If your building is within Manhattan Community Districts 8 through 12 or Brooklyn, and includes a parking structure, the deadline is approaching for parking structure inspections under Local Law 126. With inspection capacity already strained during Q4’s compliance rush, property owners need to act now to avoid violations and costly emergency remediation.
Understanding NYC Parking Structure Inspection Requirements
Local Law 126 requires owners of qualifying parking structures to hire a Qualified Parking Structure Inspector (QPSI), a New York State licensed Professional Engineer with specialized certification, to inspect their structure and file a condition assessment report at least once every six years.
NYC has divided parking structure compliance into three sub-cycles, determined by the Community District where your building is located:
Sub-Cycle 1A (Cycle 1 deadline: December 31, 2023 – Extended compliance ongoing)
- Manhattan Community Districts 1-7
Sub-Cycle 1B (Cycle 1 deadline: December 31, 2025)
- Manhattan Community Districts 8-12
- All Brooklyn Community Districts
Sub-Cycle 1C (Cycle 1 deadline: December 31, 2027)
- All Bronx Community Districts
- All Queens Community Districts
- All Staten Island Community Districts
The NYC Department of Buildings maintains an interactive Parking Structure Inspections Map that identifies properties subject to these requirements and their respective filing cycles.
What Qualifies as a Parking Structure?
Not every parking facility falls under these inspection requirements. According to DOB regulations, a parking structure subject to Local Law 126 must meet specific criteria:
A qualifying parking structure is:
- An open or enclosed building used for parking or storing motor vehicles
- Has a parking level located more than one story above or below grade
- Has a capacity of more than 25 vehicles
Structures NOT subject to these requirements include:
- At-grade surface parking lots
- Single-level parking facilities
- Accessory residential garages serving individual homes
- Structures storing fewer than 25 vehicles
Property owners are ultimately responsible for correctly identifying whether their structure meets inspection requirements, regardless of whether it appears on DOB’s preliminary list.
The Inspection and Remediation Timeline
Understanding the full compliance timeline is essential, particularly for buildings approaching December deadlines:
- Now: Schedule QPSI Inspection – A qualified QPSI must physically inspect your parking structure and assess its condition.
- 60 Days: Report Filing – The QPSI must submit a condition assessment report to DOB through DOB NOW: Safety within 60 days of completing the inspection.
- 90 Days: Remediation – If the inspection identifies unsafe conditions, property owners have 90 days from the date of filing to complete all necessary repairs. This is where the timeline becomes critical for December deadlines.
- Within 2 Weeks: Amended Report – Once remedial work is complete, owners must file an amended report within two weeks documenting that repairs have been made.
Compliance Penalties and Violation Escalation
The DOB takes parking structure safety seriously, and violations carry significant financial consequences:
- Initial violation: Failure to file a required report by the deadline results in immediate violations
- Continued non-compliance: Violations accrue ongoing penalties until resolved
- Unsafe conditions: Structures with identified safety hazards may face operational restrictions until repairs are completed
- Repeat violations: Property owners with histories of non-compliance face enhanced scrutiny and penalties
Beyond financial penalties, non-compliant parking structures can create liability exposure if structural issues contribute to vehicle damage or personal injury.
Staying Ahead of Parking Structure Compliance
Parking structure inspections represent just one of many time-sensitive compliance requirements NYC property owners must track. When combined with elevator inspections, boiler certifications, cooling tower filings, and facade inspections, maintaining a comprehensive compliance calendar becomes essential and challenging. Prise centralizes all your NYC building compliance requirements into a single platform, with automated tracking for parking structure inspection cycles, QPSI report deadlines, and remediation timelines. Instead of managing complex staggered cycles across multiple properties, you get clear visibility into upcoming deadlines and actionable reminders before time runs out.
Managing a Sub-Cycle 1B property approaching the December 2025 deadline? Contact Prise to organize your compliance calendar and ensure you never miss critical inspection windows.
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