this law

A parking structure meeting inspection requirements is a building or portion of a building used for parking or storing motor vehicles, including space inside or under a building, and covers both open parking garages and enclosed parking garages.

An initial observation deadline already passed for some buildings

Separately from the six-year condition assessment cycle, DOB Rule 1 RCNY §103-16 required a one-time initial observation for parking structures in Manhattan Community Districts 8–12 and all Community Districts in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, filed by August 1, 2024. If that applied to your building and wasn’t filed, check your compliance status in DOB NOW: Safety — this is a separate, already-past deadline, not the six-year cycle described above.

What “Safe,” “SREM,” and “Unsafe” mean

After the condition assessment, the QPSI classifies the parking structure as one of three conditions (DOB’s own definitions):

Safe — no problems, structure is in good condition.
Safe With Repairs and/or Engineering Monitoring (SREM) — safe now, but requires repair or monitoring.
Unsafe — a defect threatens public safety. The owner must immediately secure public safety by removing the unsafe condition or safeguarding the area. Buildings with ongoing construction may not be designated Safe.

What it costs — two different fee schedules, verify before you file

We found something worth flagging rather than glossing over: NYC DOB publishes two different fee schedules on two of its own official pages, and we’re not going to guess which one applies to your specific filing.

Parking Structure Fees & Penalties lists:

Initial Filing: $485.00
Amended Filing: $940.00
Subsequent Filing: $485.00
Extension of Time to Complete Repairs: $95.00
Request for Waiver of Civil Penalties: $140.00

Parking Structure Classifications & Reporting lists:

Initial Report: $305.00
Amended/Subsequent Report: $85.00
Extension Request: $65.00

Confirm the correct figure for your filing directly in DOB NOW: Safety or with your QPSI before paying anything based on either number above.

The civil penalties, by contrast, are consistent across both DOB pages:

Late Filing (initial report): $1,000 per month
Failure to File (initial report): $5,000 per year
Failure to Correct an Unsafe Condition: $1,000 per month
Failure to Correct an SREM Condition: $2,000 (one-time)

Unsafe conditions must be corrected within 90 days of filing, with an amended report due within two weeks of completing repairs.

If your parking structure comes back SREM or Unsafe

An Unsafe finding means public safety measures go up immediately and repairs are due within 90 days. An SREM finding gives you a real but limited window to complete the identified repair or monitoring program.

Either way, the next step is getting the actual restoration work scoped and executed. Niche Waterproofing performs parking garage repair and replacement for structures across NYC. If your PIPS report came back SREM or Unsafe, talk to us about scope and timeline.

Note on evidence: unlike our Local Law 11 hub, this guide does not cite specific completed Niche Waterproofing parking-structure projects, because we don’t yet have a documented, quantified project to point to for this specific service line. We’ll link real project evidence here the moment we have it — we won’t claim project history we don’t have.

This page cites NYC Department of Buildings published sources directly (linked above) and does not restate compliance dates, fees, or penalty amounts from memory. Always confirm your building’s current filing status and exact fee schedule against DOB NOW: Safety.