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Neighborhood Risk Rankings · Brooklyn / Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Heights.

20 buildings ranked by open violation count. Browse the rankings, then audit any address to see what a listing won't tell you.

Buildings ranked

20

From NYC PLUTO seed

Visible risk signals

1,919

DOB + HPD combined

Median signal count

80

Per building, mid-pack

Highest-signal building

198

Worst single BBL

Brooklyn Heights is the borough's oldest continuously-residential neighborhood and NYC's first designated historic district (1965). Its housing stock is dominated by 19th-century brownstones, Federal-style row houses, and a smaller tier of mid-rise pre-war and post-war elevator buildings along the Promenade and Cadman Plaza. ZIP 11201 also covers Downtown Brooklyn and DUMBO, so the data here mixes Brooklyn Heights row-house compliance (low) with Downtown Brooklyn high-rise compliance (mixed) and DUMBO converted-loft compliance (varied). The list below ranks 11201 buildings by current open HPD violations.

Brooklyn Heights FAQ

Frequently asked about Brooklyn Heights buildings.

Why does ZIP 11201 cover more than just Brooklyn Heights?

ZIP boundaries don't follow neighborhood boundaries cleanly — 11201 covers Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, and parts of Fulton Ferry. Our seed assigns the whole ZIP to Brooklyn Heights for index purposes; the audit on any individual BBL shows the building's actual address so neighborhood context is clear on a per-building basis.

Are Brooklyn Heights brownstones a good buy compliance-wise?

Brooklyn Heights brownstones average very low open-violation counts — partly stock age (most renovations are decades old), partly owner-occupied stability, partly the historic district's LPC oversight discouraging unpermitted exterior work. The audit's DOB permit history catches recent activity; a brownstone with multiple open Class 1 permits is the exception, not the rule, in 11201.

Are DUMBO loft conversions in 11201 risky?

Several DUMBO buildings (mostly along Water, Front, and Plymouth Streets) were converted from industrial use in the 1990s-2010s. Most have clean CO trails today, but a few carry layered DOB filings tied to the conversion process. The audit's DOB permit history and CO check separate cleanly-converted lofts from those with open conversion-era issues.

Is Brooklyn Heights landmark-district-protected?

Yes — almost all of central Brooklyn Heights sits inside the Brooklyn Heights Historic District (NYC's first, designated 1965). Façade, window, sidewalk, and rooftop work in this district requires LPC review. The audit's DOB permit history is a useful proxy; open work without a closed sign-off can indicate LPC compliance trouble. For any contract on a row house in the district, ask the broker about LPC status separately.

Is 11201 in a FEMA flood zone?

Parts of 11201 are — specifically the DUMBO waterfront (along Front, Plymouth, and John Streets) and Fulton Ferry sit in FEMA Zone AE. Most of inland Brooklyn Heights along the Promenade and Henry/Hicks Streets is outside high-risk zones thanks to its hillside elevation. The audit pulls FEMA designation per BBL.

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