How to Certify HPD Violation Corrections

To get a corrected HPD violation off your building's record, the registered owner or managing agent must certify the correction to HPD by the certification date printed on the Notice of Violation, either online through eCertification or on the notarized paper form. Certification is free, but it only works if you file it on time and the condition is really fixed, because HPD reinspects a large share of certifications and a false one stays open and carries its own penalty.

If the certification date has already passed, certification is no longer an option and you need a Dismissal Request instead.

Correction deadlines by violation class

Every Notice of Violation (NOV) shows two dates: the correction date (when the work must be done) and the certification date (when HPD must have your certification). The correction periods below run from the date of service. For mailed notices, HPD treats service as complete five days after mailing. Heat and hot water notices are posted at the building, so service happens at the inspection.

Always go by the dates on your own NOV. Lead, window guard, heat and hot water violations have special rules, and HPD prints any special correction instructions on the notice. Class definitions are explained in HPD violation classes explained.

Before you certify: make sure notices reach you

HPD mails NOVs to the managing agent on the building's last valid property registration, or to the owner if there is no agent. If you are not getting notices, file a new registration with the correct address. A current registration is also a precondition: owners of unregistered buildings cannot certify corrections at all. See HPD property registration.

Two ways to certify

HPD's Clear Violations page also says mold and pest violations cannot be eCertified. Those are filed on paper with their own forms; for example, Class B and C mold violations use HPD's mold certification form, and HPD's Dismissal Request instructions require an Affidavit of Mold Assessment and Remediation for Class B and C mold violations issued after March 1, 2018.

Filing through eCertification

1. 1

   Create an HPD user account

   Only named owners, officers or agents on a current property registration can enroll. Set it up before a certification date is close.
2. 2

   Enroll each building

   Submit the enrollment form once per building. Enrollment stays active as long as the building is validly registered.
3. 3

   Select the violations

   Only violations still inside their certification period appear in the list.
4. 4

   Enter the correction details

   For each violation, enter the date it was corrected and who did the work (the same information as the paper form).
5. 5

   Submit and keep your proof

   Keep invoices, photos and the contractor’s details in case HPD audits or the tenant challenges the certification.

Questions about enrollment go to HPD's eCertification unit at (212) 863-5414 or [email protected].

Filing on paper

Complete the Certification of Correction on the back of the agency copy of the NOV. List each violation number, the date corrected, and the name and address of the person or company that did the work, then sign in front of a notary. Return it to the Division of Code Enforcement office in the building's borough by registered or certified mail with return receipt, or in person. It must be hand-delivered or postmarked by the certification date. You can download extra blank forms from HPD if you want to certify some violations now and others later.

What happens after you certify

1. The tenant is notified. HPD sends the tenant a “Notice of Receipt of Violation Certification” (CIV-14) and invites them to challenge it by phone, email or mail.
2. HPD may reinspect. A tenant challenge triggers an audit inspection. HPD also audits on its own and must attempt reinspection for self-closing door and lead-based paint certifications. In 2025 it attempted reinspections for 63% of Class C certifications, far above the 15% the law requires.
3. No reinspection means it closes. Most violations are deemed corrected 70 days after HPD receives the certification unless a reinspection in that window finds the condition still there. Lead-based paint and Class B/C mold violations cannot be closed this way; they need a completed reinspection.
4. If the inspector finds it uncorrected, the violation goes into False Certification status, stays open, and HPD notifies you and the tenant.

The cost of a false certification

The form is sworn under penalty of perjury, and HPD's instructions warn that willfully submitting a false statement is a crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both. False certification is common: in 2025, 32% of completed reinspections found the certification false. Pest violations were found falsely certified 50% of the time, often because one treatment doesn't end an infestation.

Since January 2025, HPD also runs a Certification Watchlist. Each year about January 15 it selects 100 multiple dwellings that certified more than 20 Class B or C (non-pest) violations in the prior year with at least four found false. Certifications at those buildings get extra scrutiny.

Practical tips

• Fix first, certify second. Certify each violation only after the work is complete and checked.
• For pests, document the full treatment plan, not just one visit.
• If a violation is marked “Surface May Contain Lead-Based Paint,” use the lead-safe work practices HPD requires; skipping them can stop you from certifying a related lead violation.
• Track certification dates in a calendar. The landlord compliance calendar helps with the yearly filings.
• Check what the public sees: your building's open violations are on Roofy's building lookup, and status codes are explained in HPD violation status codes.

This is general information, not legal advice. Your Notice of Violation and HPD's Code Enforcement staff are the authority on deadlines for a specific violation.