The NYC TR8 form is the Department of Buildings technical report that names the progress inspection agency and registered design professional responsible for verifying energy code compliance on a construction project. You file it electronically through DOB NOW: Build whenever the project’s TR1 indicates that energy code progress inspections are required.1NYC Department of Buildings. TR8 – Technical Report Statement of Responsibility for Energy Code Progress Inspections Without a completed TR8 on file, the job cannot move to permit issuance or final sign-off.
When You Need to File a TR8
Every DOB NOW job application includes a TR1, the master statement of responsibility. One section of the TR1 asks whether the project triggers energy code compliance progress inspections. If that answer is yes, the TR8 becomes a required companion filing.2NYC Department of Buildings. TR1 – Technical Report Statement of Responsibility The TR1 still covers other special and progress inspection categories such as structural steel, concrete, and fireproofing; energy code inspections are carved out and routed to the TR8.
What to Gather Before You Log In
Have everything ready before opening the filing. Mid-filing lookups waste time and invite entry errors.
Project and Job Numbers
You need the DOB job number created with the initial application (PW1 or other work type). If related job numbers exist for the same site, such as a later alteration with a suffix, keep those handy too so the filings tie together on the department’s record.3New York City Department of Buildings. How-to Guide: TR-8 Inspections Reporting
Agency and Inspector Information
The form asks for the progress inspection agency’s name and registration information, plus details for each individual inspector. You will need each inspector’s email address, which DOB NOW uses to route signing requests, and the license number of the registered design professional who will supervise and sign off.1NYC Department of Buildings. TR8 – Technical Report Statement of Responsibility for Energy Code Progress Inspections Confirm the agency’s current approval status with the department before filing; a lapsed agency approval will get the submission rejected.
Inspection Categories That Apply
The TR8 lists roughly two dozen inspection items grouped under building envelope, mechanical systems, and lighting/electrical. The design applicant selects only the items that match the project’s scope of work, and those selections must line up with the approved energy analysis and the construction drawings. Under 1 RCNY §5000-01, referencing a code section on the drawings is not enough; the applicant has to describe the standard of construction and the inspection criteria for each selected item.4NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 5000-01 – Energy Code Compliance Rule A mechanical-only alteration, for example, would skip the envelope items entirely.
Filing the TR8 in DOB NOW: Build
Open the job filing for your project in DOB NOW: Build and go to the TR1/TR8 section. The design applicant enters the inspection requirements, selects the applicable categories, and adds each progress inspector’s email address so the system can generate a signing request.5New York City Department of Buildings. DOB NOW: Build – Technical Reports TR1 and TR8 Step-By-Step Guides
Signing happens in sequence. The registered design professional who serves as applicant of record starts the process. Each progress inspector then logs in to accept the assignment and provide a digital signature and seal. The property owner gives the final authorization confirming the designated inspectors. DOB NOW tracks each signature in real time, and the system will not accept the submission until every required party has signed.1NYC Department of Buildings. TR8 – Technical Report Statement of Responsibility for Energy Code Progress Inspections
The DOB fee schedules and guides reviewed here do not show a fee for the initial TR8 filing. A $130 fee applies when you supersede a progress inspector after the permit has been issued and a report has been provided.6New York City Department of Buildings. Supersede and Withdrawal Guide If a fee prompt appears unexpectedly, check the DOB NOW help resources or contact the department before paying.
Who Is Qualified to Sign
Only a registered design professional — a licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect — can sign the TR8 and the associated EN2 inspection report. Supplemental inspectors performing fieldwork under an RDP’s direct supervision are not permitted to sign either form.7New York City Department of Buildings. Progress Inspections The applicant of record who prepared the plans may perform the progress inspections for the work they designed. An RDP who is not the applicant of record must demonstrate experience qualifications for the specific type of work they are inspecting.
Under 1 RCNY §101-07, an approved progress inspection agency has to employ experienced personnel qualified to conduct, supervise, and evaluate the inspections it undertakes, and a registered design professional with relevant experience must supervise inspection activities in the field.8New York City Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 101-07 – Approved Agencies The inspector must also be independent of the contractor doing the work, to keep the evaluation free of conflicts.
Replacing or Withdrawing an Inspector
How you swap out a progress inspector depends on whether the permit has been issued.
- Before the permit is issued: open the TR1/TR8 section, click the edit icon on the applicable row, and delete the inspector’s email address. The inspection requirement stays on the filing; you just add the new inspector’s information.
- After the permit is issued, withdrawal: choose “+Withdraw Inspectors (Post Permit)” in the TR1/TR8 section. Once processed, the permit status changes to “On Hold — Special/Progress Inspector Withdrew.” No plan exam review is triggered, but no inspected work can move forward until a replacement is named.
- After the permit is issued, supersede: choose “+Supersede Inspectors (Post Permit)” to name a replacement. A $130 fee applies if the permit has been issued and a report was provided. The superseding inspector must upload a report stating that the work was inspected or that the previous report and current site conditions were reviewed.
The department’s Supersede and Withdrawal Guide walks through each scenario and how it affects the filing.6New York City Department of Buildings. Supersede and Withdrawal Guide Because a gap in inspector coverage puts the permit on hold, line up the replacement before initiating a withdrawal whenever you can.
What Happens After the TR8 Is Filed
Filing the TR8 sets the stage; the actual work happens during construction. The assigned inspector must perform progress inspections at each required stage, and construction has to be scheduled so those inspections happen before work is covered. Roofs, walls, foundations, and other assemblies cannot be enclosed until the progress inspector clears them.4NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 5000-01 – Energy Code Compliance Rule
Inspection reports go by email to TR8inspections@buildings.nyc.gov during construction at the stages outlined by the department.3New York City Department of Buildings. How-to Guide: TR-8 Inspections Reporting Before final sign-off, the progress inspector must complete an EN2 form certifying that the values found in actual construction match the last-approved energy analysis.9NYC Department of Buildings. Progress Inspections
If construction deviates from the approved energy analysis, the original preparer of that analysis has to produce an as-built version using the actual installed values, signed and sealed, that still shows compliance with the NYC Energy Conservation Code. The progress inspector then certifies on the EN2 that the as-built analysis matches what was constructed. If the as-built analysis does not comply, the progress inspector cannot complete the EN2, and without the EN2 the application will not be signed off.9NYC Department of Buildings. Progress Inspections Catching deviations early through diligent progress inspections avoids expensive stalls at the end of the job.
Penalties for False Statements
The TR8 warns on its face that it is subject to the false-filing penalties in NYC Administrative Code §28-211.1.2. If the department finds after a hearing at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings that a person knowingly or negligently made a false statement or falsified a certificate, form, or report, the Commissioner can refuse to accept any future applications or documents bearing that person’s signature.1NYC Department of Buildings. TR8 – Technical Report Statement of Responsibility for Energy Code Progress Inspections For a licensed professional who files regularly with DOB, that sanction can end a practice. Accuracy on the TR8 and every inspection report that follows is not optional.