The Department of Buildings is expanding its online NYC Development Hub to allow professionals to file applications and receive building permits online.
Part of the DOB’s efforts to streamline the 50,000-plus applications for minor construction projects it reviews each year, the expansion covers home renovations, construction fences and scaffolding. Previously, the Hub program only accepted digital plans for new buildings and major alterations. For those projects, the DOB said it had issued permits three times faster than plans submitted by paper. “It is no longer necessary for industry members to visit our offices in order to submit paper plans and other documents,” DOB Commissioner Robert LiMandri said in a release. “Whether you’re constructing a new building or renovating a kitchen, architects and engineers can have their plans reviewed by our plan examiners with the click of a button.”
All associated fees for the process can also be paid online.
The DOB launched the Hub in 2011 to speed the approval process for construction projects by permitting architects and engineers to send plans and solve issues digitally.
The expansion is part of a continued push to bring the agency into the 21st century. In February, DOB launched a smartphone app that allow users to search DOB databases for the histories of 975,000 city buildings. The app, which comes free of charge, operates on iPhone and Android platforms. — Julie Strickland