City of New York City
Bronx County, New York
Last verified September 17, 2026
City of New York City is a jurisdiction in Bronx County, New York, with an online portal for searching and pulling active or historical building permits. Use the contact information below to reach the local building department.
Contact
- Phone
- 212-566-5000
- Department Site
- NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) (opens in a new tab)
Source: nyc.gov (opens in a new tab)
Additional Notes
NYC DOB is a CITYWIDE consolidated agency covering all five boroughs (not Bronx-specific); recorded under Bronx County only per this dataset's primary-county convention for New York City. General inquiries can also be routed through 311. No single public DOB email found; nyc.gov/dobhelp is the official online help form used instead of a direct email address.
What You Need Before Applying for a Permit
Most building departments ask for the same core package before they'll issue a permit: a completed application naming the property owner and contractor, the contractor's state license number and proof of insurance (general liability, and workers' comp if employees are on the job), a notice of commencement or equivalent recorded filing for larger jobs where the state requires one, and scaled plans or a site plan for anything beyond minor repairs. Roofing, fence, pool, and solar permits typically have their own simplified checklists — City of New York City's department (above) can confirm exactly what applies to your project.
Why this matters for insurance: permit history is one of the first things an underwriter or adjuster checks. Unpermitted work — a finished basement, an added bedroom, a rebuilt roof — can complicate a claim or even void coverage for that portion of the loss, and it routinely surfaces during a home inspection. Pulling the right permit up front, and keeping the closed-permit record on file, protects both the property's value and its insurability at resale.