ECB amnesty: what to know before paying old violation judgments

What happened

The NYC Department of Finance (DOF) opened the ECB Amnesty and Compliance Program on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. It runs until Sunday, January 10, 2027. The program lets people pay a reduced amount on eligible unpaid Environmental Control Board (ECB) judgments. These are judgments issued by various city agencies and adjudicated by the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH). DOF's program page says the three-month program was authorized by Mayor Mamdani and the City Council. It says some fines and interest can be waived, with savings that in some cases may reach 75%. Savings depend on when a violation went into judgment and whether the respondent attended an OATH hearing.

DOF's FAQ, published the same day, sets the main rules. A judgment entered in court after 07/15/2026 is not eligible. A default judgment entered after that date may instead qualify for the OATH-Adjudicated ECB Violations Settlement Program. Each selected judgment must be paid in full with a single payment. Separate judgments can be paid in separate transactions before the deadline. Any violation not paid in full by the end of the program reverts to the full amount. Anyone may pay an eligible judgment, even if they are not named on it. There are no refunds or retroactive discounts for judgments paid in full before the program began. If you made partial payments, the remaining balance may still qualify. In some cases where past partial payments are high enough, a $1 payment resolves the judgment.

Judgments that require corrective action as well as payment qualify only if the issuing agency approves the correction and DOF receives electronic confirmation before the program ends. For FDNY violations, a notarized Certificate of Correction with proof of compliance must be submitted through the FDNY online portal. Default DOB judgments that received a DOB credit may be eligible. DOF warns that paying a judgment from a default decision is an admission of liability. Participants also give up the right to challenge the paid judgment or the amount due. That includes seeking to vacate a default or claiming they never got notice of the violation.

To check eligibility, search at www.nyc.gov/mysummons by name and address, violation number, or OATH ID. You can also pay at any DOF business center. Corporations paying by e-check or ACH should give their bank the ACH company ID A136400434 and the name NYC ECB FINES so a debit block does not reject the payment. A failed payment does not resolve the judgment. After a failed payment, there may be a period when you cannot pay again, and DOF may bill penalties and interest.