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Home > City Departments > Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services > Permits PermitsThe Permit Office is the place where many City functions come together for the purpose of:
In many cases a simple permit can be applied for online through the City’s Online application process. For more complex projects, the permit process as described below will occur:
Permit Process STEP ONE- Registration- Registration begins an application for a Building Permit; the property owner or his or her agent will work with a building inspector in the Permit Office to record basic information about the project. The inspector will determine whether a permit is required, how the proposed work should conform to the requirements of the City and State Codes, and whether any special approvals are required. The inspector will furnish the owner or agent with - or direct them to - copies of the following forms, and help them in preparing their submittal for permit application. The second document, 'Required Approvals', when filled out, details the agencies which have review oversight on the project, and whose review approvals the owner or agent must seek. (Back Top) STEP TWO: Obtaining Prior Required Approvals: This second step is carried out entirely by the project owner/agent; it is the owner/agent's sole responsibility to obtain all the approvals for their project that are required prior to application for the permit (Step Three). These prior required approvals are decided on by various offices related to and with oversight on the permit process; they have their own requirements for documentation, and in some cases, administrative fees as well. The owner or agent takes all the necessary steps to obtain all the prior approvals needed for their particular project, and obtains any paperwork that comes along with the approvals. Then she or he gathers these together and brings these originals along with all construction documents and any other required documentation to the Permit Office for step three - Permit Application. (Back Top) STEP THREE: Application: The inspector and the owner/agent work on the Building Permit application with the approvals and construction documents brought in by the owner/agent. After checking that all prior required approvals have been given, and accepting the approvals paperwork, the inspector checks the construction documents against the Building Plan Requirements sheet filled out at registration, to see if the submission has all its pieces. Plans are required to be drawn by an architect or engineer licensed by the State of New York - three sets; one sealed and stamped set and two copies required, on min. 18"x 24" paper; also three copies each, signed and sealed, of any other specifications and supporting documents as worked out in the Building Plan Requirements sheet. All information submitted for review must be identified with the correct assessed address. An original seal and signature of a N.Y.S. -licensed architect or engineer is required on construction documents for all new buildings and additions, both regardless of cost; an original seal and signature is required for any repair, renovation, or alteration work upon any building or structure which involves changes affecting the structural safety and/ or public safety thereof, for most alterations, for all reconstruction work, and for most changes of use/occupancy. Construction documents for projects where costs exceed $20,000. must also bear the seal and signature of a NY-licensed design professional. All plans must be professionally drawn and comply with the Family of Building Codes of New York State. At this time - application - the non-refundable application and plan review fees are paid (first fee payment). The construction documents will be recorded by the Permit Office and then sent to the Building Code Review Office in Room 323 to begin review. (Back Top) STEP FOUR: Code Review: The construction documents will be reviewed by the appropriate offices for code review. If at the beginning of the review process it is determined that the construction documents are of such quality that they do not adequately represent the parameters of or adequately illustrate the work involved in the project, the agent of record will be notified that the submission of construction documents has been rejected, and that the documents will be available for pickup for thirty days following, after which they will be discarded. The permit is suspended at this point, until a proper submission of construction documents is made. If during the review process it is determined that revisions are required, the review will be halted, and contact will be made with the plans' architect and other principals, indicating what is needed. (Revisions – 3 sets; 1 sealed and stamped set and 2 copies required, on min. 18"x 24" paper). These revisions must be filed in Room 301 City Hall. All information submitted as revisions must be identified with the correct assessed address. The revisions will be sent to the appropriate offices, and the halted review will continue. (Back Top) STEP FIVE: Permit Issuance: The Building Code Review Office will phone the agent of record when plans have been approved by all the appropriate Offices. When all required plan review approvals are complete, the approved client copy of the plans may be given to the Client before permit issuance, to allow a contract bid process to begin. The permit is not issued at this point and no work may begin. When all required Plan Review approvals are complete, the owner/agent (i n the case of work done by owner) or a City-licensed contractor can come in to room 301 to obtain the Building Permit. At this time the actual work cost is submitted if not already in, the permit/inspection/close-out fee is paid (second fee payment), and the permit is issued. With the permit posted so as to be visible from the street during the entire project, work may begin. When the permit is issued, one copy of the construction documents is given to the Building Inspector, one is returned to the Client, and the third will be stored by the City as permanent legal documents of record. (Back Top) STEP SIX: Inspections: Building Permit Inspections are required at various stages, depending on the nature of the project; typical inspections include:
The project agent is responsible for scheduling all inspections with the inspectors, including all Special Inspections, providing all Special Inspections reports to the field inspector, and collecting all closing documents at the end of the project and giving them to the field inspector. (see Closing Documents form) STEP SEVEN: Closing Out Permits: After the final inspection is successfully passed, and all closing documents have been given to the field inspector, one of two documents can be issued to close the project: either a Certificate of Occupancy, or a Certificate of Compliance. These documents certify that the work has been satisfactorily completed and that the property is legally ready to be occupied as its Use/Occupancy. (Back Top) |
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