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Understanding HPD violation classes: A, B, and C

Class C means the landlord had 24 hours to fix the issue. Learn what each severity class triggers, typical resolution times, and how violations affect a building's risk score.

Updated Jun 18, 2026

Understanding HPD violation classes: A, B, and C

Category: Reports & Data
Read time: 5 minutes
Applies to: NYC buildings only

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) inspects buildings and issues violations when conditions violate the Housing Maintenance Code. Every violation is assigned a class — A, B, or C — that determines how fast the landlord must respond.

This isn't bureaucracy for its own sake. The class tells you how serious the problem is, how long the landlord had to fix it, and what it means for your safety if it's still open.

The three classes

Class Severity Landlord's response time Examples
C Immediately hazardous 24 hours No heat in winter, gas leak, no running water, broken lock on apartment door
B Hazardous 30 days Mice or roach infestation, mold, inadequate lighting in hallway, leaking pipe
A Non-hazardous 90 days Peeling paint, minor cracks in wall, missing cabinet drawer, worn flooring

Class C — Immediately hazardous

These are the violations that can't wait. HPD considers the condition an immediate threat to tenant health or safety.

Common Class C violations include: - No heat when outdoor temperature drops below 55°F - Gas leak - No hot or cold running water - Broken or missing door lock - No electricity - Sewage backup

What to look for: Multiple open Class C violations over more than one season suggest a landlord who isn't keeping up with basic maintenance. A single Class C that was resolved quickly is less concerning — things break, and responsive landlords fix them.

Class B — Hazardous

Conditions that pose a physical or health hazard but aren't immediately life-threatening. These are the most common violations issued.

Common Class B violations include: - Mouse or rat infestation - Roach infestation - Mold or water damage - Inadequate lighting in public areas - Lead-based paint hazards - Broken plaster or holes in walls

What to look for: Patterns matter more than individual counts. Five Class B violations over three years for different issues is less concerning than five violations in one year for the same recurring problem (pests that never get fully treated, for example).

Class A — Non-hazardous

Minor maintenance issues or cosmetic conditions. These are important for quality of life but don't threaten safety.

Common Class A violations include: - Peeling or chipping paint - Minor cracks in walls or ceiling - Defective cabinets or drawers - Missing handrails in hallways - Flooring in poor condition

What to look for: A handful of Class A violations is normal in any occupied building. A high number with no corresponding Class B or C violations could mean a landlord who's slow on cosmetic repairs — frustrating but not dangerous.

Open vs. closed status

Every violation has a status. The most important distinction is open vs. closed:

  • Open — The violation has been issued but not corrected. HPD has not re-inspected and verified the fix.
  • Closed — HPD has re-inspected and confirmed the condition was corrected, or the violation was dismissed.

An open Class C violation that's been open for months tells a very different story than a closed one that was resolved within days. The premium report shows both the status and the timeline so you can see how long each violation stayed open.

What HPD violations are not

HPD violations cover conditions inside the building that affect habitability — heat, water, pests, structural defects. They do not cover:

  • Noise complaints between tenants (that's 311)
  • Lease disputes with the landlord (Housing Court)
  • Illegal eviction attempts (NYC Sheriff / Housing Court)
  • Construction violations in common areas (DOB)

Those are tracked by other city agencies and appear in other sections of the report (311 Service Requests, DOB Complaints, HPD Litigation, etc.).

HPD violations and the risk score

HPD violations are one of the primary inputs to Augrented's 12-month maintenance forecast. The model weights:

  • Number of open Class C violations — Highest weight. Unresolved hazardous conditions are the strongest signal of future problems.
  • Ratio of open to closed violations — A landlord who closes violations quickly scores better than one who lets them accumulate.
  • Recurrence patterns — The same types of violations filed repeatedly (e.g., heat complaints every winter) suggest systemic issues rather than one-off failures.
  • Portfolio-wide HPD patterns — If the same landlord entity has high open violation counts across multiple buildings, that pattern feeds into every building's score.

How to check a building's HPD history

A free report shows the 10 most recent HPD violations. A premium report or credit unlocks the full violation history — every filing, status update, and reinspection — with up to 200 rows from this dataset alone.

The event timeline then organizes every violation chronologically alongside DOB complaints, 311 calls, permits, and other filings so you can see the full picture at once.

Search any NYC address to start checking its violation history — free for your first 10 buildings.