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LANDMARKS COMMISSION LAUNCHES PERMIT APPLICATIONS DATABASE
Public Information Tool Provides Information on Filed LPC Permit Applications and Issued Permits

(New York, NY)- The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) today launched a searchable online database of permit applications that allows the public to view the status of all LPC applications and issued permits for work on landmark properties in New York City. This is the first time these documents are available to the public on the LPC website.

The Permit Application Search tool is part of Commission Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan's ongoing commitment to transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in the Commission's processes.

The Commission helps preserve the City's landmark properties by regulating changes to their significant features. Owners or tenants apply for permits from LPC before doing certain kinds of work affecting the exterior and/or interior of landmarked properties, and the agency works with them to ensure that planned changes are appropriate to the character and style of their buildings. The Permit Application Search tool displays the current status of all permit applications, including Certificates of Appropriateness reviewed by the full Commission and permits issued by LPC staff. Users can search by address, historic district, borough, block or lot, and search results display two years of permit application data.

“This new feature is a terrific addition to our website— it will provide easy access to the status of permit applications, and complement other improvements to our website that promote transparency and public information,” said Commission Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan. “We receive over 13,000 applications a year, and now anyone who is interested can track them. This feature will be immensely useful to a wide cross-section of stakeholders including property owners, tenants, preservation advocates and community members who care about changes taking place in their neighborhoods.”

The Permit Application Search tool is the latest agency initiative to provide easier and greater access to LPC information. Over the last two years, the Commission has launched a searchable online tool containing more than 1,600 LPC Designation Reports, a searchable database of Commission decisions on projects at landmark sites, and an interactive map that displays information on landmarks in all five boroughs. The agency also redesigned its application forms to make them more efficient and user-friendly, and posts applicant presentation materials on the LPC website prior to Public Hearings/Meetings for proposed work on landmark sites.

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The Landmarks Preservation Commission is the mayoral agency responsible for protecting and preserving New York City’s architecturally, historically and culturally significant buildings and sites. Since its creation in 1965, LPC has granted landmark status to more than 35,000 buildings and sites, including 1364 individual landmarks, 117 interior landmarks, 10 scenic landmarks, and 139 historic districts and extensions in all five boroughs. Under the City’s landmarks law, considered among the most powerful in the nation, the Commission must be comprised of at least three architects, a historian, a realtor, a planner or landscape architect, as well as a representative of each borough.