ECB violation

A summons written by a city agency for a code violation, heard and decided at OATH, the administrative court that absorbed the ECB.

The Environmental Control Board no longer exists as a separate body, but its name survives on decades of records and on the summonses agencies still write. When DOB, FDNY, DSNY, DEP or another agency issues a summons for a code violation, the case is decided at OATH, and the datasets still call the result an ECB violation.

An ECB violation is a charge with a hearing attached, which makes it different from an HPD violation (an order to correct a condition). The respondent can admit, contest, or ignore it; ignoring it produces a default judgment at the maximum penalty. The penalty, the hearing outcome, and any unpaid balance are all public.