How to Fill Out and Submit the CCD1: NYC Construction Code Determination Form

To file a CCD1 with the NYC Department of Buildings, complete the eight-section Construction Code Determination form, attach a written justification and supporting drawings, combine everything into a single flattened PDF, and submit through the DOB NOW portal with the $1,000 fee. The form asks the Department to interpret a Construction Code provision or grant a variation from one, and it covers the 2022 Construction Codes, the 1968 Building Code, the Multiple Dwelling Law, and the Electrical Code. Zoning questions use a different form, the ZRD1.¹

Before You File

Two threshold questions decide whether you can file at all and what box to check on the form.

First, your license. The applicant on a CCD1 must be a Registered Architect, Professional Engineer, Registered Landscape Architect, licensed Elevator Director or Co-Director, or Master Electrician. An attorney may file a pre-determination when there is no Applicant of Record, but cannot file a standard determination request.²

Second, determination or pre-determination. A determination responds to an objection already raised by a plan examiner on a filed job application. A pre-determination raises a potential code issue before any job application is filed. Attorneys are limited to pre-determinations, though they may attend meetings for either type.¹

If you’re seeking a variation rather than an interpretation, know the standard before you start writing. The form cites NYC Charter Section 645(b)(2) as the governing authority, with Administrative Code §28-103.3 for Building Code variations, MDL §277.16 for Multiple Dwelling Law buildings under Article 7B, and NYC Electrical Code §90.4 for electrical variations. You must show a practical difficulty specific to your project and an alternative that provides equivalent safety.³

One more rule before you open the PDF: only one determination or appeal request goes on each form. Multiple code sections mean multiple CCD1s and multiple fees.⁴

Completing the Form Section by Section

The blank form is on the Department of Buildings website.¹ It has eight sections. Incomplete forms are rejected before the technical review starts.

Section 1 — Location Information

House number, street name, borough, block, lot, Building Identification Number (BIN), and community board number. The Borough, Block, and Lot anchor the request to the city’s tax map and building records. Pull them from the property deed or the city’s online property lookup.

Section 2 — Applicant Information

The licensed professional’s full name, business name, address, phone, email, license number, and license type (PE, RA, RLA, Elevator Director, or Master Electrician). Include your DOB PENS ID if you have one.

Section 3 — Attendee Information

If someone other than the applicant will attend the determination meeting, their details go here. That person might be an attorney, a Class 2 filing representative, or another party. The name must match the signature in Section 8 if the attendee is signing.¹

Section 4 — Nature of Request

This is the routing section. Mark determination or pre-determination. Pick the destination: Borough Commissioner’s Office for initial requests, Technical Affairs for appeals, or the Elevator Unit where applicable. Enter the specific code section using the required format. Use “27-###” for the 1968 Code, “BC/MC/PC/FGC-xxx” for the 2008, 2014, or 2022 codes, and “AC 28-xxx” for the Administrative Code. Select the code era that applies to the building, and disclose whether a similar request has been previously denied.³

Section 5 — Description of Request

Check whether this is an interpretation/clarification or one of the three variation categories. Write or attach a narrative that explains the code issue, the practical difficulty if you’re seeking a variation, and the proposed alternative. If you are responding to a plan examiner’s objection, type the objection text verbatim. List every attachment.

Section 7 — Additional Space

Overflow space for Section 5 if the description doesn’t fit.

Sections 6 and 8 — Statements and Signature

The licensed professional signs and dates, and affixes their PE, RA, or Master Electrician seal. The signer’s name must match the applicant in Section 2 or the attendee in Section 3. No signature and seal, no acceptance.¹

Writing the Justification and Attachments

Most requests are won or lost on the written justification. For a variation, the narrative has to name a practical difficulty tied to the physical conditions of the site or the unique characteristics of the building, and then show how the proposed alternative achieves equivalent safety. Generic cost or inconvenience arguments don’t meet the standard.

Supporting documents typically include site plans, floor layouts, and elevation drawings that highlight the area of code conflict. Photographs of existing conditions help reviewers see constraints that don’t read well on paper. Proposed alternative safety measures should come with detailed diagrams showing how they work. Label every attachment and reference it in the Section 5 attachment list so reviewers can match arguments to evidence.

Combine the completed form and all supporting documentation into a single flattened PDF before submission.¹

How To Submit

The primary submission route is the DOB NOW portal. Log in at nyc.gov/dobnow, select “+Determinations” from the dashboard, and choose “Determination” from the dropdown. Upload the combined PDF, link the request to the associated job number if one exists, and pay through the portal. The portal handles both DOB NOW jobs and older BIS jobs.²⁵

Some requests still go by email. Electrical Special Permission and Place of Assembly filings are submitted by email to the appropriate borough office, with fees paid in person at the cashier. Requests that originally began on paper continue on paper rather than switching mid-stream.⁵

For email submissions, send the flattened PDF to the address for the relevant borough or unit:

NYC Development Hub: DevHubDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Hub Full Service: HubFSDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Bronx: BXDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Brooklyn: BKDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Manhattan: MNDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Queens: QNDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Staten Island: SIDeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Construction Safety: ccd1const-safety@buildings.nyc.gov
Elevator Unit: elevdeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov
Technical Affairs (appeals): TADeterminations@buildings.nyc.gov

Fees and Exemptions

Each CCD1 determination request costs $1,000. Pre-determinations, variation requests, and appeals of an objection after a second plan examination review all carry the same $1,000 fee.⁴ DOB NOW submissions pay through the portal by credit card or electronic check, and the submission isn’t complete until payment processes.

Several applicants are fee exempt: nonprofits, government property owners, HPD affordable housing projects, and owners of one-, two-, or three-family homes.⁵ A checkbox on the form indicates fee-exempt status under Administrative Code §28-112.1.³

After You File

Once the submission is complete, the request routes to the office selected in Section 4. Initial determinations go to the Borough Commissioner’s Office, and appeals of borough-level denials go to Technical Affairs.³ The Department issues its answer on a separate CCD1 Response Form. The three possible outcomes are approved, approved with conditions, or denied.² If you filed through DOB NOW, status updates and notifications come through the portal and by email. No official processing timeline is published, so timing varies with the complexity of the request and the borough office’s workload.

If the borough denies, you can appeal to Technical Affairs by filing a new CCD1 marked as an appeal and paying a $2,500 appeal fee. In DOB NOW, start the appeal from the Determinations section of the dashboard. If Technical Affairs also denies, the next step is the Board of Standards and Appeals, a separate city agency with its own application process and fees.²

1
NYC Department of Buildings. CCD1 and ZRD1 Instructions
2
New York City Department of Buildings. Determinations – Buildings
3
NYC Buildings. CCD1 Construction Code Determination Form
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NYC Buildings. Review Fees for Construction Codes Determinations and Zoning Resolution Determinations
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NYC.gov. DOB NOW: Build Frequently Asked Questions