DOB NOW is the New York City's new Department of Building's self-service online tool, created to increase efficiency and expedite the permit process. 

New York City recently enacted several progressive laws to improve buildings’ energy efficiency. These new requirements are in keeping with the City’s commitment to combat climate change. In June 2017, Mayor de Blasio issued the Climate Action Executive Order stating that New York City would adopt the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and directing city agencies to develop plans for reducing greenhouse gas ((GHG) emissions. According to the Inventory of New York City Greenhouse Gas Emissions, buildings are responsible for 67 percent of the City’s GHG emissions, and therefore, it is critical to adopt measures to increase their energy efficiency.

New York City has undertaken a number of significant rezoning efforts in recent years. The latest change received City Council approval on August 9, 2017, the rezoning of a section of Midtown Manhattan known as East Midtown.The amendment of the Zoning Resolution of the City of New York is intended to encourage development in a major business center. The inability to construct larger-scale office towers has slowed growth in East Midtown. Rezoning the area to encourage development while accounting for the needs of different stakeholders has been a number of years in the making.

New York City’s Mayor de Blasio signed legislation yesterday responding to a number of recent horrific New York City gas explosions.The blasts, resulting in deaths and injuries, brought to light some major problems with the city’s system for installing and inspecting gas connections. The ten new laws use a multifaceted approach to increasing the safety of New York City’s gas infrastructure.

Last month, New York City enacted amendments to its administrative code that would update the New York City Energy Conservation Code. The New York City changes are intended to conform the city’s code with recent revisions to the New York State Energy Conservation Construction Code that incorporated the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code. The effective date of the updated New York City Energy Conservation Code is October 3, 2016, so any applications filed on or after that date must be in compliance with the updated code.

The New York City Department of Building (DOB) is moving to a completely digital system for processing building permits and inspections. The new online portal, called DOB Now, will streamline DOB’s procedure for approving construction projects. DOB Now is currently being phased in and is an exciting development. We at Burnham are looking forward to using our own state-of-the-art electronic database to interface with DOB Now and believe it will expedite the entire approval process for New York City building permits.

The new year brings some much needed contemporary changes at the Department of Buildings (DOB) in New York City. The DOB is in the midst of fundamental reform in an effort to increase transparency, enhance public safety, and improve customer service throughout the Big Apple. In this blog post, we highlight some of the most important changes to the New York City Department of Buildings in 2016.

Building permits play an important role in any new construction project and can make or break your project’s timeline. Even when permit applications are handled correctly, the process often doesn’t go as quickly or easily as planned. If permit applications are handled incorrectly, it can lead to a massive amount of paperwork and costly delays.