A Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is DOB's record of how a building may legally be used: the use and occupancy of each floor, the number of dwelling units, and the occupant load. Buyers' attorneys ask for it, lenders ask for it, and it is the first document a plan examiner compares a new filing against. This guide covers how to find one, what to do if there is none, and how a new one is obtained.
Where to find a building's CO
Which system to search depends on when the CO was requested. DOB moved all occupancy requests into DOB NOW: Build on March 1, 2021.
COs requested before March 1, 2021 are in BIS. Go to nyc.gov/bis, open Building Information Search, and enter the borough and address. On the Property Profile, select View Certificates of Occupancy. Each CO issued for the building is listed as a PDF you can open and print.
COs requested on or after March 1, 2021 are in DOB NOW. Go to nyc.gov/dobnow, search the Public Portal by address, and select Certificate of Occupancy at the top of the Property Profile. A window opens with the CO details and the floor-by-floor use records, with a Print button.
Check both. A building with a recent alteration will have its newest CO in DOB NOW and its earlier ones in BIS. The most recent one governs, but the older ones show how the legal use changed over time. Older COs are scans, sometimes handwritten, and the floor uses are written in the terms of the code that applied at the time.
When there is no CO
An empty CO list does not always mean there is a problem. Buildings built before 1938 are not required to have a CO unless a later alteration changed their use, egress or occupancy. For those buildings the legal use is shown by other records, such as the HPD I-Card for older multiple dwellings or the borough office's historical records. If you need written proof of the legal use of a pre-1938 building, the DOB borough office can issue a Letter of No Objection.
If the building was built after 1938, or was altered in a way that required a new CO, and none is on file, that is a real gap. It can mean a job was never closed out, the CO was issued under an old record that has not been linked to the current address, or the building is being occupied without one. That needs research before a sale or a new filing.
Temporary COs
A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) means DOB has found the building safe to occupy while some items are still open. DOB says TCOs typically expire 90 days after issuance, and they have to be renewed until the final CO is issued. A long chain of renewed TCOs is common on new buildings and worth asking about if you are buying a unit: it usually means sign-offs are still outstanding.
How a new or amended CO is obtained
New buildings must have a CO. Existing buildings need a new or amended one when work changes their use, egress or occupancy; in DOB NOW that work is filed as an Alteration-CO (the old Alt-1). No one may legally occupy the new or changed space until DOB has issued a CO or TCO.
- Jobs filed in DOB NOW. The Schedule of Occupancy is part of the initial filing. After the work is permitted and completed, the applicant requests the CO in DOB NOW: Build.
- Older jobs filed in BIS. The applicant first submits a Schedule of Occupancy (formerly the Schedule A) in DOB NOW for the BIS job, and once it is approved, requests the CO. The old PW7 form is no longer accepted for CO requests.
- Type of CO. The request can be for a core and shell, temporary, interim or partial, or final CO. Only one CO exists per building (per BIN), so each new one replaces the last.
DOB issues the final CO when the completed work matches the approved plans and everything else on the job is closed: inspections and sign-offs done, fees paid, related violations resolved, and approvals from other agencies received. Minor alterations that do not change occupancy get a Letter of Completion instead of a CO.
In practice the CO is held up by the items around it rather than the request itself: a missing TR1 or TR8, an open plumbing or electrical sign-off, an unpaid fee, an old violation, or an FDNY approval. If you are planning a change of use, our guide to change of use and certificates of occupancy covers the design side.
Check a building in one step
Our free Property Report shows the certificates of occupancy on file for an address together with open jobs, permits and violations, which is usually enough to tell whether a CO problem exists. If you need a CO or TCO for your own project, see our Sign-Offs & Certificate of Occupancy service or send us the address for a free review.