When a DOB NOW work permit expires, and how to renew it
A DOB NOW work permit expires on the earliest of three dates: one year after it was issued, the license expiration, or the first required insurance policy to expire. What renews automatically, what costs $130, and what an expired permit takes to bring back.
Last checked: Oct 23, 2026
Key facts
- Expires on the earliest of one year after issuance, the license expiration and any required insurance expiration
- Automatic extension free, when the renewed insurance or license reaches DOB before the old one expires — send it five days ahead
- Renewal $130 in DOB NOW: Build, with Renew Permit on the work permit
- 12-month rule a permit expires if work does not start within 12 months, or stops for 12 months (AC §28-105.9)
- Shed permits 90 days since February 2, 2026 — see shed renewal
When does a DOB NOW work permit expire?
On the earliest of: one year from the date it was issued, the expiration of the licensee’s license, or the expiration of any of the required insurances — general liability, workers’ compensation, disability, or project-specific general liability when the job needs it. When only a license or insurance date cuts the permit short and the renewal reaches DOB before that date, the permit is extended automatically at no cost; DOB asks for the new information at least five days ahead. After a lapse, or once the year is up, the permit is renewed in DOB NOW: Build with Renew Permit, for $130. Separately, every permit expires if the work does not start within 12 months of issuance, or stops for 12 months in a row (AC §28-105.9).
Key considerations
The earliest date wins
DOB NOW sets each permit’s expiration date at the earliest of any insurance expiration date (general liability, disability, workers’ compensation, or project-specific general liability), the license expiration date, and one year from issuance. DOB’s Rule 101-08 requires every insurance to be kept for the full term of the permit, which is why so many permits show less than a year. AC §28-105.9 says the same in code: a permit expires automatically when the required insurance or the license expires.
Automatic extensions
If a permit runs less than a year only because of a license or insurance date, it is extended at no cost when the insurance or license is renewed before it expires. When the new dates are updated in DOB’s records (BIS), permits due to expire within 31 days are extended the following night. To be safe, DOB asks for the new insurance certificates or license renewal at least five days before the old ones expire. One catch from DOB’s FAQ: once the Licensing Unit has the new insurance, the licensed contractor must log in to DOB NOW at least once for the new dates to reach the permits.
Renewing in DOB NOW: Build
When the insurance or license lapsed, or the year is up, the licensee renews the permit and pays $130. From the Filing Action column of the work permit, select Renew Permit; when a stakeholder changes, choose Renew Permit with changes under Reason for Filing. A new contractor takes over a permit the same way — renewing it with changes, not by sending a supersede letter or creating a new permit — and removing a Construction Superintendent who is no longer required is also done by renewing.
The 12-month rule
Every permit expires if the permitted work does not begin within 12 months of issuance. After those first 12 months, it expires if the work is suspended or abandoned for 12 continuous months (AC §28-105.9). On a facade job that waits on an owner, a loan or a neighbor’s access, that clock is worth watching.
Reinstating an expired permit
DOB may reinstate a work permit at any time solely for sign-off, including correcting defects found at the final inspection, or within two years of the original permit’s issuance; otherwise the work must meet the code in effect when reinstatement is requested (AC §28-105.9.1). DOB’s reinstatement fee notice (updated January 17, 2024): if the work never started within a year, the full filing fee at the current rate; if it was suspended or abandoned for a year after starting, the share of the full filing fee equal to the share of work remaining, as the DOB inspector determines, plus the renewal fee; if the permit expired more than two years ago and the work is complete but not signed off, $130; if it expired more than two years ago and the code or zoning has changed since it was issued, a new filing at the full fee.
Applications expire too
An application with no permit issued is deemed abandoned 12 months after it was submitted, unless it has been diligently prosecuted after being rejected in whole or in part; DOB may grant 12-month extensions for reasonable cause (AC §28-104.2.3). DOB may also deem an application incomplete 90 days after notifying the applicant that it is incomplete.
Sheds and AHVs run on their own clocks
Shed permits issued or renewed since February 2, 2026 last 90 days, and for most sheds each renewal needs an RDP’s progress report: see shed renewal. An After-Hours Variance is tied to the work permit, but renewing the work permit does not change the AHV’s expiration date: renew it separately, by 11:59 pm on the day it expires (After-Hours Variance).
Working on an expired permit
DOB’s Stop Work Order Guide lists work with an expired permit or license next to work without a permit, among the conditions for a full Stop Work Order. A dated list of every permit on the job and the policy behind each date is the cheapest protection.
Checklist: the permit calendar
- List every permit on the job with its expiration date and what sets it: the year, the license or an insurance policy.
- Send renewed insurance certificates and license renewals to DOB at least five days before the old ones expire.
- Have the licensee log in to DOB NOW once the new insurance is on file, so the new dates reach the permits.
- Check the permit’s new date after DOB’s records update.
- If a date passes anyway, renew in DOB NOW: Build (Renew Permit, $130) before any more work.
- Renew AHVs separately: renewing the work permit does not move them.
- If the work stops for months, track the 12-month limit.
Sources
- NYC DOB, DOB NOW: Build frequently asked questions (permit expiration, automatic extensions, Renew Permit, AHV renewals)
- NYC Administrative Code, Title 28, Chapter 1: Administration (permits, §28-105; TPP, §28-120)
- NYC DOB Service Notice, “Reinstatement Fees: Abandoned Applications, Expired Permits and Applications, Amended Plans” (updated January 17, 2024)
- NYC DOB, Guide: Stop Work Order (SWO) issuance — when full and partial orders may be issued
Checked against the official text on October 23, 2026.
Related guides
- Filing a facade repair job in DOB NOW: Build: who files what, and in what orderThe RDP files an Alteration with the General Construction work type, DOB reviews it, the contractor pulls the work permit, and the job is signed off. Where sheds and scaffolds fit, and what must be ready first: LPC drawings, asbestos forms, the TPP.
- NYC sidewalk shed renewal (2026 rules): the RDP report, the $220 fee and the weekly logSince August 13, 2026, a shed renewal needs an RDP’s in-person examination and progress report: $130 plus $90, or $220, and a $2,500 penalty when no acceptable report is filed. The contractor keeps the weekly work log.
- After-Hours Variance (AHV) in NYC: nights, weekends and the three-business-day ruleWork before 7 am, after 6 pm or on a weekend needs an AHV, filed in DOB NOW: Build at least three business days ahead. $130 to $650 to file plus $80 a day, the documents DOB will not take after you submit, and how renewals work.