The NYC BPP-5 form is a one-page authorization filed with the Department of Buildings that clears the Department of Transportation to issue a construction permit for the sidewalk, curb, and roadway pavement work tied to your building project. A registered architect, registered landscape architect, or licensed professional engineer must sign and seal it. Until DOB processes the BPP-5, DOT will not issue the pavement permit, and until the pavement work is signed off, DOB will not issue your Certificate of Occupancy.
When You Need to File a BPP-5
The Builders Pavement Plan requirement sits in NYC Administrative Code §28-108.1 and §28-108.2. DOB cannot issue a building permit for new construction, or for alterations that require a new or amended C of O, unless the filing states that the abutting sidewalk will be paved or repaired at the owner’s expense to DOT’s standards. For a new building, or an enlargement that adds dwelling units or increases building height, an approved pavement plan must be on file with DOB.1New York City Administrative Code. New York City Administrative Code Title 28 Chapter 1 Article 1082New York City Administrative Code. New York City Administrative Code Title 28 Chapter 1 Article 108 – Section 28-108.2 Pavement Plan Required The BPP-5 is the step that moves that approved plan from paper into a live DOT construction permit.
Three situations sit outside the requirement under §28-108.1: an accessory building for an existing one- or two-family dwelling, cases where DOB determines a sidewalk is not needed, and alterations where the change in use or cost falls below a threshold set by DOB rules. Even where the sidewalk requirement is waived, the owner still has to maintain the sidewalk under §19-152.1New York City Administrative Code. New York City Administrative Code Title 28 Chapter 1 Article 108
What to Have Ready Before You Fill It In
Every field on the BPP-5 ties into DOB’s tracking systems, so a small transcription error can bounce the whole filing. Have these in front of you first:
- The BPP number from your approved Builders Pavement Plan filing.
- The BIS number for the property. Look it up on DOB’s Building Information Search using the address or the Borough, Block, and Lot.3NYC Department of Buildings. DOB Building Information Search
- The building permit number for the project.
- Borough, Block, and Lot. If you don’t have these on hand, BIS or the Department of Finance property search will give them to you.
- Owner’s name, phone number, and email address.
- Pavement-work measurements for each street frontage: linear feet of new curb, linear feet of new concrete sidewalk, and linear feet by width for new roadway pavement. The form accommodates up to three frontages.
Block and Lot errors are one of the most common causes of rejection because they prevent DOB’s system from matching the BPP-5 to the correct job. Verify both against BIS before you write anything else on the form.
Filling Out the Form
The BPP-5 PDF lives on the DOB website and runs a single page.4NYC Department of Buildings. BPP-5 Builders Pavement Plan Authorization
At the top, enter the BPP number, BIS number, and permit number. Below that, put in the project lead address, select the borough, and add the Block and Lot. Then fill in the owner’s name, phone, and email.
The middle section is the pavement work itself, broken out by street frontage. For each street where work will happen, enter the street name, the cross streets that define the block, and the quantities of new curb (linear feet), new concrete walk (linear feet), and new roadway pavement (linear feet by width). The form carries a note that DOT construction permits automatically include an asphaltic repair strip in the roadway next to any new curb, so you don’t need to add that separately.4NYC Department of Buildings. BPP-5 Builders Pavement Plan Authorization
The bottom of the form has two signature lines. The design professional signs and dates before submission. Leave the DOB representative line blank; that gets filled in during agency review.
Who Can Sign and Seal It
Only a registered architect, a registered landscape architect, or a licensed professional engineer may sign and submit the BPP-5.4NYC Department of Buildings. BPP-5 Builders Pavement Plan Authorization A contractor or the property owner acting alone cannot file it. The signature certifies that the pavement work described matches the approved BPP drawings and complies with DOT specifications.
The professional’s seal must appear on the form. DOB will reject a BPP-5 without a visible seal. Before you scan the document for upload, confirm the seal reproduces clearly in the PDF. A blurry or cropped seal is a routine and avoidable objection.
If the pavement work described on the BPP-5 differs from what the approved BPP shows, the professional should reconcile that with DOB before signing rather than after.
Submitting the Form
Submission goes through DOB’s electronic filing systems. For projects tracked in DOB NOW: Build, log in, open the job filing, and upload the signed and sealed PDF in the document upload or certification area. Older projects that predate DOB NOW may still route through the eFiling portal; navigate to the job and locate the upload screen there.5NYC Department of Buildings. Project Categories: Alterations – Builders Pavement Plan (BPP)
Before you upload, check that the scan is legible, the seal is visible, and any handwritten entries can be read cleanly. The portal may prompt for fees. DOB’s permit fee schedule under §28-112.2 ties fees to the scope of the underlying work rather than setting a flat BPP-5 charge, so the amount depends on the broader project filing.6American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 28-112.2 – Schedule of Permit Fees Pay anything the system asks for; unpaid fees will stall the filing.
What Happens After You Submit
DOB’s BPP unit reviews the filing against the approved pavement plan and coordinates with DOT to confirm consistency.5NYC Department of Buildings. Project Categories: Alterations – Builders Pavement Plan (BPP) If something is off, whether that’s a mismatched measurement, an illegible seal, or a Block or Lot that doesn’t match the job filing, you’ll receive a notification of objections and need to submit a formal written response. Track status through BIS.
Once DOB approves the BPP-5, DOT can issue the construction permit and work can begin. DOT’s Highway Inspection and Quality Assurance unit may inspect the site during active construction, not only after completion, for compliance with Title 19, DOT rules, and permit conditions.7NYC Street Works Manual. NYC Street Works Manual – 4.0 Executing Work in the Street Expect an inspector to show up at any point. After the work is finished, DOB inspects the completed installation for final sign-off, which closes out the BPP portion of the project.
The signing professional is responsible for the work meeting DOT’s Standard Highway Specifications, which govern details like curing compound rates, expansion joint materials, and bluestone dimensions, along with federal accessibility limits on cross slope and running slope.8NYC Department of Transportation. Standard Highway Specifications Volume I Verifying slopes during construction, rather than at inspection, avoids rework.
Why the BPP-5 Gates Your Certificate of Occupancy
BPP sign-off is a hard prerequisite for a C of O. Under §28-108.1, no Certificate of Occupancy issues unless the abutting sidewalk has been paved or repaired at the owner’s cost to DOT’s specifications.1New York City Administrative Code. New York City Administrative Code Title 28 Chapter 1 Article 108 A stalled BPP-5 stalls the whole project. If the building is otherwise ready for occupancy but the pavement plan hasn’t been signed off, the C of O will not issue. File the BPP-5 as soon as your design professional has the approved BPP drawings and final measurements, and respond quickly to any objections from DOB’s review.