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Project Checklists for Owner:
Residential & Community Facilities

This section contains a list of questions/tasks to help Owners, who are responsible for hiring professionals to provide compliance with the NYC Construction Codes and other regulations discussed in the Project Guidelines.

The project design team should be hired and assembled by the Owner prior to beginning any construction. As an Owner, if you are unfamiliar with construction regulations, consult a Registered Design Professional or reference the NYC Construction Code and other regulations referenced in this guide for more information.

Checklists include:

Initial Project Checklist

DO

  • Pre-Project: Hire a Registered Design Professional, a Professional Engineer (P.E.) or Registered Architect (R.A.), to ensure your project is Code-compliant.
  • Project Plans: Only a Registered Design Professional can submit construction documents, including drawings and other submissions, to the Department for approval.
  • Asbestos Investigation: Have asbestos investigation performed on site to check for Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) that will be removed or disturbed.
  • Project Work: Hire a Licensed/Registered General Contractor to perform the work. When hiring a professional, have a written contract that includes the Contractor’s company name, address and license number(s).
  • DOB NOW: Requirement: Owner must provide their email address to the Department to obtain correspondence, inspections and final sign-off of the project.
  • Commissioning: If your project requires commissioning (all projects where the total permitted equipment is greater than or equal to a total heating input capacity of 600,000 BTU/h and/or a total cooling capacity of 480,000 BTU/h), ensure that you have a qualified commissioning agent to perform the work.
  • Work Completion: Ensure inspections and sign-offs are performed to close the project permit. If required, commissioning must be filed with the Department prior to sign-off.

DON’T

  • Work Without a Permit: Do not begin work without a DOB permit. Even if the application for work has been approved, Property Owners and the people performing work without a permit may face violations with penalties, court appearances, and civil or criminal penalties.

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Prior to Application Approval Checklist

  • Hire a Registered Design Professional (RDP), P.E. or R.A., to consult and finalize scope of work.
  • Provide and consent to project submission requirements, and authorize the Registered Design Professional, who is the Applicant of Record, to submit project plans (construction documents) for approval by the Department.
  • Project approval is required prior to beginning work.
  • If Systems Commissioning is required, hire a commissioning agent.

*Note: The Owner of the building/property is ultimately responsible for the project, and their signature/consent is required for submission of the project application by their Design Professional, and Department approval. The Owner may attend plan examination appointments only if accompanied by the Applicant of Record or the Filing Representative.*

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Pre-Permit & On-going Project Work Checklist

Pre-Permit

  • Licensed Contractor: Hire NYC Licensed/Registered Contractor to obtain work permit(s) in order to begin work.
  • Special Inspections: If the scope of work requires, hire the required Special Inspection Agency for performing Special/Progress Inspections.
  • Notify the Department: Prior to pulling the permit, provide the name(s) of the SIA(s) contracted to do the Special Inspections, using an online submission.

On-going

  • Site Safety: Property Owners must maintain their properties in a safe condition during the course of work.

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Project Completion Close-out Checklist

  • Special Inspections: If the scope of work requires, the contracted Special Inspection Agency hired must complete and submit results online to the Department.
  • Department Inspections: Make sure the Contractor has completed all Department of Buildings inspections and obtained a sign-off of the completed work.
  • Final Inspectin and Sign-off: Confirm that the Contractor has requested and passed a final sign-off inspection required by the Department.
  • Systems Commissioning: If Systems Commissioning is required, it must be completed prior to sign-off.

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Project Checklists for Owner Links

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