To do a Certificate of Occupancy NYC lookup, use the Department of Buildings’ two free online systems: the Building Information System (BIS) at a810-bisweb.nyc.gov for certificates issued before March 2021, and DOB NOW at a810-dobnow.nyc.gov for anything issued from March 2021 onward.1NYC Department of Buildings. Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy Both are open to the public around the clock, and both return the CO as a printable PDF once you enter the address.
Which system you use depends on when the certificate was issued, so if you don’t know the date, check both before concluding a building has no CO on file.
What You Need Before You Search
At minimum, you need the property’s borough, street number, and street name. That is usually enough. If you have the Block and Lot numbers, you can search by those instead, which helps when a building has an irregular address or shares a lot with other structures.
Don’t know the Block and Lot? Look them up on the city’s Property Information Portal at propertyinformationportal.nyc.gov. Type in the street address and the portal returns the Block, Lot, and other property details.2NYC Property Information Portal. Property Information Portal Check your spelling and the house number carefully. A single typo returns nothing, and a blank result is easy to misread as “no CO exists.”
Searching BIS for Certificates Issued Before March 2021
Go to a810-bisweb.nyc.gov and enter the property address. On the Property Profile page that loads, find the link labeled “View Certificates of Occupancy.” If a CO is on file, it appears as a clickable PDF you can open, read, and print.1NYC Department of Buildings. Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy
Searching DOB NOW for Certificates Issued After March 2021
Go to a810-dobnow.nyc.gov and search by address. On the Property Profile page, select “Certificate of Occupancy” from the top. A new window opens showing the CO details and floor use records, with a print button for your copy.1NYC Department of Buildings. Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy
Reading What You Find
The results use several document types, and they are not interchangeable. Knowing which one you’re looking at matters, especially in a transaction.
A final CO is issued when completed work substantially conforms to approved plans. It has no expiration date, so a final CO issued decades ago is still valid unless the building’s use, egress, or occupancy has changed since.
An amended CO is issued when changes to use, egress, or occupancy require updating the record. The most recent amended CO reflects the building’s current legal status.
A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) means the property is safe to occupy but items remain open before a final CO can issue. TCOs expire every 90 days and can be renewed while the owner is making progress, but renewal is not guaranteed.3NYC Department of Buildings. Certificate of Occupancy and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy If you’re buying into a building that only has a TCO, that distinction matters. Many new condos are first occupied under a TCO while the developer finishes punch-list work.
A Letter of Completion covers minor alterations that didn’t change use or occupancy enough to require a new CO.
The CO itself defines the legal use of each floor (residential, commercial, manufacturing, mixed-use), the number of dwelling units allowed, the maximum occupancy, and the construction type.4NYC Department of Buildings. Certificate of Occupancy If you’re verifying that a space can legally be used the way a seller or landlord says it can, this is where you check.
When Nothing Shows Up: Pre-1938 Buildings
A blank result doesn’t always mean the building is out of compliance. Buildings constructed before 1938 were not required to have a Certificate of Occupancy, and many never got one.4NYC Department of Buildings. Certificate of Occupancy Pre-war brownstones and tenements commonly fall into this category. However, if the building was altered after 1938 in a way that changed its use, egress, or occupancy, a CO should have been issued at that point, and its absence is a problem.
For pre-1938 buildings that remain exempt, the DOB can issue a Letter of No Objection (LNO) confirming the legal use. You request one at the DOB borough office where the property is located. Before you go, pull whatever construction records you can find through BIS or DOB NOW, and bring documentation of the building’s longstanding use: old property surveys, deeds, water bills, tax assessments, photographs.5NYC311. Certificate of Occupancy and Letter of No Objection For a transaction involving a pre-1938 building with no CO, the LNO is usually the document lenders and title companies want to see.
Getting a Certified Copy
The copies you print from BIS or DOB NOW are free and work for most purposes. Some transactions, though, require an official certified copy. The DOB charges $5 per certified copy of a Certificate of Occupancy, requested through the DOB borough office serving the property’s location.6NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 101-03 – Schedule of Fees Processing times vary, so if a closing date is driving your request, start early.