NYC parking garage inspections (Local Law 126): what owners need to know

Parking garages take a beating that most buildings never see: road salt, water, freeze and thaw cycles, and constant vehicle loads. New York City's Periodic Inspection of Parking Structures program (PIPS), created by Local Law 126 of 2021, puts garages on a regular inspection schedule, much like the facade program does for taller buildings.

Which garages are covered

PIPS covers a building, or part of a building, used for parking or storing motor vehicles, including parking inside or under a building. Both open and enclosed parking garages are included.

DOB lists these exemptions:

• Auto body and repair shops, showrooms, and service stations.
• Garages that hold fewer than three vehicles.
• Unenclosed and unattached parking lots.
• Garages serving one- or two-family homes.

When your garage is due

Each garage must be inspected and a report filed at least once every six years. The first cycle is split by location:

• Sub-cycle A, Manhattan Community Districts 1 to 7: January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.
• Sub-cycle B, Manhattan Community Districts 8 to 12 and Brooklyn: January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025.
• Sub-cycle C, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island: January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027.

If your garage is in the Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island, your filing window is open now.

Who can inspect

The report must be prepared by a New York State licensed Professional Engineer who also holds DOB's Qualified Parking Structure Inspector (QPSI) designation. A QPSI must have at least three years of relevant experience. Reports are filed through DOB NOW: Safety. Ask any engineer you are considering whether they hold the QPSI designation.

What the report finds

The QPSI classifies conditions as Safe, Safe with Repairs and/or Engineering Monitoring (SREM), or Unsafe. DOB's FAQ adds two points owners often miss:

• A SREM report always needs a stability analysis of the affected structural members.
• A SREM repair that is not done by the next cycle must be reported as unsafe.

Unsafe conditions must be repaired within 90 days of filing the report, and an amended report is due within two weeks of completing the work.

Between inspections: the annual observation

The six-year report is not the only obligation. Each year after the report is accepted, an annual observation must be completed using the checklist from that report, by or under the direct supervision of a QPSI. The completed checklists are kept on site, made available to DOB on request, and included with the next cycle's report.

If your building is also under FISP

For a building taller than six stories that is also under the facade program (Local Law 11), DOB says the QPSI does not report on the facade. That stays in the FISP report.

Getting ahead of it

• Confirm your sub-cycle and whether your garage is exempt.
• Gather past repair records and drawings. They speed up the inspection.
• Budget for repairs as well as the report. Concrete spalls, exposed rebar, and leaking joints are common findings in older garages.
• Plan waterproofing, drainage, and joint work with the structure in mind. Fixing the water path keeps the same items off the next report.