Plan Examination - Buildings

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Do I Need a Permit?

Find Licensed Professionals

Project Advocate Program

Project Guidelines for Owners

Obtaining a Permit

Permits by Type

Plan Examination

Guide to BIS, DOB NOW & eFiling

Permit Renewal

After Hour Variances

Job Status

What to Expect During an Inspection

Certificate of Occupancy


Plan Examination

Each project is unique, and the amount of required information and details vary. When submitting construction documents to the Department, the Registered Design Professional (RDP – professional engineer or registered architect), know n as the Applicant of Record, is responsible for submitting the mandatory plan review information (application, drawings and required documents). The Department only accepts complete drawings with each application.

Complete Applications

Complete drawings, also referred to as plans, are required with every application for approval and building permit. The Department only accepts complete drawings with each application. By receiving complete drawings, DOB Plan Examiners can provide specific and accurate objections – reducing the number of appointments needed for project approval. Plan examiners will begin the review process only when drawings are complete.

To assist Design Professionals in preparing complete drawings, the Department has partnered with engineering and architectural professional organizations to create new Plan Examination Guidelines. The purpose of the Plan Examination Guidelines is to outline the minimum information requirements that must be met before DOB Plan Examiners can review construction documents for compliance with applicable Code and zoning requirements. information is identified in this document.

Incomplete Applications

When an incomplete drawing is received, the chief plan examiner (or designee) in the borough office will validate the checklist and send a notice of rejection to the applicant. The applicant must then retrieve the rejected application from the borough’s Record Room.

If the application is assigned an Incomplete status, the information will be recorded in the Buildings Information System (BIS). The plan examiner will not issue objections, instead, a general checklist of missing information required for complete drawings and a complete submission will be provided. The applicant will receive an official notice of the Incomplete Submission that includes a checklist of the items missing on the drawings.

Applicants may contest a determination by submitting a PER11 Form (Appointment Request Form) to request an appointment with the Chief Plan Examiner to review the decision.

Resubmissions

Once incomplete applications are rejected, your RDP must resubmit the application packages to the borough’s Plan Examination counter. The Chief Plan Examiner (or designee) will review the revised drawing the day it is received. If the plans are complete, the application will be forwarded to a plan examiner for review. If the submission is incomplete, it will be rejected.

Disapproved and audited applications are marked with plan review comments. The RDP must be prepared with resolutions for each objection, comments for resubmission with revisions, or be ready to discuss during an appointment. Your RDP may request a Department Determination of Construction Codes and Zoning Resolution by submitting a request in DOB NOW and paying the applicable fee in accordance to 1 RCNY 101-03.

Required Items

For each application, various required items must be satisfied before plan approval, permit issuance and sign-off. These items indicate what requirements apply to a specific job, and when the items must be satisfied. The required items are either additional approvals from other agencies, additional supporting documents, special and progress inspections or other related issues that need to be resolved before plan approval.

Appointments

For all BIS job filings seeking plan review, a Plan Examination appointmen is requiredt. The RDP can either request an in-person appointment at a borough office or schedule an appointment online using the online Appointments System by filing a registration form with the Department. Once registered, your RDP can schedule appointments online by entering their unique Buildings ID, PIN Number, BIS Job number and BIS Document number.

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Acronym Glossary

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