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Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation

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Using Code Notes


Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation

A Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation (PACO) is required for premises where 75 or more members of the public gather indoors or 200 or more gather outdoors, for religious, recreational, educational, political, or social purposes, or to consume food or drink. To have a legal Place of Assembly, certain Fire and Building Code requirements must be fulfilled. The Department of Buildings performs the initial inspection for the first issuance of a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation.

To obtain a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation, you must submit an application through DOB NOW: Build. Approved Place of Assembly Certificates of Operation will be printed through the system.

NOTE: Filings submitted prior to December 10, 2018 and PAAs to jobs approved prior to this date will continue to be processed at the Borough offices until further notice.

To request a Place of Assembly job folder on a pre-BIS or BIS job, you can now go to the Records Room on the 3rd Floor of the Department of Buildings Manhattan Borough Office.

Expiration of Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation and Annual Place of Assembly Permit

Local Law 2/2013, effective May 7, 2013, stipulates that the Department of Buildings can issue Place of Assembly Certificates of Operation for a term of one year. Within one year after the issuance date of such Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation, a Place of Assembly must receive a Place of Assembly Permit from the New York City Fire Department. This Permit expires annually and will be renewed based on the results of the Fire Department’s annual inspections.

New or Amended Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation

For certificates issued pre-BIS (with a DOB job number fewer than 9 digits), a new Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation is required for:

A change to the zoning use group or the assembly occupancy group of the Place of Assembly space (A1-A5)

Any physical change to the establishment requiring an alteration permit from the Department of Buildings

Any amendment to the plan for seating and other moveable furnishings

Any change made to the name of the establishment.

For all other certificates, a new Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation is required for a change to the zoning use group or the assembly occupancy group of the Place of Assembly space (A1-A5).

For all other certificates, an amended Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation is required for:

Any amendment to the plan for seating and other moveable furnishings; and/or

Any change made to the name of the establishment.

Change of Owner Name or Mailing Address

Corrections to the owner’s name and/or mailing address on a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation may be made by:

For certificates issued pre-BIS (with a DOB job number fewer than 9 digits), using the Place of Assembly Form (PA1).

For certificates issued in BIS, using the Place of Assembly Form (PA1).

For all certificates issued in DOB NOW, submitting a PAA in DOB NOW: Build.

Questions and Complaints

Use the Buildings Information System find out if an initial application was filed for a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation at a particular establishment.

Contact the New York City Fire Department for information about annual inspections or Place of Assembly Permits.

General questions or complaints about Places of Assembly should be made by calling 311.

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