Business Resources

Environmental Control Board

The Environmental Control Board (ECB) is an administrative tribunal that provides hearings on notices of violation issued by other City agencies for various "quality of life" infractions of the City's laws and rules. As a judicial entity, ECB does not issue notices of violation, does not establish enforcement policies, does not employ inspectors or agents, and does not direct, control or otherwise influence where, when or to whom notices are to be issued. Once a notice of violation is issued, however, the matter may only be resolved through the adjudication process at the Board.

Only persons or entities who have received violations (respondents) are entitled to a hearing and may only have a hearing within the legal time limits. Respondents may also be represented by legal counsel or by any authorized agent who can present the respondent's defense to the charges made by the City.

IF YOU RECEIVE A NOTICE OF VIOLATION

A notice of violation must be answered in one of four ways:
1. Pay the mail-in penalty amount indicated on the notice of violation, if appropriate;
2. Appear in person or by personal representative (who does not have to be an attorney) to present a defense before an administrative law judge at an ECB office; or
3. Mail a written statement sworn to before a notary public that details your defense to the charges contained in the notice of violation.
4. ECB payments (checks or credit cards) and violation inquiries can also be made online. To make an inquiry or payment, please visit the NYCServ ePayment Center. You will need the nine digit violation number.

Failure to answer the notice of violation in one of these three ways before the hearing date indicated on the notice of violation may subject you to significantly higher default penalties. ECB has three full-time and two part-time hearing offices. The three full-time offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for hearings, and until 5:00 p.m. for general information. These locations are:

The locations and hours of the part-time offices are:

APPEALS (AFTER HEARING):

If you don't like the decision of the administrative law judge, you may appeal the decision by writing to the Environmental Control Board's Appeals Unit within 30 days after receiving the decision and order. Your appeal is conducted by mail without any further personal appearances. Your statement should include an explanation of why you think your case should be reviewed by the Board. The decision of the Board can then be appealed to State Supreme Court.

HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE?

Each notice of violation has a hearing date indicated on the notice of violation. You must respond to the charges on or before that date. If you choose to appear in person, your hearing may take several minutes or several hours, depending on the charges made by the City enforcement agency. ECB makes every effort to move you through the process quickly.

WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION?

You may obtain additional information by calling one of the numbers indicated above or by contacting:

Environmental Control Board Executive Office
Office of the Executive Director
66 John Street, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10038
(212) 361-1400

• Doing Business with DEP
• The Community Right-to-Know Program Tier II Filing
• Smart Business – A Guide to DEP Environmental Regulations and Permitting Requirements for Businesses in New York City.
• The Environmental Control Board.
• A Guide for New York City Dry Cleaners.
• The Environmental Economic Development Assistance Unit
• Guide to Pollution Prevention for New York City Businesses
• Smart Printing – A Guide to Environmental Regulations and Permit Requirements for Printers
• Preventing Grease Discharges Into Sewers