Stop Work Orders in NYC: full or partial, and how to get one lifted
A Stop Work Order halts all the work on a site, or part of it, until DOB rescinds it. What each type still allows, what working against one costs, and the steps DOB lists to get it lifted.
Last checked: Oct 23, 2026
Key facts
- Full order all work stops, except the remedial work the Commissioner authorizes to make the site safe
- Partial order only certain work, or the work in one area, stops
- Working against it $6,000 the first time, $12,000 each time after; paid to DOB before the order is rescinded
- To lift it correct the conditions, certify when DOB requires it, request a re-inspection, pay, and get the rescission
- Code AC §28-207.2 · DOB’s Stop Work Order Guide
How do you get a Stop Work Order lifted in NYC?
Correct every condition the order cites — for work without a permit, that means getting the permit issued — and certify the correction of outstanding violations with a Certificate of Correction when DOB requires it. Then request a re-inspection from the DOB unit that issued the order with the Borough Enforcement Appointment Request form, and pay the civil penalties. DOB rescinds the order once the conditions are corrected and the penalties are paid. Until then, the work the order covers stays stopped, except the remedial work the Commissioner authorizes to make the site safe. Working against the order costs $6,000 for the first violation and $12,000 for each one after that (AC §28-207.2.6).
Key considerations
Full or partial
A full order stops all work on the site except the remedial work the Commissioner authorizes to make it safe. A partial order stops certain work, or the work in one area, and the rest of the job may go on. DOB’s Stop Work Order Guide lists when each type may be issued. On a facade job, a full order may follow work without a permit or with an expired one, expired insurance, Local Law 196 site safety training requirements not met, work outside standard hours or on a weekend without an approved After Hours Variance, failure to safeguard the public, damage to an adjoining property or missing roof or overhead protection, an unsafe scaffold, or a Tenant Protection Plan not on file or not followed. A partial order may follow a Site Safety Log missing from the site, work contrary to the approved drawings, drawings not shown at the inspection, or a scaffold not erected or maintained safely. The guide does not limit DOB: it may issue an order in other cases too (AC §28-207.2).
When all work must stop
The same guide says all work must stop, to allow time to assess the safety risks, when an adjoining property or structure is significantly damaged, when a member of the public or a worker is injured, and when material or debris falls outside the property line onto a public area. For a crew working over a sidewalk, the last case is the one to plan around.
An order for work without a permit
When DOB issues the order for work without a permit, work cannot resume until the permit has been issued and the order has been rescinded. Resuming in between, even with the permit in hand, can bring violations with additional civil penalties, and DOB will not rescind the order until those are paid. In DOB’s list of the conditions behind Stop Work Orders for the third quarter of 2026, work without a permit accounts for 17.8%, work that does not match the approved construction documents for 11.4%, the documents BC Chapter 33 requires on site for 5.9% and electrical work without a permit for 5.8%.
Working against an order: $6,000, then $12,000
No one who knows of the order may allow, authorize or continue the work it covers, except work the Commissioner orders (AC §28-207.2.2). The civil penalty is $6,000 for the first violation and $12,000 for each one after that, paid to DOB before the order is rescinded; it does not apply to work that remedies an unsafe or hazardous condition as the Commissioner authorizes (AC §28-207.2.6). These penalties come on top of any OATH penalties for the conditions behind the order, and DOB inspectors make surprise visits to Stop Work Order sites. The posted order stays up: removing or defacing it before it is rescinded is unlawful, and the owner or the person in control of the site must keep it posted (AC §28-207.2.5).
Lifting the order, step by step
DOB’s steps: correct all the violating conditions the order cites, or file the documents DOB requires; when DOB requires it, certify the correction of outstanding violations with a Certificate of Correction to its Administrative Enforcement Unit — a major building must certify the correction of its outstanding ECB violations; request a re-inspection from the unit that issued the order; pay any civil penalties; and contact that unit to have the order rescinded. Under AC §28-207.2.3, DOB rescinds the order on application once the condition is corrected and the penalties are paid, or security for them is posted while a violation is still pending.
The re-inspection request
The re-inspection is requested with DOB’s Borough Enforcement Appointment Request Form for construction: one form per job, typed, with the address, job number, BIN, block and lot, whether the order is full or partial, its complaint number, the violation numbers, and whether all corrective action has been taken and what it was. It goes by email to the borough’s Construction Enforcement unit, at the address printed on the form, with all the supporting documents attached.
The proof DOB asks for
A Certificate of Correction certifies that the cited conditions were corrected. It is filed only online, in DOB NOW: Safety, with attestations in place of the old notarized forms. The owner, the respondent named on the violation, the contractor or a licensed professional may submit it; when someone else submits it, the owner or respondent logs in and attests that they authorized it. DOB may ask for proof such as the permits for the work, before-and-after photos with their date and location, and invoices. Photos and daily records kept while the correction is under way make this step short; the filing itself is in DOB violations and OATH hearings.
Where to check
DOB’s Stop Work Order Map shows recently issued and rescinded orders. When DOB halts work, its SWO Coordinator contacts the project executive or construction manager to outline the steps needed to correct the hazard.
Checklist: the day a Stop Work Order is posted
- Stop the work the order covers. Keep only the remedial work DOB authorizes to make the site safe.
- Leave the posted order up until DOB rescinds it.
- Read the order and the violations it cites, and photograph each condition before correcting it.
- Correct every cited condition. For work without a permit, get the permit issued first.
- File the Certificate of Correction in DOB NOW: Safety when DOB requires it, with the photos, invoices and permits.
- Send the Borough Enforcement Appointment Request (one form per job, supporting documents attached) to request the re-inspection.
- Pay the civil penalties, and resume work only once DOB has rescinded the order.
Sources
- NYC DOB, Stop Work Orders (full and partial, penalties, lifting an order)
- NYC DOB, Stop Work Order (property and business owners)
- NYC DOB, Guide: Stop Work Order (SWO) issuance — when full and partial orders may be issued
- NYC DOB, SWO common conditions (top 10 list, third quarter of 2026)
- NYC DOB, Borough Enforcement Appointment Request Form – Construction
- NYC DOB, Stop Work Order Map
- NYC Administrative Code, Title 28, Chapter 2: Enforcement (penalties, §28-202.1; stop work orders, §28-207.2)
- NYC DOB, Certificate of Correction (DOB NOW: Safety; AEUHAZ)
Checked against the official text on October 23, 2026.
Related guides
- DOB violations and OATH hearings in NYC: cure, stipulate, pay or fightA cure by the date on the summons means no hearing and no penalty; a stipulation gives 75 days and about half the penalty; a default can reach $25,000. Paying does not close a violation — an approved Certificate of Correction in DOB NOW: Safety does.
- After-Hours Variance (AHV) in NYC: nights, weekends and the three-business-day ruleWork before 7 am, after 6 pm or on a weekend needs an AHV, filed in DOB NOW: Build at least three business days ahead. $130 to $650 to file plus $80 a day, the documents DOB will not take after you submit, and how renewals work.
- SST cards (Local Law 196) for facade crews: who needs which card, and the Redcode deadlineWorkers need a 40-hour card and supervisors a 62-hour one on sites with a site safety professional, checked in the Training Connect app. Up to $5,000 per untrained worker. Redcode-issued training must be replaced by December 7, 2026.