How to Fill Out and File NYC DOB Forms Through DOB NOW

To file NYC DOB permit forms, you set up an NYC.ID, log in to DOB NOW, complete a PW1 Plan/Work Application with your property identifiers and a Registered Architect or Professional Engineer as applicant of record, upload the supporting documents the system asks for, pay the fee set by the Administrative Code, and track the filing to approval. A shrinking list of job types still routes through the older Buildings Information System (BIS) and a borough office instead. Most filers spend more time gathering the inputs than clicking through the form, so the sequence below covers both.

Pick the Right System First: DOB NOW or BIS

The Department of Buildings runs two parallel filing systems, and choosing the wrong one wastes a day. DOB NOW: Build handles new buildings, alterations that affect the Certificate of Occupancy, standard Alteration Type 2 and Type 3 jobs, and no-work applications such as Places of Assembly.¹ DOB NOW: Safety is a separate module used by licensees and design professionals for compliance filings, Local Law 97/88 fee payments, loft board renewals, and violation corrections.²

BIS still handles full demolitions, affordable housing jobs, fee-deferral filings, and specialty scopes like marquees, solar installations, green roofs, and suspended scaffolds.¹ For a BIS job, you generate and print the PW1 and EF1 forms through eFiling, bring the paperwork to a borough office with a check, and upload drawings through eSubmit.³ The DOB NOW Public Portal will eventually replace BIS, and existing BIS data stays accessible through the transition.⁴ One practical implication: BIS does not display filings submitted in DOB NOW, so if you cannot find your job, you may be searching the wrong system.⁵

Set Up Your NYC.ID and DOB NOW Profile

Every filer needs an NYC.ID, the city’s universal login. If you already use one for another city service, you can sync it to DOB NOW; if not, the portal walks you through creating one. The one-time setup covers creating the NYC.ID, linking it to your DOB NOW login email, and building a profile where you associate any professional licenses.⁶

State licensees — Professional Engineers, Registered Architects, and Registered Landscape Architects — add business information and associate licenses through the Manage/Associate Licenses option under the profile icon. DOB-issued licenses, such as plumber or electrician credentials, are updated through BIS by contacting the DOB Licensing Unit.⁶ Property owners, filing representatives, and expeditors register the same way and skip the license step.

Gather Everything the Form Asks For

Every DOB form asks for the same core identifiers. Pulling them together before you open the application prevents the stops and starts that stall most filings.

Borough, Block, and Lot (BBL). A three-part number that pinpoints the property on the city’s tax map. Look it up through the NYC Property Information Portal or the 311 BBL tool.⁷
Building Identification Number (BIN). A seven-digit number assigned to every known building, with the first digit indicating the borough. Entering the wrong BIN can produce a violation, so verify it before you file.⁸
Applicant of record. Most filings require a Registered Architect or Professional Engineer. You need the license type, license number, and business name.
Insurance certificates. Workers’ Compensation coverage must be documented on form C105.2 or U26.3 (the latter is the NYS Insurance Fund form). Disability coverage uses form DB 120.1 or DB 120.2. Neither can be shown on a general liability ACORD 25 form. If you have no employees, an Affidavit of Exemption substitutes.⁹
Estimated cost and floor area. A dollar estimate of total construction cost and total construction floor area in square feet. Both feed the fee calculation.

Complete the PW1

The PW1 Plan/Work Application is the foundational document for nearly every project that requires a permit.¹⁰ In DOB NOW: Build the form is split into expandable sections you complete in sequence, and the system will not let you submit with required fields blank; it highlights them in red.¹¹

Location and Stakeholders

Enter the house number, street name, borough, block, and lot in Location Information. Specify which floors the work covers and describe the location within the building. The Stakeholders section captures the applicant’s email, license type, and business name, plus any filing representative or preparer.¹²

Work Type and Job Description

Select whether the filing is for new work or for legalization of existing unauthorized work. Legalization prompts a follow-up question about existing DOB violation numbers tied to the work. Enter the estimated job cost and total construction floor area under Additional Information. Indicate whether the job is associated with any other BIS or DOB NOW filings; leaving a related job number out slows review and generates objections later.¹¹

Site Characteristics and Energy Code

Under Additional Considerations, select which Building Code governs the review and answer screening questions about tidal wetlands, fire districts, urban renewal areas, and coastal erosion zones. In the NYCECC Compliance section, certify that the work complies with the energy code and pick the compliance path and energy analysis method. Then write a job description that matches your technical drawings.¹²

Supporting Forms

The PW1 rarely files alone. The TR1 Statement of Responsibility identifies the professionals and agencies responsible for special inspections, progress inspections, and testing during construction. The design applicant certifies on the TR1 that all required inspections have been identified and that the special inspection agencies are acceptable under the Building Code.¹³ If the professional responsible for inspections changes mid-project, the incoming professional completes a change-of-applicant section on the TR1 confirming that no inspections have been performed by the previous designee.

Plumbing, gas piping, and electrical scopes each have dedicated forms that verify compliance with trade-specific safety standards. The exact combination depends on your scope, and DOB NOW flags which uploads are required before submission.

Consider Professional Certification

If your project qualifies, the Professional Certification program lets a Registered Architect or Professional Engineer self-certify that the plans comply with all applicable codes, bypassing the standard plan examination. When required documents are uploaded, the application is approved as soon as data entry is complete — no examiner review, no appointment.¹⁴

The tradeoff is accountability. At least 20 percent of professionally certified applications are audited, and Post-Approval Amendments on certified jobs must also be professionally certified; you cannot flip a certified filing to standard plan review after the fact.¹⁴ If a filing is rejected during audit, you withdraw and start a new application under standard review, and any fees paid require a separate refund request.¹¹ Certification must also be selected at pre-filing; it is not an option you can add later.

Pay the Fee

Permit fees are set by Table 28-112.2 of the NYC Administrative Code and vary with building type, project scope, and whether the structure retains existing elements. New one-, two-, or three-family dwellings with no existing elements retained cost $0.06 per square foot of total floor area, with a minimum of $130 per structure. Other new buildings under seven stories and under 100,000 square feet pay $0.26 per square foot (minimum $280). Buildings seven stories or more, or 100,000 square feet or more, pay $0.45 per square foot (minimum $290).¹⁵

Alteration fees run on the cost of the work rather than square footage. For one-, two-, or three-family homes, the minimum filing fee covers the first $5,000 of alteration cost, plus $2.60 for each additional $1,000. Minimum fees for those alterations range from $130 (Type 2, Type 3, or limited alteration) to $170 (Type 1). For buildings under seven stories and under 100,000 square feet, the minimum covers the first $3,000 of cost, plus $10.30 per additional $1,000, with minimum fees between $195 and $280 depending on alteration type.¹⁵

Amendments to an active application or permit cost the greater of $130 or the fee for the additional scope. Demolition fees are the building frontage in feet, times the number of stories, times $2.60, with a minimum of $260.¹⁵ In DOB NOW, the payment prompt appears after you complete the electronic attestation certifying that everything in the application is accurate.

Track the Filing and Resolve Objections

Once submitted, track the application through the DOB NOW dashboard, or through BIS for legacy filings. The agency communicates through official notices indicating approval or listing specific objections.

When a plan examiner disapproves an application, the filing is marked with review comments identifying each objection. The Registered Design Professional prepares resolutions for every objection and may need to attend an appointment to discuss them. If the RDP disagrees with an objection or wants a formal ruling on how the construction codes or zoning resolution apply, they can request a Department Determination through DOB NOW and pay the applicable fee.¹⁶ For BIS filings, resolving objections requires scheduling an appointment through the online Appointments System using your Buildings ID, PIN, BIS job number, and document number.

Amending Plans After Approval

When plans change after the permit is issued, you file a Post-Approval Amendment (PAA) rather than starting over. On the PW1, select “Amendment” in the Changes section and complete Sections 1 through 4 and 16, plus Sections 6, 7A, 8, and 9 as applicable. Section 16 (Comments) must describe the specific change; if you are correcting an OATH summons or violation, include the summons number there.¹⁷

The PAA fee is $100, payable at the cashier counter to move the filing to “AP Entire” status. If the amendment increases the scope, additional fees based on the expanded scope are due before approval. For paper filings, submit the original and one copy to the borough office; DOB returns the date-stamped original for your job folder. Professionally certified jobs follow their own path: PAAs on those jobs must also be professionally certified and return to DEAR for approved status.¹⁷ One limitation to know up front: you cannot submit a PAA to amend a specific Schedule A or B document if another PAA amending that same document is already pending.

When You Do Not Need a Permit

Not every project requires a filing. The Administrative Code exempts emergency work, minor alterations and ordinary repairs, certain public utility operations, ordinary plumbing work, some sign installations, geotechnical investigations, and low-voltage electrical work.¹⁸ The line between a “minor alteration” and permit-required work is where most homeowners get tripped up. Painting, wallpapering, and replacing kitchen cabinets in the same configuration generally qualify as ordinary repairs. Work that affects structure, egress, fire protection, or plumbing and electrical systems almost always requires a permit. When in doubt, call 311 or attend one of DOB’s biweekly evening sessions at borough offices, held the first and third Tuesday of the month from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.¹⁹

What Happens If You Skip the Permit

Under the Administrative Code, it is unlawful to construct, alter, demolish, or change the use of any building without a written permit from DOB.¹⁸ If you proceed without one, DOB can issue a Stop Work Order halting all activity on the site. Violating the SWO by resuming work carries a $6,000 civil penalty for a first offense and $12,000 for each subsequent offense. DOB will not rescind the order until all civil penalties are paid, and even after you obtain a permit, work cannot resume until the SWO itself is formally rescinded.²⁰

Getting a permit after the fact for unauthorized work typically costs double the normal fee. Owners or managers who receive an Environmental Control Board summons through the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) can fight the summons at a hearing or admit and pay. Most OATH hearings are conducted by telephone and respondents do not need a lawyer, but missing a hearing triggers a default judgment.²¹

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NYC Department of Buildings. Job Types in DOB NOW
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NYC Department of Buildings. DOB NOW: Safety
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NYC Department of Buildings. BIS
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NYC Department of Buildings. Industry – DOB NOW – Buildings
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NYC Department of Buildings. DOB Building Information Search
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NYC Department of Buildings. DOB NOW and eFiling Registration Steps and Tips
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NYC311. Borough-Block-Lot (BBL) Lookup
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NYC Department of City Planning. VI.3 Buildings and Building Identification Numbers (BINs)
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NYC Department of Buildings. Licensing Insurance Guidelines
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NYC Department of Buildings. Plan/Work Approval Application (PW-1)
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NYC Department of Buildings. DOB NOW: Build Frequently Asked Questions
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NYC Department of Buildings. DOB NOW: Build – Plans/Work (PW1) Step-By-Step Guide
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NYC Department of Buildings. TR1 Technical Report Statement of Responsibility
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NYC Department of Buildings. Professional Certification
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American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 28-112.2 – Schedule of Permit Fees
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NYC Department of Buildings. Plan Examination
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NYC Department of Buildings. Filing a Post Approval Amendment
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American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 28-105.1 – General
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NYC Department of Buildings. NYC Department of Buildings
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NYC Department of Buildings. Stop Work Order
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Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. OATH Homepage