The DOB Violation Dismissal Request Form is a typewritten PDF you submit to the NYC Department of Buildings when a violation on your property record was issued in error and should never have been entered against the building. You file it with the Administrative Enforcement Unit (AEU) at 280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007, along with documents proving the violation is wrong. One important limit: the form cannot be used for summonses returnable to the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), which is where most standard DOB enforcement actions go. If your notice tells you to appear at OATH, you need a Certificate of Correction or an OATH hearing instead, not this form.
When the Dismissal Form Is the Right Tool
The form is for arguing that the violation was flawed from the start, not that you had a problem and fixed it. A Certificate of Correction covers the latter. A dismissal request says the violation should never have been on the record.
Common grounds the AEU will consider:
- Wrong property. The inspector recorded an incorrect Building Identification Number (BIN), Borough-Block-Lot (BBL), or street address, and the violation attached to a building that wasn’t actually inspected.
- Duplicate violation. Two or more violations were issued for the exact same condition on the same date.
- Wrong respondent. The violation names someone with no legal connection to the property, such as a former tenant, a neighboring owner, or a prior owner who had already sold the building before the inspection.
- Condition did not exist. The physical condition described did not match reality at the time of inspection, and photographs or a licensed professional’s assessment support that.
Ownership changes are a frequent source of misdirected violations. If you bought a property and later received a violation dated before you took title, a copy of the deed showing the transfer date is usually the core of your submission.
Look Up the Violation First
Before you fill anything out, pull the violation record from the DOB’s Buildings Information System (BIS) at a810-bisweb.nyc.gov. You can search by complaint number, 311 reference number, or OATH/ECB violation number paired with the BIN.
Open violations appear in BIS without an asterisk next to the violation number. Dismissed violations are shown with an asterisk, for example V*7052-18P. If the record already shows an asterisk, it’s resolved and there’s nothing to file. If it’s open, note the violation number, the BIN, the BBL, the date of issuance, and the respondent named on the notice. You’ll enter all of these on the form exactly as they appear.
This is also the moment to confirm the violation is not an OATH summons. If it is, stop and use the Certificate of Correction path through DOB NOW: Safety, or contest it at the OATH hearing on the date printed on the summons.
Filling Out the Form
Download the Violation Dismissal Request Form from the DOB website. It must be typewritten. Handwritten submissions won’t be accepted.
Enter the violation number, the BBL, the BIN, and the respondent’s contact information exactly as they appear on the original notice and on your deed. Small discrepancies between what’s on the form and what’s in DOB records can stall the review.
The heart of the form is your written explanation. Keep it factual and specific. Name the ground for dismissal (wrong address, duplicate, wrong party, or condition not present), then tie that ground directly to the documents you’re attaching. General complaints about the inspection process don’t help. The AEU is looking for a clear mismatch between the violation and the facts.
Documents to Include
Your submission package should contain:
- The completed, typewritten form with every field filled in.
- A copy of each violation describing the non-compliant condition, when available.
- Date- and time-stamped color photographs showing conditions before and after, when possible.
- A licensed professional’s assessment report if the violation involves structural deficiencies.
- Proof of civil penalty payment if the violation was issued for work performed without a permit.
For an ownership-based dismissal, include a certified copy of the deed showing the transfer date. If you’re arguing the violation was assigned to the wrong BIN or address, a property survey, a tax lot confirmation from the Department of Finance, or a BIS screenshot showing the correct identifiers strengthens the request.
Where to Submit and What Happens Next
Mail or hand-deliver the complete package to the Administrative Enforcement Unit, 280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007. Questions about dismissal requests, appeals, and discovery go to DOB-ECBVioAppeals@buildings.nyc.gov or (212) 393-2405.
The DOB does not publish a fixed processing timeline for these requests. During review, the AEU may contact you for additional documentation or clarification. Check the violation’s status in BIS periodically. When a dismissal is granted, the violation number updates to show the asterisk that marks it as resolved. Keep a copy of your entire submission and any AEU correspondence in your permanent property records.
If Your Violation Is an OATH Summons Instead
Most DOB enforcement actions are OATH summonses, and the dismissal form cannot be used for those. Two paths apply instead.
If the condition existed and you’ve corrected it, file a Certificate of Correction through DOB NOW: Safety. The old paper forms (AEU-2, AEU-20, and AEU-3321) are no longer accepted. You log in with an NYC.ID account at nyc.gov/dobnow, start a new COC request from the Violations & Notices of Deficiency dashboard, pay any outstanding civil penalties, enter the correction details and permit information, upload supporting documents (photographs with location and date, licensed professional statements on company letterhead, elevator or boiler inspection reports, permits, proof of payment), and submit with a notarized statement explaining how the violation was corrected. Paying the OATH penalty alone does not close the violation; the record stays open in BIS until the DOB accepts proof that the physical condition was fixed.
If you believe the summons was issued improperly, contest it at the OATH hearing on the date printed on the summons. You can bring witnesses and documentary evidence before an Administrative Law Judge. If you win, the violation is dismissed and no penalty is imposed, and the record updates automatically without any COC filing. If you need to reschedule, submit a request through OATH’s online rescheduling form before the hearing date. Missing the hearing without rescheduling results in a default judgment, which can carry penalties up to $25,000 depending on the summons.
If you lose at the hearing, you have 30 days from the date of the decision to file an appeal online, or 35 days if the decision was mailed. In most cases, you must pay the penalty before the appeal will be accepted; a hardship waiver form with supporting documentation (recent tax returns, proof of government assistance) can be submitted with the appeal if payment would cause financial hardship. The appeal must also be served on the DOB.
Why It’s Worth Clearing the Record
An open violation that should have been dismissed does more than sit on a screen. After an OATH decision, the respondent has 60 days to pay before the debt is turned over to the Department of Finance and its collection agencies. Unpaid penalties can be docketed as liens against the property, which makes financing and sales harder.
Civil penalties on immediately hazardous violations reach $25,000 per violation plus daily accruals, and Class 2 violations add up to $250 per month while they remain open. A violation issued months ago may now carry a balance well above the original fine.
Buyers, lenders, and title companies all check BIS during a transaction. A stale violation that was wrong from the day it was issued, but never formally dismissed, can hold up a closing. If the grounds for dismissal are there, filing the form is usually cheaper and faster than dealing with the violation later.