If you own, manage, or are about to buy a property in New York City, one of the quickest checks you can make is whether the sidewalk out front has a violation on record. This guide walks through how to do that using only the street address.
What you need before you start
All you need is the house number and street name. Borough is helpful but not required. Numbered streets work with or without an ordinal suffix, so both 136 and 136th are fine.
Run the search
Enter the address into the lookup tool and submit it. The tool checks the sidewalk violations database and returns any records tied to that house number and street.
Read the result
An open violation has an issue date but no dismissal date. A dismissed record has a dismissal date. If nothing comes back, there is likely no active record, though you should still confirm important details through official sources.
Verify what matters
This tool reads public data and is not an official city record. For anything that affects a sale, a repair decision, or a legal deadline, verify the specifics with the appropriate NYC agency.