The penalty track is the money. A summons is resolved on this track when the penalty is paid, dismissed at OATH, or settled. This is the track firms watch, because it is the one with invoices attached.
The correction track is the condition. A summons is resolved on this track when a Certificate of Correction is filed in DOB NOW: Safety and approved by the Department of Buildings' Administrative Enforcement Unit. The certificate is the firm's statement, with evidence, that the condition the inspector cited has been corrected.
A summons closes only when both tracks are resolved. Until then it stays on the firm's license record as an open violation, whatever has been paid.
While a violation stays open, it does practical damage beyond its balance. Open violations can hold up permits, Certificates of Occupancy, and Letters of Completion on the firm's jobs.
And an open Class 1 summons carries its own clock. With no Certificate of Correction on file, it can draw a $5,000 penalty per summons, with re-inspections every 60 days.
This is why the Open-Violation File is built the way it is: every open summons on the record, its deadline, and a correction pack for each summons that can be certified, so both tracks can be worked from one file.