What is the Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP)?

Under Local Law 11, the exterior facades of buildings six stories and taller must be inspected every five years to ensure the building is in good repair.  Buildings can be classified as “safe,” “unsafe,” or “safe with a repair and maintenance program.”  Although SWARMP buildings don’t pose an active risk to the public, they do have minor problems that, with time, could eventually become hazardous.  Rather than let these issues worsen to an “unsafe” status, the government mandates that owners must fix them as a preemptive measure.

Building owners have until the next inspection (about 5 years) to fix the offending issue.  Failing to do so carries stiff penalties--$1,000 fine, six months in jail, and an extra fine of up to $250 a month until the violation is finally taken care of.