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Letter of No Objection or Completion

A Letter of Completion may be issued for minor alterations that do not require a new or amended Certificate of Occupancy. For buildings built or altered prior to 1938 and a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) was not required at that time, a Letter of No Objection may be issued to confirm the legal use of the building.

Letter of Completion

Project work does not end when the Contractor completes the physical work. Property owners must ensure the Contractor and Design Professional have engaged with DOB and/or the Special Inspection Agency (SIA) to ensure completion of all required inspections in a timely manner. The Design Professional and Contractor must obtain all the necessary sign-offs for the completed work so a Certificate of Occupancy or a Letter of Completion can be obtained to close-out the project.

The owner or applicant of record can request an LOC. The following requirements needs to be completed before an LOC request can be submitted in DOB NOW: Build:

  • The application is in Permit Entire status.
  • Cost Affidavit (PW3): Final Cost Details are verified.
  • All documents are submitted.
  • The Final Technical Report inspection is certified (if applicable).
  • All permits have been inspected and are in Signed-off status.
  • All AHV Permits are in an approved status.

If the job is in Permit Entire status and all requirements have been completed, click on +Requests, then select Letter of Completion or Request LOC from the Filing Action column for the job filing on the dashboard. Once the LOC is approved it can be viewed by anyone in the DOB NOW public portal (without logging in) by searching by address or job number. From the Property Profile page, select the BUILD: Job Filings section, double click on the job number, select Letter of Completion and then click on the View/Print button.

The Building Information System (BIS) contains the records of permits issued and job applications created before the launch of the DOB NOW system. To request a Letter of Completion for a BIS job, upload a PW7 form in eSubmit and select the Form Name as PW7 and the Request Type as LOC. When selecting LOC, any Required Items that are still open must also be uploaded to proceed.

Letter of Completion for Temporary Construction Equipment

A final inspection technical report is not required for temporary construction equipment (construction fence, sidewalk shed, supported scaffold, and protection and mechanical methods) job filings. To sign off the permit and receive a Letter of Completion (LOC) for DOB NOW Fence, Sidewalk Shed, Supported Scaffold and Protection & Mechanical Methods job filings, submit a removal notification to the Department of Buildings by logging into DOB NOW: Build and selecting +Notification. Any stakeholder on the filing can submit the removal notification. Upon submission of the removal notification, the permit status will be updated to Signed Off and the job status will be updated to LOC Issued once all the permits on the filing are signed off.

See the Temporary Construction Equipment Service Notice and Local Law 146 of 2021 for more information.

The Final Required Item for BIS jobs has been waived through a system update where EQ is the only work type and the Required Item was auto-populated because the applicant selected Directive 14. To receive an LOC for temporary construction equipment, upload the signed PW7 in eFiling with the box for notification of removal checked. To receive an LOC for Sidewalk Sheds, submit a Sidewalk Shed Removal Request for major buildings or a Sidewalk Shed Removal notification for non-major buildings in DOB NOW: Build. Then upload the signed PW7 in eFiling with the box for notification of removal checked.

See the Follow up #1: Temporary Construction Equipment No Longer Requires a Final Inspection and Local Law 146 of 2021 for more information.

Letter of No Objection 

Buildings built before 1938 are not required to have a CO unless later alterations changed the use, egress, or occupancy. Use the DOB NOW Public Portal or the Building Information System (BIS) to find  out the building history. If you require proof of the legal use of the building, contact the borough office where the property is located to request a Letter of No Objection (LNO). LNOs are issued if the proposed or actual use of the building complies with New York City Building Codes and Zoning Resolutions, and the occupancy load and exits of the building are unchanged.

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