NYC DOB Form PW7 is the request you file with the New York City Department of Buildings to obtain a Letter of Completion, the document that formally closes out a construction permit once the work is finished and signed off. It applies to jobs that don’t require a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy, which in practice means most Alteration Type 2 and Alteration Type 3 projects: interior renovations, plumbing upgrades, HVAC replacements, electrical panel work, and the like.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion Either the property owner or the applicant of record can submit it.
When PW7 Is the Right Form
A Letter of Completion is the DOB’s written confirmation that permitted work was done according to the approved plans and passed every required inspection. It’s the closeout document for jobs that don’t change a building’s use, egress, or occupancy classification.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion
If your project changes the occupancy classification, alters egress, or adds floor area, you need a Certificate of Occupancy instead and PW7 doesn’t apply. The form also doesn’t cover temporary construction equipment such as sidewalk sheds, supported scaffolds, or construction fences; those close out through a separate removal notification in DOB NOW.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion
Leaving a permit open creates problems that surface later. The DOB can issue violations, and open permits appear on building records that buyers, lenders, and title companies review. An open permit isn’t technically a title defect, but it routinely stalls closings when a buyer’s attorney or lender insists on clearance. Responsibility for resolving open permits sits with the current owner, regardless of who originally pulled them.
Prerequisites the DOB Checks Before It Will Process Your Request
The DOB won’t accept a PW7 request unless the job already satisfies several conditions in its system. Missing any one of them is the most common reason a request gets bounced. Before you submit, confirm:1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion
- The job application shows “Permit Entire” status, meaning all permits for the job have been issued.
- The Cost Affidavit (PW3) has been verified and is on file.
- Every required document associated with the job has been uploaded or filed.
- The final Technical Report inspection has been certified, if the job type requires one.
- Every trade permit tied to the job — plumbing, electrical, general construction — shows “Signed-off” status.
- Any After Hours Variance permits are in approved status.
Inspections are usually the sticking point. Each trade permit needs its own sign-off, either from a DOB inspector or, where allowed, from a registered design professional acting under Directive 14 of 1975. Under Directive 14, a registered architect or professional engineer can perform the final inspection on behalf of the DOB, and the professional doing it doesn’t have to be the one who filed the original plans.2NYC Department of Buildings. FAQ – Directive Number 14 of 1975 If the original applicant of record is unavailable, the owner can retain a different licensed architect or engineer to handle the final inspection and sign-off.
What Goes on the Form
The paper PW7 is a single page, available as a PDF from the DOB website.3NYC Buildings. PW7 – Letter of Completion Request Every field has to match the DOB’s records exactly, so pull the identifiers directly from the original permit or the BIS/DOB NOW record rather than retyping from memory.
The location section asks for house number, street name, floors where the work was performed, borough, block, lot, BIN (Building Identification Number), and community board number. A minor mismatch on the house number alone can cause a rejection.
The applicant section calls for the name, business name, business address, phone, fax, email, and license number of the registered design professional requesting the Letter of Completion, almost always a Professional Engineer or Registered Architect.3NYC Buildings. PW7 – Letter of Completion Request The property owner also signs, authorizing the request. The form must be typewritten, not handwritten.
How to Submit
How you file depends on whether the job was created in the older Building Information System (BIS) or in the current DOB NOW: Build platform.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion
DOB NOW: Build Jobs
For jobs in DOB NOW, there’s no paper PW7 at all. Log in to DOB NOW: Build with your NYC.ID account, open the job filing from your dashboard, click “+Requests,” and select “Letter of Completion” or “Request LOC” from the Filing Action column.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion The system checks the prerequisites automatically; if any inspection is still pending or the cost affidavit hasn’t been verified, it won’t let you submit. Any outstanding fees or civil penalties tied to the job must be cleared before the request will go through.
Legacy BIS Jobs
For jobs that were created in BIS before DOB NOW launched, fill out the paper PW7, save it as a PDF, and upload it through the DOB’s eSubmit portal using your eFiling account credentials. When uploading, select “PW7” as the Form Name and “LOC” as the Request Type.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion The job number on the form has to match the BIS record exactly.
If the Permit Has Expired
You can’t request a Letter of Completion on a lapsed permit. Under the NYC Administrative Code, a permit expires if work doesn’t start within 12 months of issuance, or if work that did start is suspended or abandoned for 12 months.4NYC Administrative Code. New York City Construction Codes – Article 105 – Permits The DOB can reinstate a permit within two years of the original issuance date, as long as the work still complies with current codes and rules.
Reinstatement fees depend on how far the work got before the permit lapsed:5American Legal Publishing. NYC Administrative Code 28-112.2 – Schedule of Permit Fees
- If work never started, you pay the full filing fee at the rate in effect on the date of reinstatement.
- If work was partially complete, you pay a percentage of the current filing fee equal to the percentage of work remaining (as determined by a DOB inspector), plus the renewal fee.
- If the permit expired more than two years ago and the code or zoning changed since issuance, you have to re-file the entire application and pay the full filing fee.
Withdrawal is the other option when the work was started but won’t be finished. You submit an online withdrawal request, and the DOB issues a stop work order and schedules a site inspection to verify field conditions. If only minor work was done or the site has been restored to a safe condition, the Borough Commissioner’s office may approve the withdrawal. For partially completed projects, the applicant of record may need to amend the application to reduce the scope to match the work actually done and submit “as-built” drawings so the reduced scope can be signed off.6NYC Buildings. Project Requirements – Withdrawals of Project Application, Applicant and Licensee
After the Letter of Completion Is Issued
Once the DOB approves the request, the Letter of Completion is generated electronically. There’s no borough office pickup. The document is available to anyone through the DOB NOW public portal without a login, searchable by address or job number through the Property Profile page.1NYC Department of Buildings. Letter of No Objection or Completion
Keep a copy with your property records. The letter comes up during appraisals, insurance renewals, and real estate closings, and having it on hand prevents the delays that follow when a buyer’s attorney runs a DOB search and asks about permit status.