Filing a facade repair job in DOB NOW: Build: who files what, and in what order
A facade repair that needs a permit goes through DOB NOW: Build in a fixed order: the design professional files the job, DOB reviews it, the contractor requests the work permit, and the job is signed off at the end. Who does each step, and what has to be ready before the permit.
Last checked: Oct 23, 2026
Key facts
- Who files the RDP (PE or RA) on the owner’s behalf; once the plans are approved, the contractor requests the work permit
- Job and work type Alteration, General Construction (it has a Façade sub-category); set at filing and not changeable after
- Review Standard Plan Examination, or Professional Certification (no DOB review, subject to audit)
- Before the permit LPC drawings before filing on a landmark; asbestos ACP-5, ACP-20/21 or exemption; a TPP if apartments are occupied
- Temporary structures Sidewalk Shed, Supported Scaffold and Construction Fence can share a filing; Suspended Scaffold is SC
How is a facade repair job filed in DOB NOW: Build?
A Registered Design Professional — a Professional Engineer or Registered Architect — files the job on the owner’s behalf: an Alteration job with the General Construction work type, which has a Façade sub-category, reviewed either by a DOB plan examiner or under Professional Certification. The owner attests in the filing, including whether apartments will be occupied, which requires a Tenant Protection Plan. On a landmark, LPC-approved drawings come before the filing, and the asbestos paperwork comes before the work permit. Once the plans are approved, the contractor requests the work permit. Sidewalk sheds, supported scaffolds and construction fences have their own work types. When the work is done, the contractor requests the final inspection, or the design professional certifies it, and the job is signed off.
Key considerations
First: does it need a permit?
Much facade work is ordinary repair and needs no permit; parapet rebuilds, lintels, shelf angles and similar work do — see Ordinary repair or work permit. Work that needs a permit and goes ahead without one brings a Work Without a Permit violation, issued to the property owner, and a Stop Work Order.
Who files what
Plans are typically filed on the owner’s behalf by a New York State licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect, the RDP. DOB reviews them under Standard Plan Examination, or the RDP files them under Professional Certification: no DOB examination, the RDP certifies compliance, and the filing is subject to a DOB audit. The owner confirms the filing in the Owner’s Attestation on the Statements & Signatures tab. Once the plans are approved, the contractor files the permit application. Electrical work, such as shed lighting or hoist power, is filed separately by a DOB-licensed electrician.
Job type and work types
From the DOB NOW: Build dashboard, +Job Filing asks for the job type, the work types and the review type, and none of the three can be changed once submitted. Repair that does not change the Certificate of Occupancy is an Alteration. Some work types can share one filing: Construction Fence, Sidewalk Shed and Supported Scaffold together; General Construction, Earthwork, Foundation, Mechanical Systems and Structural together. Later scope is best added as a subsequent filing under the same job number — it goes to the same plan examiner or team, and the records management fee is paid once. Changes to an approved filing go in a Post Approval Amendment (PAA).
The temporary structures
Sheds are filed as Sidewalk Shed (SH), supported scaffolds 40 ft or taller as Supported Scaffold (SF), fences as Construction Fence (FN) and hanging scaffolds as Suspended Scaffold (SC), which also covers industrial rope access. Each has its own rules: see shed permits, supported scaffolds and suspended scaffolds.
Landmarks and occupied apartments
If the building is an individual landmark or in a historic district, LPC approval is required, and DOB’s application guide says the LPC-approved drawings must be submitted before filing (see LPC approval). In the owner’s questions, a yes to occupied dwelling units during construction means a Tenant Protection Plan is required — whenever residential units will be occupied before DOB signs the permit off. The TPP is its own request, after the job is approved and before the work permit (see TPP or OPP).
Asbestos before the permit
For a building built before April 1, 1987, an asbestos assessment is required before the permit. When a Certified Asbestos Investigator finds the work is not an asbestos project, an ACP-5 is filed with DEP and verified by DOB. When it is one, an ACP-7 notification goes to DEP, and after the abatement DEP’s completion forms (ACP-20, ACP-21) are submitted to DOB. An exemption certification covers work that disturbs no existing building materials, and buildings built after April 1, 1987 are exempt — though known asbestos that the work disturbs must still be abated.
Review and objections
The filing’s status bar shows each stage. A red exclamation point means the filing is waiting on the applicant, because DOB has issued objections or the filing failed its QA check. When every stage shows a white check mark, the filing is complete.
The work permit
The contractor’s permit application carries the contractor’s insurance, and the permit expires on the earliest insurance, license or one-year date — see permit expiration and renewal. DOB’s application also asks you to confirm that the site has a Construction Noise Mitigation Plan, which DEP requires before construction starts (see noise and dust plans). The TR1 names the special and progress inspection agencies (see the TR1 list).
Sign-off
When the work is complete, the contractor requests a Development Inspection in DOB NOW: Inspections or, for some types of work, the RDP performs and certifies the final inspection. Once it passes or is certified, the job is signed off, or the owner or RDP can request a Letter of Completion.
Checklist: from scope to sign-off
- Confirm the scope needs a permit — see ordinary repair or work permit.
- On a landmark, get the LPC approval and its drawings first.
- Have the asbestos investigation done: an ACP-5, an ACP-7 and then ACP-20/21, or the exemption.
- RDP files the Alteration: General Construction, the review type, and the shed, scaffold or fence work types the job needs.
- Owner attests; if apartments will be occupied, request the TPP once the job is approved.
- Answer DOB’s objections; changes after approval go in a PAA.
- Contractor requests the work permit with current insurance, the noise plan in place and the TR1 agencies named.
- At the end: special inspections complete, final inspection requested or certified, job signed off.
Sources
- NYC DOB, DOB NOW Application User Guide (updated November 15, 2023): job types, work types, review types, owner’s attestation, asbestos
- NYC DOB, Project requirements: asbestos (ACP-5, ACP-7, ACP-20/21, exemptions)
- NYC DOB, DOB NOW: Build frequently asked questions (permit expiration, automatic extensions, Renew Permit, AHV renewals)
- NYC DEP, Construction noise rules, regulations and forms
Checked against the official text on October 23, 2026.
Related guides
- Ordinary repair or work permit: the distinction that drives the scheduleBrick repointing, sealant, crack injection and cleaning require no work permit. Parapet rebuilds, lintels, shelf angles, cornices, steel and pinning do, and so does stone or terra-cotta patching on buildings over six stories. Where the line is drawn.
- When a DOB NOW work permit expires, and how to renew itA permit expires on the earliest of one year, the license date or the first insurance date. The free automatic extension, the $130 renewal in DOB NOW: Build, the 12-month rule and what reinstating an expired permit costs.
- NYC special and progress inspections: the TR1 listThe 21 special inspections and 4 progress inspections most often listed on facade and alteration projects, with their code references and the project phase for each.