New York City building department

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) reviews plans, issues permits, inspects construction, and issues certificates of occupancy in all five boroughs. New York City is a consolidated city, so no separate county or town building department exists. Every property in Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island falls under DOB and the DOB borough office for its location.

Unlike the rest of the state, NYC builds under its own NYC Construction Codes rather than the NYS Uniform Code. The 2022 Construction Codes are made up of:

• The General Administrative Provisions
• The Building, Fuel Gas, Mechanical, and Plumbing Codes

DOB also enforces the NYC Energy Conservation Code, the Electrical Code, the Existing Building Code, and the Zoning Resolution.

Do you need a permit?

Most construction in New York City needs a DOB permit. Under NYC Administrative Code §28-105.4, DOB lists these as examples of work that does not need one:

• Painting and plastering
• Installing new cabinets
• Resurfacing floors
• Replacing plumbing fixtures
• Non-structural roof repair

Contractors doing home improvement work still need a Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) license, even when no permit is required.

The code also exempts several other kinds of work:

• Ordinary plumbing work (§28-105.4.4) needs no permit but must be done by a Licensed Master Plumber.
• Emergency work (§28-105.4.1) may start before a permit if the licensed contractor files an Emergency Work Notification within two business days after finishing. Examples include stabilizing unsafe structures, repairing gas leaks, and restoring heat or hot water in residential buildings during heating season.
• Minor alterations and ordinary repairs (§28-105.4.2).
• Certain mechanical service equipment (1 RCNY 101-14, Table 2).

For more on deciding, see do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel.

Permit types and who files

Owners don’t usually file construction permits themselves. A New York State licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA) files the plans as the applicant of record. A DOB plan examiner reviews them for code and zoning objections, unless the PE or RA professionally certifies the plans. Professionally certified plans skip that review but are subject to DOB audit.

The main job types are:

Job type	Covers
New Building (NB)	New structures
Alteration-CO (Alt-CO)	Major alterations that change use, egress, or occupancy
Alteration (Alt)	Work that does not change use, egress, or occupancy
Limited Alteration Application (LAA)	Plumbing, sprinkler piping repairs, and oil burner work with no construction

Other permit rules to know:

• Plumbing permits must be pulled by a Licensed Master Plumber or Fire Suppression Piping Contractor.
• HIC licenses: contractors must submit their HIC license number when getting permits on Alteration 1, 2, and 3 filings.
• Sidewalk sheds and scaffolds: a sidewalk shed, or a supported scaffold over 40 feet, needs a permit before it goes up.
• After-hours work: working before 7:00 a.m., after 6:00 p.m., or on weekends requires an After Hours Variance.
• Asbestos: the owner must show the NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s asbestos requirements are met before DOB issues a permit.

DOB NOW and BIS

DOB NOW is the online system for nearly all DOB business. It has four parts:

• DOB NOW: Build handles job filings, permits, post-approval amendments, after-hours variances, letters of completion, and CO requests.
• DOB NOW: Safety handles boiler, elevator, energy, and facade compliance filings.
• DOB NOW: Inspections handles scheduling and tracking of inspections.
• DOB NOW: Licensing handles license exams and renewals.

The older eFiling and Buildings Information System (BIS) still handle some permit renewals and certain applications, such as solar and green-roof permits.

To research a property, use BIS for permits, violations, complaints, and filings made before DOB NOW. Use the DOB NOW Public Portal for later filings and COs. You can request plans and other records through DOB NOW: BIS Options and pick them up at the borough office.

Inspections

DOB accepts development inspection requests only through DOB NOW: Inspections, not in person, by phone, or through the old request portals. This covers construction, plumbing, electrical, elevators, boilers, signs, and other inspection types. Anyone can register, but licensees, architects, and engineers must register to request inspections. Owners should register with the email address listed in Section 26 of their PW1 filing.

Each borough office has a help kiosk for registering:

Borough	Office address
Bronx	1932 Arthur Avenue, 5th Floor
Brooklyn	210 Joralemon Street, 8th Floor
Manhattan	280 Broadway, 4th Floor
Queens	120-55 Queens Boulevard
Staten Island	10 Richmond Terrace, 2nd Floor

Certificates of occupancy

A CO states a building’s legal use and occupancy. You need one for:

• A new building
• Any change in use, egress, or occupancy of an existing building

Nobody may legally occupy such a building until DOB issues a CO or a Temporary CO (TCO). To get a CO you need:

• Final construction, plumbing, elevator, and electrical sign-offs
• A final survey and a Builders Pavement Plan
• An Owner’s Cost Affidavit (PW3)
• An approved Schedule of Occupancy
• No open applications or violations

You request the CO in DOB NOW: Build. Minor alterations receive a Letter of Completion instead. A building put up before 1938 that never needed a CO can get a Letter of No Objection to confirm its legal use. Each borough office has a CO unit:

Borough	CO unit phone
Bronx	(718) 960-4740
Brooklyn	(718) 802-3680
Manhattan	(212) 393-2552
Queens	(718) 286-7690
Staten Island	(718) 420-5410

Contact

DOB’s main line is (212) 566-5000, answered 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. From outside NYC, call (212) 639-9675. In-person service and drop-offs run 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Large or complex projects can ask for a Project Advocate, a single point of contact, through each borough’s service-request email. Online help is at nyc.gov/dobhelp.