What Are the Local Law 37 Retaining Wall Requirements?

NYC Retaining Walls is a licensed and insured retaining wall contractor that repairs walls to the findings of Local Law 37 reports; we don’t sign the reports, and we can connect owners with an independent inspector. The Local Law 37 retaining wall program grew out of the May 12, 2005 collapse of the private Castle Village wall in Hudson Heights onto the Henry Hudson Parkway. Today it’s codified at Admin Code §28-305.4 and run under DOB rule 1 RCNY §103-09. Here is what it requires, in order. The process side is on our retaining wall inspection page.

Which walls does Local Law 37 cover?

A wall is covered if it is 10 feet or taller at any point and fronts a public right-of-way. Height runs from the ground at the front of the wall to the top, including any parapet or fencing that retains material — so a wall retaining 6 feet of soil with a parapet bringing it over 10 feet still counts. The rule defines public right-of-way as a public highway, railroad, street, avenue, alley, public driveway, sidewalk, roadway or any other public place. Basement and vault walls that are part of a building are excluded.

DOB’s FAQ adds two practical points: a wall that ranges from 4 to 12 feet is covered if any portion reaches 10 feet, and a wall in a private courtyard or parking lot counts if the public can freely walk up to it. A wall under 10 feet beside a sidewalk needs no TR16, but the owner’s general duty to keep it safe still applies.

Who can inspect, and what’s in the report?

Only a Qualified Retaining Wall Inspector: a New York State-licensed professional engineer with three years of relevant experience with walls over 10 feet (1 RCNY §101-07). A registered architect can’t sign the TR16. The report and structural assessment must be filed within 60 days of the inspection and can’t be filed more than a year after it. If no drawings exist, DOB requires probes, cores or test pits, a cross-section and calculations.

What do the four ratings mean?

An SREM condition still uncorrected at the next inspection must be reported Unsafe. The SREM guide covers the timeline, and retaining wall violation repair covers the work.

When is each borough’s report due?

Each borough files in a one-year window that repeats every fifth year. Cycle 3 runs January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2028:

Staten Island owners have weeks left; see the Staten Island deadline guide and our Staten Island page. A new wall’s first report is due five years after its first work permit if that falls in the borough’s window, otherwise in the next window.

What does it cost, and what are the penalties?

DOB’s filing fees are $355 for the initial report, $130 for an amended report and $260 for an extension request, paid by each owner even when one report covers a shared wall. The inspector’s fee isn’t published; the inspection cost guide explains what drives it. Under the rule effective March 23, 2025: failure to file is $5,000 a year, late filing adds $1,000 a month, failing to correct an Unsafe wall is $1,000 a month prorated daily, and an uncorrected SREM later rated Unsafe is a one-time $2,000. DOB’s own web page still lists the older, lower amounts.

How do I find out if my wall is covered?

Look up your address in DOB’s Building Information System, which flags properties with covered walls on the property profile. If the wall may belong to a neighbor, a railroad or the city, a licensed surveyor’s signed and sealed survey settles it — see walls next to subway tracks and the Queens and Brooklyn pages for those boroughs’ upcoming windows.