To look up a Certificate of Occupancy for an NYC property, use one of the Department of Buildings’ two free online systems: the Building Information System (BIS) for certificates issued before March 2021, and DOB NOW for those issued from March 2021 onward. Both are searchable by address, both are open around the clock, and either will return a viewable PDF if a CO exists on file.
What You Need Before You Search
At minimum, have the property’s borough, street number, and street name. That’s enough for most lookups. If the address is unusual or the parcel holds several structures, search by Block and Lot instead — the city’s identifiers for every piece of land.
Don’t know the Block and Lot? Look them up on the city’s Property Information Portal at propertyinformationportal.nyc.gov. Enter the street address and the portal returns the Block, Lot, and other property details.1NYC Property Information Portal. Property Information Portal Check your spelling before you search; a wrong house number or a misspelled street returns nothing, which looks the same as a building without a CO.
Where to Search
NYC splits its CO records across two systems based on when the certificate was issued. This catches people off guard. If you aren’t sure of the date, check both.
Certificates Issued Before March 2021
Go to the Building Information System at a810-bisweb.nyc.gov.2NYC Open Data. DOB Certificate Of Occupancy Enter the property address on the homepage. When the Property Profile page loads, click “View Certificates of Occupancy.” If a CO exists, it appears as a clickable PDF you can view and print.3NYC Department of Buildings. Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy
Certificates Issued From March 2021 Onward
Use DOB NOW at a810-dobnow.nyc.gov. Search by address, then select “Certificate of Occupancy” at the top of the Property Profile page. A new window opens with the CO details and floor use records, along with a print button.3NYC Department of Buildings. Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy
If Nothing Comes Up
A blank search doesn’t automatically mean something’s wrong with the building. Buildings constructed before 1938 were not required to have a Certificate of Occupancy, and many pre-war brownstones and tenements still don’t have one on file.4NYC Department of Buildings. Certificate of Occupancy If the building was altered after 1938 in a way that changed its use, egress, or occupancy, a CO should have been obtained at that point, and its absence is a real problem.
For pre-1938 buildings that are exempt from the CO requirement, the DOB can issue a Letter of No Objection (LNO) confirming the legal use of the property. Requests are made in person at the DOB borough office where the property sits. Before you go, pull the property’s construction records through BIS or DOB NOW, and bring documentation showing the building’s longstanding use: old surveys, deeds, water bills, tax assessments, photographs.5NYC311. Certificate of Occupancy and Letter of No Objection In a transaction on a pre-1938 building with no CO, the LNO is usually the document lenders and title companies want to see.
Reading What You Find
Search results use several document types, and mixing them up causes real trouble during a closing.
- Final CO. Issued when completed work substantially conforms to approved plans. It has no expiration date, so a final CO from 1985 is still valid unless the building’s use has since changed.
- Amended CO. Required when work changes the use, egress, or occupancy of an existing building. The most recent amended CO reflects the building’s current legal status.
- Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO). The building is safe to occupy but outstanding items remain before a final CO can issue. TCOs expire every 90 days and may or may not be renewed.6NYC Department of Buildings. Certificate of Occupancy and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
- Letter of Completion. Issued for minor alterations that don’t change the building’s use or occupancy enough to require a new CO.
If you’re buying, look closely at whether the building has a final CO or a TCO. New condos are often occupied under a TCO while the developer finishes punch-list work, and if outstanding items don’t get resolved, that temporary approval can lapse.
Getting a Certified Copy
The PDFs you print from BIS or DOB NOW are enough for most purposes. Some transactions, though, require an official certified copy. The DOB charges $5 per certified copy of a Certificate of Occupancy,7NYC Department of Buildings. 1 RCNY 101-03 – Schedule of Fees requested through the borough office serving the property. Processing times vary, so build in some lead time if you’re working toward a closing date.