1. DOB Permit Search by Address or BBL
Type a street address or the building's 10-digit BBL; the dashed form 1-00835-0041 also works. Add the borough after a comma when the same address exists in more than one borough.
Walkthrough: the Empire State Building
- Type 350 5th Ave, Manhattan. NYC address suggestions appear as you type, and picking one searches that lot by its BBL.
- Choose Search permits. The city's GeoSearch service matches the address to one lot, BBL 1008350041, with one building, BIN 1015862.
- One building opens its timeline at once. When an address matches several lots or BINs, up to 10 candidates appear with address, BBL and BIN, and you pick one.
- Read the summary panel: BBL, BINs and a count of all and mechanical permits.
- Choose the Mechanical / HVAC tab to keep only Mechanical Systems and Boiler Equipment rows.
- Read rows from the top. On October 29, 2026, the building's newest mechanical permit in DOB NOW: Build was M01332336-I1-MS, issued October 9, 2026 and signed off.
Share or save a building's timeline
After you pick a building, the page address ends in ?bbl= and the BBL, such as ?bbl=1008350041. Copy it to reopen the same timeline later.
2. What the Building Permit History by Address Shows
Each permit row shows the issue date, work type, status, a short job description and the permit number. Above the timeline, one link opens the whole building on DOB BIS, or the DOB NOW portal when the building has no BBL. Mechanical Systems and Boiler Equipment rows carry a Mechanical tag and a coloured edge.
| Field | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Issue date | DOB NOW: Build issued date |
| Work type | DOB NOW work type, such as Mechanical Systems or Plumbing |
| Status | DOB permit status, such as Permit Issued |
| Description | Job description from the filing, shortened to 240 characters |
| Est. job cost | Estimated job cost from the filing, shown only when above $0 |
| Contractor | General contractor of record: first letter only until you sign in, full name once signed in |
Owner names never appear in the tool. Contractor names show only their first letter until you sign in; any account, including a free one, sees the full name.
How to read one permit record
Read the four marked fields of this Brooklyn mechanical permit first.
Work type and equipment give the HVAC scope; BIN and BBL pin the building
- Permit
- B0•••••••••••••
- BIN / BBL
- 30••••• / 30••••••••
- Address
- ••• STERLING PLACE, Brooklyn
- Work type
- Mechanical Systems
- Job description
- FILING HEREWITH MECHANICAL WORK INCLUDING NEW VRF SYSTEM(S), BOILER, AND…
- Equipment
- VRF, Boiler, Exhaust
- Filed cost
- $•••,•••
- Issued
- Oct 9, 2026 · Permit Issued
NYC DOB · Work permit
① BIN / BBL ties the permit to one building and its lot. ② Work type names the trade, and ③ Equipment lists systems the description names, here VRF, boiler and exhaust. ④ Filed cost is the estimated job cost, masked on free samples.
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Follow new NYC mechanical permits3. DOB NOW Permit Types and Statuses
Codes come from DOB's permit type and job status codes.
| Label in the lookup | Kind | DOB code (BIS) | DOB meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Systems | Work type | MS (BIS MH, Mechanical/HVAC) | Building systems work, including HVAC |
| Boiler Equipment | Work type | BE (BIS BL, Boiler) | Building systems work on boilers |
| Plumbing | Work type | PL (BIS PL) | Building systems work on plumbing |
| General Construction | Work type | GC (BIS OT) | Filed in DOB NOW as an Alteration filing |
| Permit Issued | Status | Q / R | A work permit has been issued for the job filing |
| Signed-off | Status | X | Finished work passed final sign-off, closing the permit |
Alteration is a DOB NOW filing type that carries General Construction and four other work types. On October 29, 2026, the dataset used two statuses: Permit Issued (368,271 rows) and Signed-off (652,613 rows).
What the two statuses mean for a contractor:
- Permit Issued: DOB approved the work, so it can start. DOB's data often keeps this status after the work ends without a recorded sign-off, so read it with the issue date.
- Signed-off: DOB's final inspection is done and the permit is closed. The equipment was just installed, which makes it a good time to talk about maintenance.
4. DOB NOW Permit Search vs. BIS
DOB NOW: Build is DOB's online filing system, rolled out from 2016. BIS, the Buildings Information System, holds permits and job applications created before DOB NOW launched.
This lookup reads DOB NOW: Build approved permits, published on NYC Open Data and updated daily. Our copy holds every Mechanical Systems permit since mid-2019, plus permits since 2018 whose description names office, retail, restaurant or commercial use.
| Question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Permits issued in DOB NOW since 2016 | This lookup, or the DOB NOW Public Portal |
| Jobs filed in BIS, mostly before 2016 | DOB BIS property search |
| Filings still under review | DOB NOW Public Portal |
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See new NYC permits as they're issued5. Why Can't I Find My Permit?
- Filed in BIS. Older jobs live in BIS, outside the DOB NOW: Build dataset.
- Outside our copy. Boiler, plumbing and other work types appear only when the description names a commercial use.
- In another dataset. NYC Open Data publishes Electrical, Elevator and Limited Alteration Application permits separately.
- Still in review. Filings in plan review show on the DOB NOW Public Portal.
- Address and BBL differ. Condo buildings have a billing BBL and separate unit lots, and a permit may cite either. Try the other address or BBL.
- Typed address. Drop apartment, suite and floor numbers, check the house number and add the borough.
- Just issued. The page shows our last sync date and flags data older than seven days.
6. How to Find a Building's BBL or BIN
A BBL is NYC's 10-digit borough-block-lot number for a tax lot: borough (1 digit), block (5) and lot (4). A BIN is the 7-digit Building Identification Number of one building, and one lot can hold several.
- GOAT, the city's Geographic Online Address Translator, returns block, lot and BIN for an address.
- ZoLa, City Planning's zoning map, shows the BBL of any lot you click.
- NYC Finance property records find a lot by address or borough, block and lot.
- DOB BIS keeps a profile page for every NYC property.
From one building to the next job
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Find the next NYC building with permit work7. NYC DOB Permit Lookup: Our Mechanical Permit Data
From October 22, 2025 to October 22, 2026, 10,195 NYC buildings received at least one mechanical permit in DOB NOW: Build. Those buildings received 17,083 mechanical permit issuances, including 4,735 renewals.
| Borough | Buildings with a mechanical permit |
|---|---|
| Manhattan | 3,511 |
| Brooklyn | 2,896 |
| Queens | 2,152 |
| Bronx | 927 |
| Staten Island | 709 |
DOB's data marks most of those issuances Permit Issued. That is the status DOB records, not proof the work is still going on. By borough, the 17,083 mechanical permit issuances by recorded status:
| Borough | Issuances | Permit Issued | Signed-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | 7,352 | 5,392 (73.3%) | 1,960 (26.7%) |
| Brooklyn | 3,894 | 2,838 (72.9%) | 1,056 (27.1%) |
| Queens | 3,482 | 2,818 (80.9%) | 664 (19.1%) |
| Bronx | 1,366 | 996 (72.9%) | 370 (27.1%) |
| Staten Island | 989 | 742 (75.0%) | 247 (25.0%) |
| All boroughs | 17,083 | 12,786 (74.8%) | 4,297 (25.2%) |
Equipment named most often in those 17,083 issuance descriptions:
| Equipment named in the description | Permits |
|---|---|
| Ductwork | 3,103 |
| Exhaust or ventilation | 2,601 |
| Split or VRF systems | 1,449 |
| Air conditioning units | 1,240 |
| Kitchen hoods | 850 |
8. NYC Building Permit Lookup for Contractors
A permit timeline shows what a building has already done. A new mechanical permit often means equipment that will need service, and a gap of years can mean ageing equipment.
Under each timeline, a link opens a free sample of five recent NYC signals after a free sign-up. The LL97 calculator estimates the same building's emissions penalty.
Track New NYC Mechanical Permits
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See new NYC mechanical permits — freeFAQ
What is the best way to search NYC DOB permits by address?
HVACLookout's free lookup puts one building's DOB NOW: Build permits on one timeline, with mechanical permits highlighted. For BIS-era jobs, use DOB BIS.
How do I find building permit history by address in NYC?
Enter the address or BBL above and pick the building if several match.
What is the difference between DOB NOW and BIS permit search?
DOB NOW: Build holds permits filed online since 2016, and BIS holds most older jobs. Search both for a complete history; this lookup covers DOB NOW: Build.
How do I find a building's BBL or BIN?
Search the address here: the result shows the BBL and every BIN on the lot. GOAT, ZoLa and DOB BIS also show them.
Can I see only HVAC or mechanical permits for a building?
Yes. Choose the Mechanical / HVAC tab to see only Mechanical Systems and Boiler Equipment permits.
Why does the lookup show no permits for my building?
Its work may be filed in BIS, still under review, or outside the permit types we collect.
Is this NYC DOB permit lookup free?
Yes. One building's full timeline is free with no sign-up.
Can I check a building's LL97 penalty from here?
Yes. Each result links to the LL97 calculator for the same building.