OATH-Adjudicated ECB Violations Settlement Program FAQs

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OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program

Frequently asked questions

1. What is OATH?

The Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) is the City of New York’s central, independent administrative law court. Environmental Control Board judgments are handled by OATH’s Hearings Division. OATH adjudicates cases that originate from the various agencies that enforce the city’s rules, regulations, and laws.

2. What does OATH-adjudicated mean?

OATH-adjudicated simply means that the court has issued a decision on your violation. If you do not attend your OATH hearing, you will receive a default judgment and you will have to pay not only the full amount of your base fine, plus interest, but also a default penalty.

3. What is the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program?

The OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program can help you settle your default judgments at a reduced cost. For a default judgment, the amount due under the settlement program is the current base penalty amount, accrued interest on the base penalty amount from the date of the original entry of the judgment, and one-half the amount of default penalties. The remaining half of the default penalties are waived. The settlement program is available for default judgments that have been brought into compliance. The settlement program is not available if you had a hearing at OATH.

4. Who can participate in the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program?

Any respondent (the party named on the notice of violation) or payor (someone other than the respondent) may participate in the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program.

5. Which judgments are eligible for settlement program?

Judgments that can be settled under the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program are default judgments that have been entered into court by OATH, unless:

The judgments have been included in an execution to the Sheriff, or a New York City marshal, or the judgments have been referred to the New York City Law Department for collection. In these instances, you will need to make payments directly to the Sheriff, New York City marshal, or Law Department.

For some judgments, known as “compliance judgments,” you may have already received a reduction from the Department of Buildings (DOB) if you have corrected the violation. Judgments that have received a reduction from DOB are not eligible for a settlement.

For compliance judgments issued from agencies other than the Department of Buildings, you must have completed any required corrective actions to the satisfaction of the issuing agency. The Department of Finance will be notified that the agency has issued a Certificate of Correction, after which point you will be able to participate in the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program.

6. Why is my judgment blocked and not available for an online payment?

If your judgment is blocked from online payment, it has been referred to either the Sheriff or a New York City marshal for collection. For more information on how to pay your blocked judgment, please contact the Department of Finance through our Customer Service Portal.

Your Department of Buildings judgment could also be blocked from payment on CityPay because it has been converted to a tax lien. If the judgment has been converted to a tax lien, it will appear on your property tax bill. You can pay the lien online at www.nyc.gov/ecbpropertyliens.

7. Why should I participate in the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program?

The OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program can save you money for the payment of your default judgments by waiving half of the default penalty. In addition, it is very important that you pay all of your outstanding liabilities in a timely manner. The Department of Finance may use all available legal enforcement tools to collect the unpaid judgments, including the seizure of your non-exempt real and personal property.

8. Which judgments are not eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program?

The settlement program applies only to judgments that are “default judgments.” The program is not available if you attended your OATH hearing, because in that case, no default penalty would have been assessed.

The settlement program does not cover violations that are not entered in court as judgments.

For some judgments, known as “compliance judgments,” you may have already received a reduction from the Department of Buildings (DOB) if you have corrected the violation. Judgments that have received a reduction from DOB are not eligible for a settlement. The settlement program does not cover judgments that are not in compliance.

Judgments that have been referred to a New York City marshal, the Sheriff, or the New York City Law Department are not eligible for the settlement program.

9. How can I find out if I have eligible judgments?

Visit e-Services and search for your judgments by ticket number, name and address, or OATH ID. The search will result in a list of judgments that will indicate whether the judgment is eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program. The list will also include the original amount owed.

10. How can I pay my fines under the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program?

To pay your judgments, visit e-Services and search for your judgments by ticket number, name and address, or OATH ID. The search will result in a list of judgments that will indicate whether the judgment is eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program. By paying your finder under the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program, you admit liability.

You may also visit e-Services to pay for violations that are not eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated Settlement Program.

11. Can I use an e-check to pay for my settlement?

Yes, you can pay using an e-check. If you are a corporation making an electronic check (e-Check) or Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment, please contact your banking institution to provide them with the appropriate ACH company ID (A136400434) and name (NYC ECB FINES) to allow for the removal of any ACH debit block which may affect the processing of your payment so that the payment is not rejected. If your payment is returned unpaid by your bank, the Department of Finance may send you a bill for the amount due, which may include additional charges, such as penalties and interest.

12. May I have multiple settlements under the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program?

Yes, if you have multiple judgments eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program, you can receive a settlement for each of them.

13. I have several judgments eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program. Is it possible to pay for only some of them?

Yes, you may choose to pay for some rather than all of your eligible judgments. Please keep in mind that if you do not pay all of the judgments that you owe, the Department of Finance may use all legal available enforcement tools to collect the unpaid judgments, including the seizure of your non-exempt real and personal property.

14. May I make a partial payment on my OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program resolution amount?

You can choose to pay more than one judgment at a time, but you must pay the full settlement amount of each judgment.

15. When will my settlement expire?

Settlements do not expire, but please be aware that interest on your outstanding balance is calculated daily. The longer you wait to pay your settlement, the more interest you will have to pay. Interest continues to accrue until your judgment is paid in full.

16. What if my violation is listed as docketed, but there is no settlement amount available?

It is possible that the violation may not yet be docketed. You can look up your violations at e-Services and click on each violation to see the actual docket date.

Please note that due to timing issues in the docketing process, certain violations listed as docketed judgments may not yet be docketed judgments until the process is completed, generally at the end of the month. As a result, during this period, certain violations may appear to be docketed judgments before they actually become eligible for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Judgments Settlement Program. If this occurs for your violation, and you were unable to pay a settlement amount, please return to this page the following month. If you need assistance, please contact 311.

17. I searched CityPay for eligible judgments. Why do I have more than one OATH ID number?

If you own more than one property or have more than one name, you may also have more than one OATH ID number. Be sure to note and search all OATH ID numbers associated with your names and properties.

The search results are not perfect, due to variations in how names and addresses are entered into the system. Be sure to search by full name and address and any potential variations (“Jim” for “James,” for example).

18. I have multiple OATH ID numbers for multiple violations. Can I have just one OATH ID number?

Yes. Please contact the Department of Finance for assistance. (Bear in mind that new OATH IDs are created every time the court refers a new judgment to DOF. As a result, combining OATH IDs can be an ongoing process.)

19. One of my non-Department of Buildings compliance judgments is docketed and has a default penalty, and there is no execution against it. Why don’t I see an amount due in CityPay for the judgment?

If you have been issued a compliance judgment from an agency other than the Department of Buildings, the settlement amount due will not show until you submit proof that you have corrected the problem. Please contact the issuing agency to submit your “proof of correction.” If the issuing agency approves your correction, it will notify the Department of Finance, and we will update the CityPay site and e-Services. If you have proof from the agency that your correction has been approved, but you still don’t see an amount due in CityPay or e-Services, contact the Department of Finance at (212) 440-5300 or via our online portal.

20. Who from the issuing agency can I contact to discuss my compliance violations?

If you have a question for the issuing agency of your violation in order to achieve compliance, please contact the agencies as shown below.
Department of Buildings (DOB):

Resolve a summons or violation

What is an OATH summons?

www.nyc.gov/dobnowhelp

(212) 393-2405

Fire Department New York (FDNY):

Resolve violations or summons

Curedesk@fdny.nyc.gov

(718) 999-2000

Landmark and Preservation:

Landmark Preservations Commission Enforcement Department

Violations@lpc.nyc.gov

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP):

www.nyc.gov/dep/cats

Catsfeedback@dep.nyc.gov

21. Where do I submit proof of the correction approvals for compliance judgments?

Please contact the issuing agency to submit your “proof of correction.” If the issuing agency approves your correction and OATH ECB makes an adjustment to the amount owed for such violation, then DOF shall make a corresponding adjustment and will update the CityPay site and e-Services. If you have proof from the agency that your correction has been approved, but you still don’t see a settlement amount due in e-Services, contact the Department of Finance at (212) 440-5300 or via our online portal.

22. Am I eligible for a settlement agreement if I am enrolled in a payment plan?

You may be eligible for a settlement agreement while enrolled in a payment plan. You will have the choice of selecting your settlement amount on the CityPay site or e-Services.

23. If I pay the full amount of the settlement agreement for a violation, do I still have to make the monthly installment payment on my payment plan?

If you make a settlement payment that is greater than or equal to the installment payment amount, no installment payment will be due for the period in which the settlement payment was made.

If the settlement payment amount is less than the amount of theinstallment payment, then the installment payment amount due will be the difference between your settlement payment and the amount of the installment payment. The exception is that if you are paying by automatic debit, the Department of Finance may automatically debit the full installment payment amount even if you made a settlement payment.

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