The Comptroller's Audit of LL144 Enforcement, Explained

In December 2025, the New York State Comptroller published audit 2024-N-6, reviewing two years of DCWP enforcement of Local Law 144 (July 2023 – June 2025). The findings are uncomfortable reading for anyone who assumed the law was being actively policed:

• DCWP received only two AEDT complaints in two years.
• Reviewing the same 32 companies DCWP examined, auditors found at least 17 instances of potential non-compliance — DCWP found one.
• 75% of test calls to NYC's 311 hotline about AEDT issues were misrouted and never reached DCWP.
• The audit concluded DCWP's enforcement system is "ineffective."

What this means for employers

Weak enforcement is not the same as no exposure. The penalty structure is per-day: $500 for a first violation, $500–$1,500 per day after, per tool. Six months of non-compliant use is, on a literal reading, $90,000–$270,000 of exposure before any discount. And the audit explicitly pushes DCWP toward proactive investigation — law firms are already advising clients to expect tighter enforcement in 2026.

The cheapest compliance posture remains the same as it was in 2023: a current annual bias audit, a posted public summary, and candidate notice. That is exactly what ComplyLens delivers in 72 hours for $1,500.