Where to search NYC permits
| Tool | Search by | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| DOB NOW Public Portal (nyc.gov/dobnow) | Address, BBL, BIN, job number | DOB NOW filings, certificates of occupancy, compliance filings and some violations; updated in real time |
| BIS (Building Information System) | Address, BIN | Older jobs and permits, eFiling and borough-office filings, complaints, violations, licensed tradespeople |
| DOB NOW: Build – Approved Permits (open data) | Any column, including applicant business name and license number | Work type, permit status, issued and expired dates, estimated job cost |
| DOB Permit Issuance (open data) | Any column, including permittee business name and HIC license | Permits issued through BIS |
| DOB NOW: Electrical Permit Applications (open data) | Any column, including firm name and license number | Electrical filings and job status |
| Our NYC firm list | Contractor name | Each firm's permits, share signed off and days to sign-off |
DOB's Public Portal FAQs say the portal "only reflects DOB NOW filings", so check both systems: a 2015 job will be in BIS, a 2024 job usually in DOB NOW.
How to look up permits on an NYC address
- Open the DOB NOW Public Portal at nyc.gov/dobnow and use Search the Public Portal with the house number, street and borough (or the BIN).
- Open the Property Profile and read each job: work type, filing status and the permit.
- Search the same address in BIS for anything filed before DOB NOW, or filed in eFiling or at a borough office.
- To check the firm, filter the open dataset for your address and read the applicant or permittee business name and license number.
- Compare that name with the contractor on your contract. A homeowner's name, or a different firm, is worth a question.
What the statuses mean
Our pages count a building permit as finished when it is Signed-off, and an electrical job when its status is Job is complete. Speed runs from issue to the job's Letter of Completion date where DOB records one; electrical speed is estimated from status and age because the electrical completion date in the file is a planned date (NYC about page; methodology).
| Trade | Permits | Firms | Signed off (a year or more old) | Usual days to sign-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | 50,479 | 1,252 | 75.1% | 162 |
| Plumbing | 11,396 | 709 | 77.5% | 350 |
| Renovation | 11,805 | 3,139 | 65.1% | 433 |
| Structural | 6,279 | 1,658 | 43.6% | 805 |
| Solar | 19,067 | 87 | 84.2% | 144 |
| Demolition | 1,736 | 349 | 97.3% | 32 |
An open renovation or structural job in NYC is common, not proof of a problem: the usual structural job takes 805 days to sign-off. It is still the thing to settle before the final payment.
When the record is not online
Plans "cannot be viewed in the Public Portal". DOB's instruction is to "Use the DOB NOW: BIS Options portal to request drawings, plans or documents"; requests can cover "folders, plans, microfilm, docket books, reels, index/I-cards, and curb cut cards", and DOB emails you when the records are ready for pick-up at the borough office where the property is. The Department of Records and Information Services also keeps plan, docket book and block and lot collections (Find Building Data, read 23 October 2026).
What our NYC data adds
DOB's tools are organised by building and job. Ours groups the same permits by firm: the NYC permit statistics, and the compare lists for renovations, electricians, plumbers and structural work. The DOB license and DCWP home improvement checks are in the NYC contractor license lookup; which jobs need a permit is in Do I need a permit?
See every NYC renovation contractor by share signed off →
How we know this
Search steps and record-request wording are quoted from NYC Department of Buildings' Find Building Data and DOB NOW Public Portal FAQ pages, and dataset columns from NYC Open Data, all read 23 October 2026. Our counts are DOB permits and DOB NOW filings on one- and two-family homes, October 2023 to September 2026.
Numbers come from NYC Department of Buildings permits and DOB NOW filings on one- and two-family homes (NYC Open Data), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How do I find out if a permit was pulled on my house in New York City?
Search the address, BIN or borough-block-lot on the DOB NOW Public Portal for filings made in DOB NOW, then search the same address in BIS for older filings and those made in eFiling or at a borough office. DOB says the City's Open Data Portal shows all filings for an address.
- Are NYC building permits public record?
Yes. DOB says that with BIS and the DOB NOW Public Portal 'you can review the history of any building in New York City', and the Search the Public Portal tools work without an account. Permits are also published as open data.
- Can I search NYC permits by contractor name?
Not by name on the portal's address search, but the open datasets carry the permittee's business name and license number, so you can filter them. Our NYC pages list 107,397 permits on one- and two-family homes from October 2023 to September 2026 under 9,516 firms.
- How do I get old NYC permit plans or drawings?
Plans are not shown on the Public Portal. Request them through DOB NOW: BIS Options; folders, plans, microfilm, docket books, reels, I-cards and curb cut cards can be requested, and DOB emails you when they are ready to pick up at the borough office.
- Why does my NYC permit still not show as signed off?
Many jobs stay open long after the work. In our file only 43.6% of structural permits and 65.1% of renovation permits a year or more old were signed off, so ask the contractor for the sign-off or Letter of Completion before the last payment.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- New York City contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- How to check a contractor's license in New York
- Chicago building permit search: look up permits by address or contractor
- Mesa building permit search: the E-Permit portal and Mesa's open permit data
- Do I need a structural permit in NYC? Beams, bearing walls and foundations: the engineer, the special inspector and the long sign-off
- Spokane building permit search: Citizen Access, the Permit Activity Map and the pre-1993 archive
For one city
- Hiring a solar installer in New York City: the licenses, the DOB permits, and what 19,000 solar permits show
- Hiring an electrician in New York City: the DOB license, the permit, and what 50,000 electrical permits show
- Do I need an electrical permit in NYC? Yes, for all of it: who files, the minor-work list and how long sign-off takes
- Find Building Data — NYC Department of Buildings (2026-10-23)
- DOB NOW: Public Portal FAQs — NYC Department of Buildings (2026-10-23)
- DOB NOW: Build – Approved Permits — NYC Open Data (2026-10-23)
- DOB Permit Issuance — NYC Open Data (2026-10-23)
- DOB NOW: Electrical Permit Applications — NYC Open Data (2026-10-23)