The NYC PGL1 form, formally the Project-Specific General Liability Insurance Summary and Affirmation, is a document the New York City Department of Buildings requires before it will issue or renew certain construction and demolition permits. You generate it through an online tool on the DOB website, print it, sign it in front of a notary, and have an authorized insurance broker sign it before submitting it to the Department together with a Certificate of Liability Insurance (ACORD form).1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings Required coverage runs from $5 million on smaller jobs up to $80 million for tower crane projects.
When You Need a PGL1
The PGL1 applies to projects that need project-specific general liability coverage on top of the standard $1 million per-occurrence policy licensed contractors already carry. The DOB will ask for one before issuing or renewing a permit for foundation work, full demolition, new building construction, or major alterations.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
A major alteration means any of the following:
- Demolition of more than 50% of the floor area of an existing building under an alteration permit
- Removal of one or more floors from an existing structure
- Horizontal or vertical enlargement that affects the exterior envelope of an existing building
Any project using a tower crane also requires project-specific insurance, regardless of permit type or scope.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
Projects That Are Exempt
Smaller residential projects can skip the requirement entirely. You are exempt if all four of these are true: the building is a one- or two-family home, the excavation is less than 12 feet deep, the project is not on a lot line with an existing structure, and the proposed height is under 35 feet. Storage sheds, garages, and similar residential accessory structures are also exempt. Tower crane projects never qualify, even if the building itself would otherwise meet the residential criteria.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
How Much Coverage the Form Must Affirm
The minimum coverage the PGL1 has to affirm depends on your permit type and, in most cases, the height of both your proposed building and the tallest adjacent building. Tower crane jobs are the simple case: $80 million in general liability insurance, no exceptions.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
For foundation and full demolition permits, the minimum is set by the tallest adjacent building:
- Less than 7 stories and under 75 feet: $5 million for foundation, $5 million for full demolition
- 7 to 14 stories and under 150 feet, or 14 stories or fewer but 75 to 150 feet tall: $10 million for foundation, $15 million for full demolition
- More than 14 stories, or 150 feet or taller: $15 million for foundation, $25 million for full demolition
New buildings and major alterations use a two-axis grid that looks at both the proposed building and the tallest adjacent building. Coverage starts at $5 million when both are under 7 stories and 75 feet and climbs to $25 million when either exceeds 14 stories or reaches 150 feet. Most mid-range combinations, where either building falls between 7 and 14 stories, land at $15 million.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
What the Underlying Policy Has to Look Like
The PGL1 is an affirmation that your insurance meets the standards set by NYC Rule 1 RCNY §101-08, so the dollar figure is only part of the picture. Your commercial general liability policy has to be issued by a carrier rated at least A-“VII” by A.M. Best or at least A by Standard & Poor’s. Coverage must be at least as broad as the most recent edition of ISO Form CG 0001, and the policy must name New York City and its officials and employees as additional insureds.2UpCodes. 101-08 Required Insurance and Indemnification
The aggregate limit has to apply exclusively to your project, either through a standalone project-specific policy or through a per-project aggregate endorsement. You can build up to the required minimum through primary, excess, umbrella, or wrap-up layers. What the policy cannot contain is certain exclusions: completed operations; XCU (explosion, collapse, and underground); third-party action-over; and exclusions for work performed within New York City or for the specific type of work described in your permit.2UpCodes. 101-08 Required Insurance and Indemnification Residential projects cannot have a residential construction exclusion, and projects using Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems cannot have an EIFS exclusion.
Generating and Completing the Form
There is no blank PGL1 to fill in by hand. You generate the form through the DOB’s Project-Specific General Liability Insurance Tool, available on the eFiling portal and through the Applications and Permits section of nyc.gov/buildings.3NYC Department of Buildings. Forms – Buildings The tool asks for the applicant name, the registration or tracking number, project details, and insurance coverage information. What you enter becomes the record the DOB uses to check that your coverage meets the minimums for your project type, so enter it carefully.
Once the tool produces the form, three things have to happen before it can be submitted:
- Print the generated form.
- Sign it in front of a notary public, who witnesses and seals the applicant’s signature.
- Have an authorized insurance broker sign it, confirming the coverage details are accurate.
Both signatures are required. A PGL1 missing either one will not be accepted.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
Submitting the PGL1 With Your Permit Application
Submit the completed, notarized, broker-signed PGL1 to the Department of Buildings together with a Certificate of Liability Insurance (ACORD form). The ACORD should reflect the same coverage details affirmed on the PGL1.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings The contractor pulling the permit is responsible for proving the insurance requirements have been met.
Give your broker time. Writing a policy with the correct additional insured language, the right endorsements, and a project-specific aggregate is not a same-day task, especially when higher coverage limits force you into excess or umbrella layers.
How the Permit Expires Once You Have It
For any permit that requires project-specific general liability insurance, the permit expires on the earliest of three dates:
- One year from the date the permit was issued
- The expiration date of the project-specific general liability insurance policy provided when the permit was obtained
- The expiration date of the general liability policy on file with the DOB’s Licensing Unit
For permits that do not require project-specific coverage, expiration is one year from issuance or the general liability policy expiration date, whichever comes first.1NYC Department of Buildings. General Liability Insurance – Buildings
If your policy renews or changes during the project, update the Department with the new coverage information. A lapse in the project-specific policy can void the active permit, and work has to stop until the coverage is restored and the permit is reissued or renewed.