A brief description of the NYC construction permitting process for an interior renovation.

1. Your Renovation Project:
A Timeline
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2. Vendors Needed
1) Expediter. An expediter is someone who is very familiar with the construction-filing
process in the five boroughs of NYC.
2) Architect/Engineer. A registered architect or professional engineer are required for a
Department of Buildings (DOB) submission. An architect will survey your property,
draft drawings, sign/seal the drawing and relevant forms, address any objections to
the drawings with your condo/co-op board and the DOB, and conduct a final
inspection when construction is complete.
3) Asbestos inspector. An asbestos inspection is required for all renovation jobs being
done in buildings built before April 1986.
4) Contractor. A fully insured contractor must be hired to pull the proper work permits.
Your contractor should have both worker’s compensation and disability on file with
the DOB. Your board may request additional insurance requirements.

3. Major Steps
1. Site survey by an architect and drawing plans
2. Meeting with a contractor
3. Condo/Co-op board submission
4. Asbestos inspection
5. Department of Buildings (DOB) submission
6. Pull work permits
7. Sign off the job with the DOB

4. Site Survey by an Architect
An architect needs to visit your space to measure all walls and
document the features of your unit. This is also a chance to
discuss the feasibility of your scope of work. An architect can
give you insight into what the board will approve and what they
won’t allow.
The architect will then draft drawings of the existing conditions
and produce a proposed layout after discussing the project with
your contractor.
Time: It takes a few days’ planning to do the survey and about a week to
finish the drawings.

5. Meeting with a Contractor
Like an architect, a contractor will give you even more insight on
the feasibility of your projected scope of work. Your board will
want to see a detailed scope of work from a contractor so it is a
good idea to settle on one at this point. We can arrange for you
to meet with contractors once an agreement for expediting
services has been signed.
Time: It takes a few days to set up an appointment with various
contractors to meet at your unit.

6. Condo/Co-op Board Submission
Your board must first approve your plans before we submit the
job to the DOB. This is due to the fact that your board must sign
the DOB forms as per your building’s alteration agreement.
Minimum requirements for a board submission:
1. Two sets of signed/sealed drawings
2. Letter of Intent from shareholder (you)
3. Detailed scope of work from a contractor
Time: It usually takes a board 2-3 weeks to review plans.

7. Asbestos Inspection
The DOB requires that all renovation projects in buildings built
before April 1986 submit an asbestos inspection report done
within the last year and specific to the project being submitted.
We’ll set up an inspection for you after the drawings have been
completed by the architect.
Time: It takes 2-3 days to set up an inspection and a few more days to
get the inspector’s samples analyzed so a report can be produced for the
DOB submission.

8. DOB Submission
The following items must be submitted to the DOB:
1. Three sets of signed/sealed drawings
2. Forms signed by all relevant shareholders (architect, board
officers, you, etc.)
3. Asbestos inspection report
Time: The amount of time for approval depends on the filing method
used. See next slide for more details.

9. DOB Filing Methods
There are two main filing methods for a DOB submission:
1. Professional Certification. Super fast filing method but not
allowed by most condo/co-op boards.
2. Standard Plan Review. Much longer review process but you
can rest assured that your proposed work if up to code and
approved by the DOB.
More details about these two filing methods on the next two slides.

10. DOB Filing Methods:
Professional Certification
This method allows the architect to take responsibility for building code
compliance and zoning laws. The DOB doesn’t review the project beyond
taking a look at the scope of work and seeing if the estimated job costs
are reasonable. They do this because that is how they calculate their city
fees (~2% of the job costs).
• Approval time? One day.
• When can my contractor get his permits? Same day.
• Please note: Because the DOB doesn’t review your project,
most boards don’t allow for this method to be used.
Time: One week. Once we have your board’s approval, signed/sealed
drawings, an asbestos inspection , completed forms signed by everyone,
and city fee checks, we can submit our package to the DOB and get it
approved and permitted in just a few days (if all goes well).

11. DOB Filing Methods:
Standard Plan Review
This method is the most common filing method used. It requires that your job be assigned to a
plan examiner and reviewed for building code and zoning law compliance. Almost all jobs are
disapproved upon first review. The examiner’s objections tend to be unpredictable and for
simple things like a request for additional notes on the drawings.
• Approval time? 6-8 weeks. The first 3-4 weeks are spent waiting for the plan
examiner to review the project. Then it takes another 3-4 weeks to get in to see
the plan examiner to address the objections.
• Any way to speed this up? Yes there is. If the project is small enough, an
architect can do what is called a same-day review. This will shave 3-4 weeks off
the approval process because the job will be reviewed that day.
• When can my contactor get his permits? The day after the job is approved.
Time: Four to six weeks. Most of this time is spent waiting to see the
plan examiner to discuss the objections and get the job approved.

12. Pull Work Permits
Once your job is approved by the DOB, we’ll work with your
contractor to pull the required work permits. Your contractor
must be registered with the DOB and have a tracking number.
Their insurance file must also be up-to-date with at least
worker’s compensation and disability insurance. These are
requirements from your board as well.
Time: Just a day or two. Your contractor has to sign/notarize a form and
make sure his insurance file is up-to-date at the DOB.

13. Sign Off the Job
Once construction is complete, we must submit paperwork to sign off the job
with the DOB. This includes submitting a final cost affidavit showing the
actual job costs and the architect doing a final inspection to ensure the work
was done according to the approved plans.
Please note: If the actual costs are more than 5% of the estimated costs
submitted at time of approval, a Post-Approval Amendment (PAA) must be
submitted to increase the job costs. This additional step is not included in our
scope of work and will be billed separately. This step is not required for most
projects.
Time: Two to three weeks. You can use your newly renovated space
while we finish off the job by signing it off with the DOB.