NYC Waives ECB Interest Through Jan. 10, Targets $25M

New York building owners with unpaid ECB judgments have until Sunday, January 10, 2027, to settle them at a discount and skip the interest, under a Department of Finance amnesty that opened October 13 and that the city expects to bring in about $25 million.

Why it matters

For owners, the clock matters more than the headline. Unpaid ECB judgments can follow a property into refinancings, sales and lender diligence, so a three-month window to clear them for less is a clean-up chance before year-end closings. Brokers and GCs running diligence on acquisitions should expect sellers to use it. The city says the program is run by Finance under authority from Mayor Mamdani and the City Council, and calls the effort Debt Demolisher.

The numbers

The relief depends on how the judgment was entered. Per Finance, a defaulted judgment (no hearing attended) has its default fine and accrued interest waived, and the owner pays 100% of the base fine. A judgment entered after a hearing has interest waived and costs 75% of the imposed fine. The page says savings “may be as much as 75%.”

Our check of the NYC Open Data DOB ECB Violations dataset shows the size of the pool: 163,163 violations carry an open balance, totaling $880,480,250. Another 27,331 violations with balances of $10,000 or more hold $480,018,851, about 55% of that money. Treat this as context, not a forecast. The dataset covers Department of Buildings tickets only, includes balances that may not have reached judgment, and the amnesty reaches judgments from many agencies adjudicated by OATH.

The Real Deal reports that tickets under criminal investigation, matters handled by the marshal, sheriff or Corporation Counsel, and judgments already converted to tax liens fall outside the program. Finance’s own page lists no dollar target.

What’s next

Owners can search by name, address, ticket or OATH ID at nyc.gov/mysummons, pay the reduced amount in full online, or pay at a Finance business center. Some judgments also need a Certificate of Correction from the issuing agency before the window closes, and that approval is the likely bottleneck. Start there.

For recent examples of the penalties at stake, see our report on three Brooklyn owners facing $45,000 in ECB penalties and our wider New York coverage.