Owners of properties with a retaining wall that faces a public right-of-way and has any portion of the wall extending ten feet or higher must have their retaining wall inspected every five years by a Qualified Retaining Wall Inspector (QRWI). A condition assessment report of the inspection must be submitted to the Department by the QRWI within 60 days of completing the inspection.
Retain Wall Cycle Dates
|
Borough |
Filing Deadline |
|
Bronx |
January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024 |
| State Island | January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 |
| Queens | January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027 |
| Brooklyn | January 1, 2028 to December 31, 2028 |
|
Bronx |
January 1, 2029 to December 31, 2029 |
SiteCompli Retaining Wall Record Page
You can now review applicable properties here: Retaining Wall Inspections
Fees
- Initial filing: $355.00
- Amended filing: $130.00
- Application for extension of time to complete repairs:$260.00
Civil Penalties
- Late filing: $250.00 per month
- Failure to file: $1,000 per year
- Failure to correct an unsafe condition: $1,000 per month (prorated daily)
Retaining Wall Ratings
All retaining walls must be given one of four ratings by the QRWI:
- Safe
- Safe with Minor Repairs or Maintenance
- Safe with Repairs and/or Engineering Monitoring
- Unsafe
Steps for Compliance
- Identify if the retaining wall must be inspected.If you have an entire retaining wall or part of a retaining wall on your property and it is ten feet or higher at any point on your property and faces a public right-of-way, you must have the wall inspected by a QRWI, and an assessment report must be submitted by the QRWI to the Department. Owners that share a retaining wall with one or more neighbors may hire one QRWI to inspect the wall.
- QRWI conducts inspection.The QRWI conducts the inspection of the retaining wall and determines the rating of the wall.
- QRWI submits condition assessment report and filing fees.Within 60 days after completing the assessment the QRWI must submit a report to the Department that meets, at a minimum, the criteria listed in1 RCNY §103-09. The filing fees are payable by each property owner the report is submitted for, meaning a wall with multiple owners may have one report submitted for all of the owners but the filing fees must be paid by each individual owner.