Press Release - FAIRER Program Extended - DOF

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2021

Contact: Press Office

Department of Finance Extends the Fine and Interest Reduction Enabling Recovery (FAIRER) Program

FAIRER Program Extended 90 days for New Yorkers to Resolve Eligible Environmental Control Board (ECB) Judgments at a Reduced Cost from December 20, 2021 Through March 20, 2022
New York, NY— The Department of Finance today announced a 90-day extension of the FAIRER (Fine and Interest Reduction Enabling Recovery) Program, which was launched on September 20, 2021 to allow New Yorkers and others to pay a reduced amount to resolve eligible Environmental Control Board (ECB) judgments. The FAIRER Program, like the 2016 Forgiving Fines program, is an amnesty program for individuals and businesses who have unresolved judgments for ECB violations issued by agencies such as the Sanitation, Fire and Buildings Departments. Eligible violations can range anywhere from littering to working without a permit from the Buildings Department.
Local Law 81 of 2021 authorized the program and established different reduction amounts depending on factors such as whether an individual or business attended a hearing or whether the judgments occurred during or prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Local Law 81 established the program for three months and authorized the Commissioner of the Department of Finance to extend the program for an additional 90 days. Nearly 21,000 businesses and individuals have resolved their unpaid judgments under the FAIRER Program.
“At this pivotal moment for our City’s recovery, we must redouble our efforts to keep doors of opportunity open,” said Department of Finance Commissioner Sherif Soliman. “Over the past 90 days, more than 20,000 New Yorkers and others have stepped forward to resolve over 87,000 judgments by taking advantage of FAIRER. The program is designed to help them keep more money in their pockets while settling outstanding debt. Consistent with the spirit and the letter of the law, I am glad to extend the FAIRER program for an additional 90 days to continue the opportunity to wipe the slate clean at a reduced cost. I thank Mayor de Blasio and the City Council for the enactment of Local Law 81 and its option to extend relief.”
“I want to thank the NYC Department of Finance for recognizing the need to extend the FAIRER Program. The extension will provide relief for New Yorkers and others in the small business sector, as well as private residents who have been affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic,” said New York State Senator Diane Savino.
“An unfortunate consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic is the extreme financial hardship faced by many New Yorkers. I want to thank the NYC Department of Finance for extending the FAIRER Program at a time that many homeowners are having a hard time paying their mortgage, keeping up with their taxes, and addressing various city fines. The extension of this program should ease some of the financial burden on New Yorkers by reducing the cost of their Environmental Control Board fines,” said Assembly Member David I. Weprin, Chair, of the Committee on Correction.
"As we continue on our road to recovery, many small property owners and small businesses are still under heavy financial burden," said Council Member Peter Koo. "The extension of the FAIRER Program gives individuals and businesses more time to resolve outstanding ECB judgements issued by various city agencies at reduced amounts. By reducing fines for businesses, this program will help them recover at a faster pace, and in turn help our great City recover faster too.”
The FAIRER Program covers two types of judgments: those that only require payment and those that require both payment and corrective action. A compliance judgment is a judgment arising out of a notice of violation that includes an order requiring the correction of the violation. A compliance judgment may be resolved under the FAIRER Program only if the issuing agency issues a certificate of compliance or if the Department of Finance receives an electronic record indicating compliance on or before the last day of the FAIRER Program period.
The amount that customers can save will depend upon when their violations went into judgment and whether the party named on the violation (respondent) attended a hearing held by the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings:

Type of Judgment
Reduction Amount

Contains a Default Penalty for Not Attending a Hearing
Default Penalty and Interest

No Default Penalty and Entered on or After March 7, 2020, and prior to June 23, 2021
75% of Base Fine and Interest

No Default Penalty and Entered Before March 7, 2020
25% of Base Fine and Interest

To participate in the FAIRER Program, respondents or payors must pay their eligible reduced judgments in full at www.nyc.gov/mysummons and agree to the program’s terms and conditions no later than March 20, 2022.
For more information, including all FAIRER Program eligibility criteria, visit www.nyc.gov/fairer.