Who does what
| Role | Requirement | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant of record | A "licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA)", who "must file the construction plans" | Obtaining a Permit |
| Work permit holder, 1-, 2- or 3-family house | "You must register as a General Contractor" | Contractors |
| Work permit holder, other new buildings | Safety Registration Number with a Construction Endorsement, or General Contractor registration | Contractors |
| Certificate of Occupancy | Needs an Owner's Cost Affidavit (PW3), the final construction sign-off and all DOB fees paid | Certificate of Occupancy |
DCWP's Home Improvement Contractor license is the one for work in 1- to 4-family homes and condos or co-ops; for a new house, DOB's Contractors page asks for the General Contractor registration. Check the GC's registration on DOB's License Search before you sign; 95.6% of the new-home firms in our file matched an active DOB license.
The steps
From DOB's Obtaining a Permit and Project Phases pages (read 26 October 2026):
- Filing. The architect or engineer files the NB job and its construction plans in DOB NOW.
- Plan review. A DOB plan examiner reviews the plans for code and zoning objections; "When objections are satisfied, the Department will approve the application." Professionally certified plans skip that review but are subject to audit.
- Work permit. The registered GC pulls the permit. Plumbing and electrical work have their own filings; see NYC plumbing permit and NYC electrical permit.
- Inspections and sign-offs through construction, ending with DOB's final construction inspection.
- Certificate of Occupancy. A CO request in DOB NOW: Build. DOB "issues a final CO when the completed work matches the submitted plans"; it needs the final inspection sign-off, the PW3 and "all fees owed to the Department".
If a house is coming down first, that is a separate full demolition (DM) job; see NYC demolition permit. A new driveway needs a curb cut permit: NYC curb cut permit.
What DOB charges
The NB filing fee is in Table 28-112.2 of the Administrative Code. Local Law 56 of 2016 set it for new buildings with no existing elements retained:
| New building | Fee |
|---|---|
| One-, two- or three-family dwelling | $0.06 per square foot of total floor area, not less than $100 per structure |
| Other new buildings under 7 stories and 100,000 sq ft | $0.26 per square foot, not less than $280 |
| Other new buildings, 7 stories or 100,000 sq ft and up | $0.45 per square foot, not less than $290 |
Worked through: a 2,400-square-foot two-family house is 2,400 × $0.06 = $144 by our arithmetic. That is DOB's filing fee only; work permits, trade filings, the architect and engineer, and utility connections are separate and far larger. Our source is the 2016 local law, so confirm the fee DOB NOW calculates when the job is filed.
What 1,087 NYC new-home permits show
| Measure | NYC new one- and two-family homes |
|---|---|
| Permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | 1,087 |
| Contractors that pulled them | 297 |
| Contractors with a permit in the last 12 months | 156 |
| Contractors with one permit only | 125 (42.1%) |
| Contractors with 10 or more | 26 |
| Signed off (permits a year or more old) | 20.9% |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm signed off (10+ permits) | 4.7% / 44.1% |
| Matched to an active DOB license | 95.6% |
| Matched license with a problem status | 9 firms |
| Busiest / quietest month | April (142) / January (64) |
New-home permits in NYC close slowly: only 20.9% of permits a year or more old were signed off, and even the 90th-percentile builder with ten or more permits reached just 44.1%. The market is fragmented: the five busiest builders hold 13.0% of permits and 42.1% filed one. Ask a builder for the addresses of houses it finished and look up their COs. Our NYC new-home records carry no filed value, so we show no price; national figures are in new home construction cost. Counts by year: NYC permit statistics.
See every NYC new-home builder by share signed off →
Before you hire
Check registrations with the NYC contractor license lookup and compare builders on the NYC new-home list. Look up an address's jobs and CO in NYC building permit search. Rules elsewhere: do I need a permit to build a house; questions for a builder: hiring a home builder.
What this does not tell you
Our NYC file counts new buildings on one- and two-family homes only. A permit not yet signed off may simply be a house still under construction. DOB's NB pages for owners were marked "COMING SOON" when we checked, so the steps above come from DOB's general permit and CO pages.
How we know this
Filing roles are quoted from NYC DOB's Obtaining a Permit and Contractors pages, the CO rules from its Certificate of Occupancy page, and the step list from its Project Phases page, all read 26 October 2026; the fee from Local Law 56 of 2016 (Table 28-112.2). The 2,400-square-foot example is our arithmetic. Permit counts are DOB new-building permits on one- and two-family homes, October 2023 to September 2026; "signed off" uses permits a year or more old; license match is our join to DOB and DCWP license records.
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
- Who files the permit for a new house in NYC?
A New York-licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect. DOB says the registered design professional 'must file the construction plans' as applicant of record, in DOB NOW. The work permit is then pulled by a contractor; for a 1-, 2- or 3-family home DOB says 'You must register as a General Contractor.'
- How much is a new building permit for a house in NYC?
DOB's filing fee for a new one-, two- or three-family dwelling is $0.06 per square foot of total floor area, at least $100 per structure, under Table 28-112.2 as amended by Local Law 56 of 2016. A 2,400-square-foot house is $144. Confirm the current fee in DOB NOW when filing.
- Do I need a Certificate of Occupancy for a new house in NYC?
Yes. DOB says 'New buildings must have a CO' and no one may legally occupy a building until DOB issues a CO or Temporary CO. The request goes in DOB NOW: Build and needs the final construction inspection sign-off, an Owner's Cost Affidavit (PW3) and all fees paid.
- How many new homes get built in NYC?
In our file contractors pulled 1,087 new-building permits for one- and two-family homes from October 2023 to September 2026, filed by 297 firms. Only 20.9% of those a year or more old were signed off.
- Can I build my own house in NYC without a contractor?
DOB's Contractors page says a 1-, 2- or 3-family home requires a contractor registered as a General Contractor, and the plans must be filed by an engineer or architect. DOB's pages we read describe no owner-builder route.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Albuquerque building permit search: how to look up permits on an address
- Building a casita in Albuquerque: the 750 sq ft limit, rear-yard rule, parking, free plans, and who builds them
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Albuquerque? GB-2 or homeowner, the plan set and the fee
- Arlington's 2,500-square-foot rule: when an addition or new house needs a Land Disturbing Activity and stormwater permit
- Do I need a permit to build a house in Waco? The new-home plan set, the $0.45 per sq ft fee, and trade permits
- Do I need a new home permit in Wilmington, NC? The County's per-square-foot fee, the at-risk foundation option and builders' timelines
For one city
- Obtaining a Permit — NYC Department of Buildings (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Certificate of Occupancy — NYC Department of Buildings (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Contractors — NYC Department of Buildings (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Local Law 56 of 2016, amending Table 28-112.2 (new building filing fees) — NYC (accessed 2026-10-26)
- Project Phases & Requirements for Owner — NYC DOB (accessed 2026-10-26)
- DOB NOW — NYC Department of Buildings (2026-10-23)
- License Search — NYC DOB Building Information System (2026-10-22)