A NYC Borough-Block-Lot number, or BBL, is the ten-digit code New York City assigns to every parcel of land in the five boroughs. The Department of Finance maintains these numbers on the city’s official tax map, and each one links a specific parcel to its tax assessment, ownership record, and zoning classification.1NYC Planning. Geosupport User Programming Guide – VI.2 Tax Lots and BBLs No two parcels in the city share the same BBL, which is why almost every property transaction, permit application, or tax filing requires one.
You can look up any BBL for free through the Department of Finance if you have the address and the correct borough.
What the Ten Digits Mean
The BBL is built from three parts that narrow from the whole city down to a single piece of land. NYC Administrative Code § 11-203 requires that every parcel carry a section (borough) number, a block number, and a lot number.2NYC Administrative Code. NYC Administrative Code Title 11 Chapter 2 Subchapter 1
- The borough is one digit: 1 for Manhattan, 2 for the Bronx, 3 for Brooklyn, 4 for Queens, 5 for Staten Island.
- The block is five digits. A tax block is a group of lots bounded by streets or other features, and the Department of Finance keeps block numbers as stable as possible over time to make title searches easier. Leading zeros pad the field.1NYC Planning. Geosupport User Programming Guide – VI.2 Tax Lots and BBLs
- The lot is four digits and pinpoints the exact parcel within the block, also padded with leading zeros.
A property on block 1542, lot 36, in Brooklyn has the BBL 3-01542-0036. Written without dashes it runs together as 3015420036. Both refer to the same parcel.
Condos and Other Lots That Don’t Behave Normally
Condominiums cause more BBL confusion than anything else. Each individual condo unit is its own tax lot with its own BBL.3NYC Planning. Geosupport User Programming Guide – Chapter VI – Section 04 Alongside those unit BBLs, the Department of Finance assigns a separate “billing BBL” to the condominium as a whole. The billing BBL is not a real tax lot; it exists so the city can group the units together for administrative purposes.4NYC Department of City Planning. Property Address Directory User Guide If a condo complex crosses more than one tax block, the city assigns a separate billing BBL for each block.
When you look up a condo, pull the BBL for your specific unit, not the billing BBL for the building. Your deed and closing documents have the unit-level BBL. Using the building-wide billing BBL on a tax filing or transfer form will attach the transaction to the wrong parcel in the city’s system.
Two other lot types are worth knowing about. When an owner separates air rights from the underlying land, the Department of Finance can assign a special lot number in the 9000–9899 range that usually mirrors the base lot; a base lot 32 would get air rights lot 9032. The air rights lot is retired once a building is actually constructed with those rights, and owners are not required to create one to transfer development rights, so not every air rights deal appears in the BBL system.5NYC Open Data. MapPLUTO Metadata Utility company parcels (Real Estate of Utility Corporations, or REUC) get their own identifier called an IDENT, plus a “pseudo-BBL” in the 70000–89999 range for database compatibility.6NYC Department of Finance. Real Estate of Utility Companies (REUC) You are unlikely to run into a REUC pseudo-BBL unless you’re researching utility infrastructure.
How to Find Your BBL
You need an address and the correct borough. Identical street names exist in more than one borough, so specifying the borough is not optional. For a condo, you also need your unit number to land on the right lot. Several free city tools will return a BBL from an address search.
Property Tax Public Access
The Department of Finance’s Property Tax Public Access site accepts an address or a BBL. Once you find the property, the page shows the BBL along with the current assessment, any exemptions, and links to apply for tax benefits.7NYC Department of Finance. Property Tax Public Access This is usually the fastest route if you just need the number.
ACRIS
The Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS) is the city’s portal for recorded property documents: deeds, mortgages, liens, and satisfaction pieces. Search by address and it returns the BBL along with the document history.8NYC Department of Finance. ACRIS One catch: ACRIS covers Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens only. Staten Island records are kept separately by the Richmond County Clerk, which has its own online search.
ZoLa
The Department of City Planning’s Zoning and Land Use Map (ZoLa) is an interactive map that displays zoning districts, land use categories, and parcel boundaries.9NYC Department of City Planning. ZoLa – NYC’s Zoning and Land Use Map Type in an address, click the parcel, and the BBL appears at the top of the sidebar. ZoLa is the right choice when you also want zoning information for the same lot.
GOAT
The Geographic Online Address Translator (GOAT), also from City Planning, is a more technical tool. Enter an address and it returns the tax block and lot, ZIP code, census tract, community district, council district, police precinct, and cross streets.10NYC Department of City Planning. Resources Use GOAT when you need the BBL alongside political or census geography.
The Digital Tax Map
The Department of Finance’s Digital Tax Map shows lot lines, block and lot numbers, street names, lot dimensions, and easements for every parcel, and lets you toggle between the tax map, a street map, and aerial photography.11NYC Department of Finance. NY City Digital Tax Map User Guide It’s accessible through the Property Information Portal and is the most detailed way to see how your lot sits in relation to its neighbors.12NYC Department of Finance. Property Information Portal (PIP)
When You’ll Be Asked for It
The BBL turns up in nearly every formal dealing with the city that involves real property.
Buying, Selling, and Recording Documents
The Real Property Transfer Tax return (NYC-RPT) requires the borough, block, and lot for every parcel in the transaction.13NYC Department of Finance. Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT) A wrong BBL on that form can delay recording, hold up the closing, or attach the transfer to the wrong parcel in the public record. Recording a deed or mortgage through ACRIS also carries per-page fees plus additional charges for each block or lot beyond the first.14NYC Department of Finance. ACRIS Recording Fees and UCC Statements
Permits, Violations, and Certificates of Occupancy
The Department of Buildings indexes violations, open permits, and complaints by BBL. A search in the Buildings Information System (BIS) by address returns the BBL and the full property profile. Certificates of Occupancy issued before March 2021 are available through BIS; those issued on or after that date are in DOB NOW.15NYC Buildings. Certificate of Occupancy Pulling the C of O by BBL is one of the simplest ways to check whether a building’s current use matches its legal designation before you buy.
Tax Exemptions
Property tax exemption applications require the BBL so the Department of Finance can attach the request to the right parcel on the tax map.7NYC Department of Finance. Property Tax Public Access Without it, the city cannot process the exemption or update your assessment.
Tax Lien Sales
The city periodically sells liens on properties with unpaid property taxes, water and sewer charges, and certain other debts. Lien sale lists are published by BBL, and if your lien is sold, you get written notice by mail within 90 days.16NYC Department of Finance. Property Tax Lien Sale Searching the lien sale archives by BBL before closing on a purchase is a straightforward due diligence step, and skipping it can cost thousands.
Fixing a Wrong BBL
If a recorded document in ACRIS lists the wrong BBL or address, contact the ACRIS Help Desk at (212) 487-6300 or acrishelp@finance.nyc.gov.17NYC Department of Finance. Frequently Asked Questions and Common Cover Page Processing Errors The Help Desk fixes the recorded document index, not the tax map itself.
If the problem is with the tax map (a wrong lot boundary, an incorrect building count), email the Department of Finance at sustainablebuildings@finance.nyc.gov with the borough, block, and lot number, your contact information, and an explanation of the discrepancy. For buildings covered by Local Laws 84, 87, 88, or 97, the Department of Buildings will not accept a Covered Buildings List dispute until the Department of Finance has corrected the underlying lot data.18NYC Department of Buildings. Covered Buildings List (CBL) Disputes User Guide DOF fixes the map first; DOB updates its records to match.