Free NYC DOB & ECB Violations Lookup by Address
Enter any NYC address and get the building's DOB and ECB violation record together — open violations, violation types, and outstanding ECB penalty balances — from the official city record in one query. These are the violations that carry money: unpaid ECB judgments can become tax liens on the property.
Works with a street address or a 10-digit BBL. First queries free, no signup required.
✓ Data synced daily from NYC Open Data · last audit matched 9,818 DOB + 5,775 ECB records against the live city record with 0 contradictionsWhat you get — real example
132 West 169th Street, Bronx (BBL 2025180028) — 6-story, 25-unit multifamily, built 1931:
| Record | Count / Amount | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| DOB violations, total | 38 | Building Code / zoning enforcement history |
| DOB violations, active | 10 | Uncured — block sign-offs, inherited by a buyer |
| ECB violations, total | 27 | Penalty-carrying violations adjudicated at OATH |
| ECB violations, active | 16 | Open cases on the record |
| ECB balance outstanding | $38,581 | Unpaid penalties on record — money that follows the BBL |
DOB vs. ECB: why this is the violation check that costs money
Both records come from the NYC Department of Buildings, but they bite differently. A DOB violation is a compliance flag — it must be cured, it blocks sign-offs and certain permits, but it carries no fine by itself. An ECB violation (adjudicated by OATH) carries a monetary penalty; unpaid, it becomes a default judgment enforceable for eight years, and under Local Law 153 of 2017 the City can enter it as a tax lien against the property — automatically for buildings of three or fewer dwelling units, or above $30,000 (6–19 units) / $60,000 (20+ units) thresholds for larger buildings.
Title companies routinely refuse to insure over open ECB/OATH judgments, and many lenders won't fund until they're cleared — so unpaid balances typically must be satisfied at or before closing. Found pre-offer, the same number is leverage instead of a landmine. And remember the record is split: DOB's own systems divide history between legacy BIS (older records) and DOB NOW (current filings) — this lookup queries the consolidated record by BBL so you don't need two logins. HPD violations are a separate third system with its own lookup.
Who uses this check
- Buyers & investors — unpaid ECB judgments are inherited, insurable-title blockers; find them while the price is negotiable.
- Attorneys — a seconds-long pre-intake read on whether a deal carries judgment/lien exposure worth a full pull.
- Owners & managers — see exactly what's open against your building and what it would cost to clear.
This is one item on the complete NYC pre-offer due-diligence checklist, alongside HPD violations, liens, litigation, evictions, and rent-stabilization signals.
FAQ: NYC DOB & ECB Violations Lookup
What is the difference between a DOB violation and an ECB violation?
Both are issued by the NYC Department of Buildings, but they have different consequences. A standard DOB violation is a compliance flag: it sits on the building's record, blocks sign-offs and certain permits, and must be cured — but it doesn't itself carry a fine. An ECB violation (adjudicated by OATH, the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings) carries a monetary penalty. If the owner doesn't pay or doesn't appear, the penalty becomes a default judgment that remains enforceable for eight years — and under Local Law 153 of 2017 an unpaid ECB judgment can be entered as a tax lien against the property. The expensive mistake is checking one system and assuming it's the whole picture: a condition that reads “resolved” in the DOB record can still owe a five-figure ECB balance.
How do I check DOB and ECB violations for a NYC building?
Enter the building's address (or 10-digit BBL) above and the lookup returns both records together: DOB violations from NYC Open Data dataset 3h2n-5cm9 and ECB violations from dataset 6bgk-3dad, with each violation's status, type, and any outstanding penalty balance. Checking manually is harder than it sounds, because DOB's own records are split across two systems — legacy BIS holds older records and DOB NOW holds current filings — and a manual check of only one misses an entire class of violations. Querying by BBL pulls the consolidated record in one pass. Whatever tool you use, confirm anything material against the agency record before closing; this lookup is the fast first pass that tells you whether deeper digging is warranted.
Can unpaid ECB violations become a lien on the property?
Yes. Under Local Law 153 of 2017, the City can enter an unpaid ECB/OATH judgment as a tax lien against the property. For a private dwelling or any building with three or fewer dwelling units, that conversion is automatic with no dollar minimum. Larger buildings convert above set thresholds: $30,000+ in unpaid judgments for buildings of 6–19 units, and $60,000+ for buildings of 20 or more units. Separately, ECB judgments remain enforceable for eight years, title companies routinely refuse to insure over open judgments, and many lenders won't fund until they're cleared. Practically, that means unpaid ECB balances must typically be satisfied at or before closing — which is why finding them at the offer stage, when they're the seller's problem to cure or a documented price reduction, beats finding them at the closing table.
Do DOB and ECB violations transfer when a NYC building is sold?
Yes — violations and judgments attach to the property's Borough-Block-Lot (BBL), not to the person who created them. When you buy, you step into the seller's shoes: open DOB violations and their cure obligations, unpaid ECB judgments, and any liens that have been entered all come with the deed. This is the part out-of-state buyers learn the hard way. A real-world pattern: a building carrying tens of thousands of dollars in ECB default judgments hits the closing table, the title company won't insure over them, and the deal dies after months of sunk legal and inspection costs. Found at the offer stage instead, the same exposure becomes a price reduction or a seller-cured condition. Run the check before you write the offer; have your attorney verify before you close.
How current and accurate is this DOB/ECB data?
DOB and ECB violations sync from NYC Open Data on a daily cadence, and every answer is stamped with its data vintage. Accuracy is audited rather than assumed: an automated weekly job cross-checks samples of our records field-by-field against the live city record. The most recent audit (June 12, 2026) matched 9,818 DOB violation records and 5,775 ECB violation records against the city's published data with zero classification contradictions in either set. Honest caveats: the city's own datasets lag real-world events by their publication schedules, a small share of records show status differences at any moment because closures propagate on the city's cadence, and penalty balances reflect the record as published — your attorney should confirm exact payoff amounts with the agency before closing.
Why do I need to check HPD violations separately from DOB and ECB?
Because New York City runs three separate violation systems that don't talk to each other. DOB enforces the Building Code and zoning (construction, structural, permits); ECB/OATH adjudicates the monetary penalties attached to many DOB-issued violations; and HPD separately enforces the Housing Maintenance Code in residential buildings (heat, hot water, leaks, vermin, lead paint). A building can be clean in one system and a disaster in another — a structurally sound building with a neglectful landlord shows up in HPD, while a well-maintained building with un-permitted work shows up in DOB/ECB. A real due-diligence pass covers all three, plus liens, litigation, and eviction history. One query here runs the full set, or use the dedicated HPD violations lookup for the housing-code record alone.
Data sources: NYC Open Data “DOB Violations” (3h2n-5cm9) and “ECB Violations” (6bgk-3dad), published by the Department of Buildings, synced daily. NYC Property Intel surfaces and flags public records; it is not a title search, an appraisal, an inspection, or legal advice. Verify with the source agency and your professionals before you transact.