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Average time to respond to Priority B (nonemergency) complaints (days)
Ensure the safe and lawful use of buildings and properties by enforcing the Building Code and the Zoning Resolution. — Promptly address complaints.
DOB says the growing wait for non-emergency complaint responses is driven mainly by its elevator inspection unit, which the agency describes as squeezed by ongoing budget constraints and reduced staffing. Even with the increase, response times have stayed well inside the city's 40-day target.
Researched July 15, 2026 — DOB, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, DOB, Preliminary Fiscal 2026 Mayor's Management Report
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 10.4 days | 40 days |
| FY23 | 10.8 days | 40 days |
| FY24 | 12.9 days | 40 days |
| FY25 | 17.6 days | 40 days |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | 40 days |
Why this is tracked
New York's modern building-safety bureaucracy grew out of tragedy: a "Superintendent of Buildings" post was created in 1860 after the Elm Street fire on the Lower East Side killed 20 people, and the 1901 Tenement House Act created a citywide Buildings Bureau after investigators documented dangerous, overcrowded housing conditions. A unified, citywide Department of Buildings was established in 1936. Today DOB enforces the Building Code and Zoning Resolution across more than a million buildings, issuing permits, licensing trades, and responding to structural emergencies.
Source: BIS mainframe maintained by DOB — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: The average number of work days it took DOB to conduct a field visit for complaints describing nonemergency (Priority B) conditions. If the DOB inspector is able to gain access to the complaint site, the field visit results in an inspection. Priority B complaints include the illegal conversion of space, excessive debris, failure to erect a sidewalk shed or an inadequate sidewalk shed, and construction contrary to approved plans/permits, among others.