Key takeaways
- The Department has proposed amending 1 RCNY §101-03 and §101-07 to change how qualified exterior wall inspectors (QEWI), qualified retaining wall inspectors (QRWI) and qualified parking structure inspectors (QPSI) are authorized. The hearing was held on September 15, 2026; the rule is not adopted.
- Inspectors would be registered rather than approved, which the Department says would "allow the Department to more easily take any necessary disciplinary action against them."
- The registration would run one year from January 1, 2027, with suspension and revocation available under §28-401.19 of the Administrative Code, and renewal refusable on the same basis.
- QPSI experience would rise from three years to seven, and it would have to be with parking structures. Inspectors already approved would be exempt from that increase.
In this article
The people who sign off facades, retaining walls and parking structures in New York are currently approved once and stay approved. The Department has proposed changing that into something closer to a license: annual, interviewed, paid for, and revocable.
What is proposed
The proposal is published as Amendment of Rules Relating to Certain Qualified Inspectors on the City's rulemaking portal. It amends sections 101-03 and 101-07 of Title 1 of the Rules of the City of New York. The hearing was held on September 15, 2026, comments are closed, and it is not adopted.
Four changes run through it.
Registration instead of approval. The Department's stated purpose is enforcement: registration makes disciplinary action easier to take than approval does.
A one-year term. The registration would run one year, beginning January 1, 2027, and would be subject to suspension and revocation under §28-401.19. The Department would also be able to refuse a renewal on that basis.
An interview. Applicants would have to be interviewed to be approved. A currently approved QEWI who has never been interviewed would have to be interviewed in order to renew.
Fees. The amendment to §101-03 would add fees for initial registration and for renewal. The published summary does not state the amounts; the figures circulating come from comments filed on the proposal rather than from the Department's text.
What happens to inspectors already approved
The proposal does not wipe the slate. Approvals issued before January 1, 2027 would remain valid, and an inspector could keep working until their renewal date, paying only the renewal fee at that point.
The exception is the interview: an approved QEWI who has not been interviewed would need one before renewing.
And for parking structures, the experience increase would not be applied retroactively. Inspectors already approved as QPSI would be exempt from the move to seven years.
The experience change
The substantive change is for parking structure inspectors: three years of experience would become seven, and the experience would have to be with parking structures rather than general practice.
That is a significant narrowing. Parking structure inspections are a young program in New York, and seven years of specific experience is a short list of people. For owners with garages on the compliance cycle, the practical question is not the rule but the supply of inspectors it leaves.
The summary lists no change to the experience required of retaining wall inspectors.
What to do now
If you are an inspector, the dates matter: the term would begin January 1, 2027, and an interview may stand between a current approval and its renewal.
If you are an owner, the question is about your consultants. Ask who will be signing your next facade or parking structure report, and whether they expect to be registered under the new scheme. On parking structures especially, booking early is the sensible response to a rule that may shrink the pool.
We will publish an update here when the rule is adopted or withdrawn.
Agency and license registration moved systems in the same period, in DOB NOW Licensing, and the fees for the reports these inspectors sign went up in the new parking structure and facade filing fees.
Frequently asked questions
Is this in force?
No. It is a proposed rule. The hearing was held on September 15, 2026 and the comment period is closed.
Does my current QEWI approval disappear?
Under the proposal, approvals issued before January 1, 2027 remain valid, and the inspector works until the renewal date and then pays the renewal fee.
Would a QEWI have to be interviewed?
An applicant would be interviewed to be approved, and a currently approved QEWI who has not been interviewed would need to be in order to renew.
What is the experience requirement for parking structure inspectors?
The proposal raises it from three years to seven, with the experience being with parking structures. Already approved inspectors are exempt.
Where can I read the proposal?
On the City's rulemaking portal, at the link in the first section of this article.
Conclusion
The direction here is familiar: a role that began as a professional designation is being turned into something the Department can suspend. For inspectors it means a yearly cycle and an interview. For owners it means asking a question they have never had to ask — not whether their consultant is qualified, but whether they will still be registered when the report is due.
Written by the engineers and laboratory technicians of Metric Consulting and Inspection, a Class 1 special inspection agency with a DOB-licensed concrete testing laboratory in Hicksville, New York, serving NYC construction since 2003.