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Electrical Firm Accounts

A firm account is a record that is used to post electrical application costs. Each business, corporation, or partnership account is assigned a firm number. A Master Electrician is responsible for all work performed under this account.

Firm Account Payments

To make firm account payments:

  • Make payments via e-Check, MasterCard credit or debit, Visa credit or debit, Discover Card credit or debit, or American Express credit or debit.
  • Pay in-person at the Central Inspections Cashier’s Office at 280 Broadway on the 1st floor only.  Use check or credit card.
  • Pay by mail with a company check or money order payable to the NYC Department of Buildings. The firm number and license number must be included on the check. Checks should be mailed to:

NYC Department of Buildings
ATTN: Electrical Division - Cashier
280 Broadway, 1st Floor
New York, NY 10007

Responsible representatives must use their complete firm number, including any leading zeros, and PIN to access the NYC Electrical Firm Payment Portal to make payments. Each firm has only one responsible representative, and only the responsible representative’s PIN may be used to make a payment.

Electrical firms can pay all account fees online including inspection and completion fees. Payments can be applied to firm accounts that have credit or debit balances.

If you pay with a credit or debit card, you will be charged a nonrefundable fee of 2% of the payment amount. You will see this amount before you check out. The fee will be shown as a separate charge on your credit or debit card statement, and the New York City Department of Finance will be the merchant. There is no fee for eCheck payments.

Payments are posted online within 1-2 business days from the date of your transaction. Verify the status of your payment through the Buildings Information System. You will also receive an email confirmation of your payment from noreply@finance.nyc.gov.

We recommend that you check your email SPAM folder for the payment confirmation email if you do not receive it.

Account Balances

Any remaining balance for a permit fee must be paid after the scheduled inspection is completed or 30 days after the completion date that is specified on the permit application (See RCNY Title 1 §35-02). Payments can be made at any time, including crediting a firm account.

Note: No electrical work will be marked as certified if the firm has a balance owed to the Department; firms are encouraged to keep their balances up-to-date to avoid delays in certification.

The Department also mails account statements to electrical firms on a quarterly basis. For example, the November statement will include balances from August 1 through October 31.

You can check your firm account balance online before the next statement by accessing the Buildings Information System. You will need your licensee PIN number to access your balance. To access your balance:

  • Look up your firm, either by business name or license number and selecting Electrical Firm as the license type.
  • Enter your PIN in the location labeled Enter PIN for Accounting Overview, and click the submit button.

To confirm a PIN number, the licensee must bring two forms of identification to the Electrical Licensing Unit at:

NYC Department of Buildings
Licensing & Exams Unit
280 Broadway, 1st Floor
New York, NY 10007

Hours of Operation – 9:00 am to 12:45 pm, Monday through Friday

Hotline Number: (212) 393-2259

Transaction Disputes

To dispute a transaction on your account, submit a completed Electrical Firm Adjustment Request Form (LIC37) to the Electrical Unit at:

NYC Department of Buildings
ATTN: Electrical Unit - Cashier
280 Broadway, 1st Floor
New York, NY 10007

The LIC37 must be submitted with supporting documentation including a brief description of the request, and be signed and sealed by the licensed electrician representing the firm. If your adjustment is approved, it will be reflected in BIS. If it is denied, you will be notified by mail.

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