NYC Retaining Walls is a licensed and insured retaining wall contractor that repairs walls to the inspector’s report across all five boroughs, and this post covers the NYC retaining wall rule changes 2025 made to Local Law 37 enforcement. The amended 1 RCNY §103-09 took effect on March 23, 2025 (rule text and Statement of Basis and Purpose on nyc.gov; summarized by SiteCompli in February 2025). It raised the civil penalties and closed the option of carrying the same SREM condition from one five-year cycle to the next.
The rule applies to owners of retaining walls 10 feet or taller at any point that front a public right-of-way — a street, sidewalk, alley, railroad, public driveway or other public place. If that isn’t your wall, none of this applies; our Local Law 37 requirements guide explains how coverage is measured.
What changed: the penalty table
| Violation | Before | From March 23, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to file the five-year report | $1,000 per year | $5,000 per year |
| Late filing | $250 per month | $1,000 per month, from the day after the window closes |
| Failure to correct an Unsafe condition | $1,000 per month, prorated daily | $1,000 per month, prorated daily |
| SREM condition not corrected and later reported Unsafe | — | $2,000 one-time (new) |
The “before” column is what DOB’s Retaining Walls web page and its October 2024 service notice still show. Those pages are out of date. The rule PDF is the controlling text, and many secondary sites repeat the old amounts. If you’re budgeting for a violation, use the rule.
SREM can’t roll over anymore
SREM — “Safe with Repairs and/or Engineering Monitoring” — means the inspector found conditions that need repair or monitoring, generally within no more than a year. Under the amended rule, a wall cannot be rated SREM at the same location in two consecutive cycles. A SREM condition still uncorrected at the next inspection must be reported Unsafe.
That matters because Unsafe sets a clock. The inspector notifies the owner and DOB immediately (by calling 311), and the owner must correct the condition within 90 days of the report and file an amended report. Add the new $2,000 penalty and the $1,000-a-month Unsafe penalty, and an ignored SREM rating becomes the most expensive line on the table. Our SREM rating guide walks through the timeline.
What didn’t change
- Who inspects. A Qualified Retaining Wall Inspector (QRWI) — a NYS-licensed professional engineer with three years of retaining wall experience. A registered architect can’t sign the report, and neither can a contractor.
- The cycle. One inspection every five years, filed within 60 days of the inspection, in your borough’s one-year window. Cycle 3 runs Bronx 2024, Manhattan 2025, Staten Island 2026 (due December 31, 2026), Queens 2027 and Brooklyn 2028.
- The four ratings. Safe; Safe with minor repairs or maintenance; SREM; Unsafe.
- The DOB filing fees. $355 for an initial report, $130 for an amended report and $260 for an extension request.
- Waivers. The rule still provides penalty waivers in limited cases, including new owners, bankruptcy and declared emergencies (§103-09(e)).
What owners should do now
- Check your window. Staten Island owners are filing now; see the Staten Island inspection deadline guide. Queens owners have the 2027 filing window next.
- Read your last report. If it rated the wall SREM, those repairs need to be done and certified before the next inspection, or the wall will be reported Unsafe.
- Clear old violations. An earlier failure-to-file violation doesn’t go away on its own; the failure-to-file guide covers how to cure it.
- Line up the repair before the clock starts. The 90-day Unsafe deadline is short once permits and engineering are involved.
One proposed change to watch
In 2026, DOB published a proposed rule amending 1 RCNY §101-07, which governs qualified inspectors, including QRWI registration and fees; comments were due September 15, 2026. It is a proposal, and its final text and status weren’t confirmed when this was written. Check the city’s rules site before relying on it.
Where we fit
We don’t sign LL37 reports. We do the work the report calls for: retaining wall violation repair for SREM and Unsafe ratings, built to engineer-stamped plans where a permit is needed, and we can connect you with an independent QRWI through our retaining wall inspection service. If you have a report or a violation in hand, send it to us and we’ll price the repair line by line.
- NYC DOB — 1 RCNY §103-09, Periodic inspection of retaining walls (rule text)
- NYC DOB — 1 RCNY §103-09 promulgation, Statement of Basis and Purpose
- SiteCompli — Monthly NYC compliance roundup, February 2025
- NYC DOB — Retaining Walls (Local Law 37)
- NYC DOB — Retaining wall service notice, Cycle 3 (Oct 2024)
- NYC Rules — Proposed amendment of rules relating to certain qualified inspectors (2026)