What is exempt, and what is not
DOB's rule 1 RCNY §101-14 (read 23 October 2026) lists the minor work that needs no permit. For structure, the line is load-bearing:
| Work | Permit? | DOB's wording |
|---|---|---|
| Removing part of a non-load-bearing, non-fire-rated partition in a home | No, up to a limit | "limited to the lesser of 50% of a given wall surface or 45 square feet in area" |
| Removing a bearing wall, adding a beam or column, opening a floor | Yes | Not exempt; DOB lists alteration of "columns, beams, bearing walls" among work needing special inspection |
| Roof repair above the deck | No | "limited to the roof membrane, roof coverings, cant strip, and any insulation above the roof deck/sheathing" |
| Roof work that replaces the deck or sheathing | Yes | "Roof repair or replacement that includes replacement of roof deck/sheathing" |
| Retaining wall under 4 feet, no surcharge | No | "less than 4 feet (1219 mm) in height, measured from the top of the footing to the top of the wall" |
| Emergency stabilization | Before the permit, filed within two business days | "Stabilization of unsafe structural conditions" is listed as emergency work |
The emergency line is from DOB's 1- and 2-family owner page: licensed contractors may start emergency work before a permit if it is submitted "within 2 business days after work commences".
Who you need on an NYC structural job
| Role | What DOB requires |
|---|---|
| Registered Design Professional (P.E. or R.A.) | Prepares the plans and files them for approval, or by professional certification (Project Phases) |
| General contractor | Registered with DOB (AC 28-401.18) and, on a 1–4 family home, a DCWP Home Improvement Contractor license "in addition to a General Contractor (GC) license" (DOB) |
| Special Inspection Agency | Hired by the owner before the permit is issued, where the work calls for special inspections; "the Contractor cannot hire the special inspector" (BC 1704.1.2) |
| Trades | Plumbing and electrical work on the same job get their own permits, issued separately to the licensed plumber and electrician |
The special inspections are the part homeowners do not expect. DOB's inspection page for 1- and 2-family alterations (read 23 October 2026) lists, among others, "Structural Stability – Existing Buildings" where "the stability or integrity of a structural system is to be temporarily diminished", underpinning and excavation shoring, structural steel, concrete placements of more than 50 cubic yards, structural wood framing and footing and foundation inspections. The design professional identifies which apply before the permit; each one has to be submitted before sign-off.
How it closes
DOB's owner guide says the design professional and contractors "shall obtain all necessary sign-offs of the completed work, after which a Certificate of Occupancy or a Letter of Completion may be obtained to close-out the project" (Project Phases). That close-out is where NYC structural jobs stall, as the numbers below show. DOB's pages we read do not publish a structural permit fee; the design professional can tell you the filing fee before you sign.
What 6,279 NYC structural jobs show
| Measure | NYC structural and foundation, one- and two-family homes |
|---|---|
| Jobs, October 2023 to September 2026 | 6,279 |
| Firms | 1,658 |
| Firms with a job in the last 12 months of the file | 824 |
| Usual filed value | $78,137 |
| Middle half of firms' usual value | $35,000 to $228,187 |
| Signed off (jobs a year or more old) | 43.6% |
| Usual days from issue to sign-off | 805 |
| 10th / 90th-percentile firm (10+ jobs) | 19.9% / 69.9% |
| Firms with exactly one job | 770 (46.4%) |
| Firms matched to a license that is not active | 162 |
Fewer than half of NYC structural jobs a year or more old were signed off, and even the 90th-percentile firm signed off only 69.9%. So a firm with an open job is normal; a firm with no signed-off jobs at all is the one to question. With 46.4% of firms holding a single job, many of the names you are quoted will have almost no record; ask for two addresses and look them up. 162 firms matched a license that was not active when we checked.
See every NYC structural contractor by share signed off →
Check it in five minutes
Look up the GC on DOB's License Search and the DCWP license as described in the NYC contractor license lookup, then search your address on the DOB NOW Public Portal for the filing (NYC building permit search). Other cities' foundation rules are in do I need a permit for foundation repair and costs in foundation repair cost; enlargements in do I need a permit for a home addition and the hiring checklist in hiring a foundation repair contractor. Counts by year are on the NYC permit statistics page.
What this does not tell you
Our structural trade groups DOB filings whose work type is structural or foundation on one- and two-family homes; many are part of a larger renovation, so the filed value is the whole job. A job that is not signed off may be finished building with paperwork outstanding (special inspection reports, the Letter of Completion); our file cannot tell which, and the house carries the open job either way.
How we know this
Exemptions are quoted from 1 RCNY §101-14 and the 1- and 2-family owner, registrant and inspection pages of the NYC Department of Buildings, read 23 October 2026. Counts are DOB permits and DOB NOW filings with structural or foundation work on one- and two-family homes, October 2023 to September 2026; "signed off" uses jobs a year or more old, and days run from issue to the job's Letter of Completion date where DOB records one.
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
- Do I need a permit to remove a wall in NYC?
If it is load-bearing, yes, with an engineer or architect's plans. DOB's rule 1 RCNY 101-14 exempts only non-load-bearing, non-fire-rated partitions, and in homes only where the removal is limited to the lesser of 50% of a wall or 45 square feet. Anything larger, or any bearing wall, needs a permit.
- Who can pull a structural permit in New York City?
A Professional Engineer or Registered Architect files the plans, and a DOB-registered general contractor pulls the permit. On a one- to four-family house, DOB says the contractor also needs a DCWP Home Improvement Contractor license.
- How long does a structural permit take to sign off in NYC?
Long. The usual structural or foundation job on a one- or two-family home took 805 days from issue to sign-off in our file, and only 43.6% of jobs a year or more old were signed off.
- Do I need a permit to replace the roof deck in NYC?
Yes. 1 RCNY 101-14 exempts roof repair or replacement above the deck, but roof work 'that includes replacement of roof deck/sheathing' requires a permit.
- How much does structural work cost in NYC?
The usual structural or foundation filing on a house in our file carried a filed value of $78,137, and the middle half of firms usually filed between $35,000 and $228,187. Many of these jobs are part of larger renovations or enlargements, so the value covers the whole job.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- How to check a contractor's license in New York
- Contractor didn't finish the job: what to do, and what the permit file shows
- NYC building permit search: DOB NOW, BIS and the open permit files
- New York City contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
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- Hiring an electrician in New York City: the DOB license, the permit, and what 50,000 electrical permits show
- Do I need a curb cut permit in NYC? Yes: an engineer or architect files it, and DOT permits the sidewalk
- Project Requirements for Owner: 1- and 2-Family Buildings — NYC DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Registrant Project Requirements: 1- and 2-Family (Alterations) Work & Inspections — NYC DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Registrant Project Requirements: Alteration, 1-2 family buildings (Work & Site) — NYC DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- 1 RCNY §101-14 Categories of work that may or may not require a permit — NYC DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- Project Phases & Requirements for Owner — NYC DOB (accessed 2026-10-23)
- License Search — NYC DOB Building Information System (2026-10-22)