Over the past year, the Department of Buildings (DOB) has made many changes to how applications are filed, transitioning services to the online DOB NOW system.
The DOB has just announced that effective March 1st, 2021 all requests for Certificates of Occupancy (temporary and final) must be submitted online via DOB NOW. This includes both New Building and Alteration Type 1 applications that impact the CO
In order to request a TCO/CO through DOB NOW a Schedule of Occupancy (formerly called Schedule A) must be filed and entered in DOB NOW for all NB and Alt-1 applications. Your Design 2147 Project Managers will assist with this process and provide project-specific details.
Process Outline:
- TCO/COs requested prior to March 1stremain under the current system
- Any TCO/CO requested on or after March 1stmust be submitted through the new DOB NOW portal
- Once the DOB NOW occupancy portal is live (expected March 1st):
- An application must be filed to migrate Schedule A data into the DOB NOW system
- There are differences in how the data appears in a BIS Schedule A and how it must be adjusted to properly reflect in the DOB NOW Schedule of Occupancy (SO)
- The DOB will review the proposed SO and verify it against the previously approved Schedule A
Design 2147 will coordinate with the applicant of record (architect) to input the necessary data in DOB NOW.
We will release more information as it becomes available. Since this is a new system for industry as well as the DOB, we anticipate that changes will be made as the new occupancy portal is used.
Additionally, beginning March 1st, 2021 all New Building and Alt-1 applications must be filed through DOB NOW. Alt-1s have been renamed Alteration-CO.
For more information, see the DOB’s Service Notice published today.