Building Permits in New York City

New York City building permits are issued by the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB). NYC's permitting system is distinct from most of the United States: rather than a single "building permit," DOB issues job filings classified by scope — New Building (NB), Alterations Type 1/2/3, Sign, Demolition, and others — each with its own application (PW1) and work permit (PW2). Filings are governed by the NYC Construction Codes (Title 28 of the Administrative Code) and the NYC Zoning Resolution.

Job Types: Alt 1, Alt 2, Alt 3 and New Building

NYC classifies work by job type, which determines filing rules, required documents, and fees:

• New Building (NB) — ground-up new construction on a lot.
• Alteration Type 1 (Alt 1) — major alteration that changes the Certificate of Occupancy (CO). This includes changes to use, egress, or occupancy classification, vertical or horizontal enlargements, or a change in the number of dwelling units. An Alt 1 results in a new or amended CO.
• Alteration Type 2 (Alt 2) — multiple trades of work that do not change use, egress, or occupancy. This is the most common renovation filing: combining interior apartments without changing unit count, kitchen/bath renovations with plumbing, structural alterations that don't trigger a new CO, etc.
• Alteration Type 3 (Alt 3) — a minor, typically single-trade alteration (e.g., curb cut, sidewalk shed, standalone mechanical equipment).

Directive 14 of 1975 is a special filing path that allows a Registered Design Professional to certify certain Alt 2/3 work for the Commissioner without full DOB plan review; under Directive 14, floor area, dwelling unit count, egress, and occupancy may not change.

Filing Through DOB NOW: Build

DOB has migrated the overwhelming majority of job filings to DOB NOW, a web-based portal. DOB NOW includes several modules:

• DOB NOW: Build — create/submit job filings, pull and renew permits, schedule appointments, and resolve objections (the main permit module).
• DOB NOW: Inspections — request inspections and view results.
• DOB NOW: Safety — compliance filings (facade, boilers, elevators, etc.).
• DOB NOW: Licensing — license filings.

The core workflow:

1. A Registered Design Professional (RDP) — a NY State licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) or Registered Architect (R.A.) — prepares the plans and files the PW1 (Plan/Work Application) in DOB NOW: Build.
2. DOB assigns a job number, assesses initial fees, and either sends the job to a plan examiner for review or routes it through professional certification.
3. After approval, the contractor files the PW2 (Work Permit Application), provides insurance, and pays remaining permit fees to pull the actual permit.
4. Work begins; required progress and special inspections are performed and documented on TR1 / TR8 forms.
5. After final inspection and sign-off, DOB closes the job and, for Alt 1 / NB, issues the new or amended Certificate of Occupancy.

Plan Examiner Review vs. Professional Certification

For filings that go through standard review, a DOB plan examiner checks the plans against the NYC Construction Codes, Zoning Resolution, Energy Conservation Code, and other applicable laws. The examiner may issue objections that must be resolved before approval.

Under the Professional Certification Program (Pro-Cert), an eligible P.E. or R.A. instead certifies that the plans comply with all applicable laws and codes. Pro-Cert filings are not plan-examined up front; DOB audits a sample of Pro-Cert filings after the fact. Pro-Cert typically shortens the time to permit significantly, but carries personal liability for the certifying professional and is restricted to eligible scopes of work.

Typical Timelines

NYC DOB does not publish guaranteed turnaround times, and actual time-to-permit depends heavily on job type, filing completeness, and whether Pro-Cert is used. General expectations:

Verify current queue times with NYC DOB — they change with agency workload.

Permit Fees

NYC DOB fees are set by Title 28 of the NYC Administrative Code and DOB rules, and are assessed on factors including:

• Job type (NB, Alt 1, Alt 2, Alt 3, etc.)
• Initial cost of work (reported on the PW1)
• Floor area (square feet) for NB and Alt 1 filings
• Number of dwelling units, stories, and trades involved

In addition to the base filing fee, expect charges for: sign-off fees, renewal fees, re-inspection fees, after-hours variance (AHV) requests, and standalone trade filings (plumbing, sprinkler, standpipe, mechanical, electrical via the DOB Electrical Unit). One- and two-family owner-occupied residences are sometimes eligible for reduced fee schedules — verify eligibility and current amounts with NYC DOB before budgeting, as fee rules change.

Do not rely on third-party fee calculators. Use the PW1 fee calculation in DOB NOW or the current DOB fee schedule for authoritative numbers.

Inspections and TR1

The Registered Design Professional identifies which progress inspections and special inspections apply at the time of filing, using the TR1 (Technical Report — Statement of Responsibility) form. Typical inspection categories include:

• Foundation and footings
• Structural steel, concrete, masonry
• Fire-resistance-rated construction and firestopping
• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sprinkler, standpipe
• Energy code compliance (documented on the TR8 form)
• Final inspection and sign-off

Inspections are requested and tracked in DOB NOW: Inspections. The Progress Inspection Applicant certifies completion of the required progress inspections prior to sign-off.

Common Reasons for Objections or Denial

• Plans do not meet the NYC Construction Codes, Energy Conservation Code, or Zoning Resolution
• Missing or inconsistent drawings, calculations, or RDP stamps
• Zoning conflicts (use group, bulk, FAR, yard/court, height/setback)
• Missing Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approval for landmarked buildings
• Missing state/federal clearances (e.g., FEMA flood zones, NYCHPD)
• Contractor insurance or licensing not current; Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) license required for Alt work at 1–2 family homes

Official Sources

• NYC Department of Buildings — Acquire Permits: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/acquire-permits.page
• DOB NOW: Build FAQs: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/dob-now-build-faqs.page
• PW1 (Plan/Work Application) form: https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/pw1.pdf
• DOB Project Categories — Alterations: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/dob/project-categories-alterations.page

Always verify current requirements, forms, and fees directly with NYC DOB before filing — rules, job-type definitions, and fee schedules change periodically.