Since January 1, 2024, New York City building owners must conduct annual parapet observations, a new safety requirement that applies to virtually all buildings with parapets fronting public rights-of-way, regardless of height. This mandate represents the city’s latest effort to prevent falling debris incidents and protect pedestrians from overhead hazards, particularly elements that don’t fall under the existing five-year Façade Inspection & Safety Program (FISP) but still pose significant dangers.
What Is a Parapet?
A parapet is defined as any part of a wall that extends entirely above the roof line, regardless of height. This simple definition covers a wide range of structures:
- Traditional tall parapet walls that rise several feet above the roof
- Low parapets that extend only inches above the roofline
- Decorative parapets with ornamental features
- Functional parapets that conceal rooftop equipment
Critically, the definition includes no minimum or maximum height requirement. Even a six-inch parapet wall qualifies and requires annual inspection. This catches many building owners by surprise, particularly those with newer buildings featuring minimal parapet elements.
Parapet Appurtenances
The inspection requirement extends to all appurtenances, any structure or element attached to the parapet. Common examples include:
- Light fixtures and electrical equipment
- Antennas and telecommunications equipment
- Cornices (when attached to parapets)
- Guardrails and safety railings
- Gooseneck ladders and fire escape handrail attachments
- Signage mounted on parapet walls
- HVAC equipment supports
Important distinction: Cornices that project from walls without parapets are NOT subject to annual parapet inspections. Only cornices attached to parapets require observation as appurtenances.
Parapets vs. Facades: Understanding the Difference
While both parapets and facades are external building elements, they’re regulated under different NYC programs with distinct requirements:
Parapets (Annual Inspections)
- Location: Walls extending above the roof line
- Inspection frequency: Annual (every year)
- Building coverage: All buildings with parapets fronting public rights-of-way, any height
- Who can inspect: Any competent person (see below)
- Reporting: Maintained by owner for 6 years, not filed with DOB unless unsafe conditions found
- Effective date: January 1, 2024
Facades (FISP – Five-Year Cycle)
- Location: Exterior walls and appurtenances from ground to roof
- Inspection frequency: Every five years (extending to six years in 2030)
- Building coverage: Buildings over six stories
- Who can inspect: Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector (QEWI)
- Reporting: Filed with DOB through formal submissions
- History: In effect for over 40 years
Key overlap: Parapet walls are technically part of the building facade, so buildings over six stories subject to FISP will have their parapets examined during five-year FISP inspections. However, these buildings still require separate annual parapet observations between FISP cycles.
Think of it this way: FISP is a comprehensive exterior wall examination happening every five years on tall buildings. Annual parapet inspections are targeted, focused observations of the most vulnerable overhead element, required every year on buildings of all heights.
Exemptions: Which Buildings Don’t Require Parapet Inspections?
Only two categories of buildings are exempt:
-
Fully Detached One- or Two-Family Homes
Single-family and two-family homes that are completely detached from neighboring structures are exempt. However, attached or semi-attached one- and two-family homes (common in NYC) ARE subject to the requirement if they have parapets fronting public rights-of-way.
-
Buildings with Protective Barriers
Buildings with a fence or other continuous barrier preventing pedestrian access to the exterior wall may be exempt —but only if the barrier meets specific geometric requirements:
The perpendicular distance from the parapet wall to the fence must be at least half the height of the wall, as measured from grade to the top of the parapet.
Example: If your parapet wall is 10 feet tall (measured from ground level to the top of the parapet), the fence must be at least 5 feet away from the building wall to qualify for the exemption.
Who Can Perform Parapet Observations?
One of the most accessible aspects of this requirement is the broad qualification for inspectors. Unlike FISP, which requires Qualified Exterior Wall Inspectors with specific credentials, parapet observations can be performed by any person competent to inspect parapets.
This flexibility recognizes that identifying common parapet hazards — cracked mortar, loose bricks, deteriorated coping stones, unstable appurtenances — doesn’t require the same level of specialized engineering expertise needed for comprehensive facade structural assessments.
Practical consideration: While building superintendents or handymen can legally perform these observations, building owners should ensure whoever conducts the inspection genuinely understands what constitutes a hazard. The inspector must be able to identify displacement, cracks, deterioration, and stability issues that could pose public safety risks.
What the Observation Must Include
The annual parapet observation must evaluate three critical areas:
- Structural Alignment: Determining that the parapet is plumb (vertical) within one-eighth of its cross-sectional thickness at any location. Parapets that lean outward toward the street or show significant displacement pose immediate falling hazards.
- Material Condition: Identifying excessive deterioration including displacement or bulging, cracks, loose material, deteriorated joints and surfaces, and rot.
- Appurtenance Stability: Confirming that all attached elements have been installed and maintained in stable condition. Loose appurtenances can fall just as dangerously as failing parapet masonry.
The observation must include close-up inspection of the entire parapet, which typically means access from the roof or fire escape. Binocular inspections from the ground are insufficient for annual parapet observations (though they may be acceptable for certain FISP inspection types).
Handling Safe vs. Unsafe Observations
If the Parapet Is Safe
When the observation finds no hazardous or unsafe conditions:
- Documentation: The owner (or the inspector on behalf of the owner) must prepare a written report documenting the observation.
- Retention: The owner must maintain these reports for at least six years and make them available to DOB upon request. Reports are NOT filed with the DOB, they’re kept on-site.
- Deadline: Reports must be completed and available by December 31 each year.
If the Parapet Is Unsafe
When hazardous or unsafe conditions are identified, immediate action is required:
- Notification: The inspector must immediately notify DOB by emailing or calling 311.
- Public Protection: The owner must immediately install protective measures to secure public safety, utilizing sidewalk sheds, fencing, and any other appropriate barriers to prevent falling debris from reaching pedestrians.The protection must remain in place until all unsafe conditions are remedied.
- Remediation Timeline: All unsafe conditions must be corrected within 90 days from notification to DOB.
Violation Consequences: Failure to present required parapet reports when DOB requests them results in violations. While no civil penalties are directly associated with the parapet observation requirement itself, failure to address identified unsafe conditions triggers standard DOB enforcement, including potential significant penalties.
Why Annual Parapet Inspections Matter
Falling facade debris has caused deaths and serious injuries in New York City. The DOB’s progressive expansion of building exterior monitoring reflects lessons learned from tragic incidents.
Parapets present particular risks:
- Constant exposure to freeze-thaw cycles, moisture intrusion, and weather extremes
- Stress concentration from their elevated position and attachment points for equipment
- Hidden deterioration often developing on the interior face, invisible from street level
- High consequence when failure occurs, with debris falling directly onto pedestrian areas
The annual frequency ensures deterioration is caught early, before conditions become hazardous. A crack that’s monitored annually can be repaired before it propagates into structural displacement requiring emergency intervention.
Managing Annual Parapet Compliance
Annual parapet observations represent a relatively straightforward compliance requirement (no specialized inspector credentials required, no DOB filing unless unsafe conditions arise) but the annual frequency means it’s easy to overlook in the rush of year-end deadlines.
Prise tracks annual parapet observation deadlines across your entire portfolio alongside FISP cycles, elevator inspections, and all other NYC building compliance requirements. Our platform maintains inspection history, stores observation reports and photographs, and flags buildings approaching December 31 deadlines, ensuring this relatively new requirement doesn’t fall through the cracks amid more established programs.
Need help organizing your December 31 parapet observation deadline? Contact Prise to ensure you’re maintaining proper documentation and never miss annual compliance requirements.
Recent Comments