Whether you're a board member, property manager, superintendent or a tenant, chances are you've dealt with building permits before. Clients often call our offices, confused and frustrated, after getting violations.
Hopefully this Q&A with some of the construction experts we work with will clear that up for you.
What Is a Permit and Why Do You Need One?
The Department of Buildings (DOB) categorizes the primary building applications as follows:
- Construction of New Structures (NB)
- Major Alterations that will change use, egress or occupancy (ALT1)
- Multiple types of work, not affecting use, egress or occupancy (ALT2)
- One type of minor work, not affecting use, egress or occupancy (ALT3)
To file for any one of these permits, a professional engineer or a registered architect must prepare construction drawings and submit the paperwork to the DOB.
Who Can File for a Permit?
The only people who can actually file for a permit are licensed professionals, either a professional engineer (PE) or a registered architect (RA).
He or she will prepare construction drawings and submit applications. Its important to remind building owners that there are very limited cases in which a building owner can self-certify his or her own building permit.
What are the fees associated with a building permit?
The most truthful answer is: it depends. There are fees that must be paid to the DOB at the time of filing but there are also professional fees associated with preparing documents for filing. Costs will vary case by case however, it is pretty safe to say, that a client should be prepared to spend minimum $2,000 between filing for violations or correcting one and professional fees involved.
Can a permit be revoked?
Yes. Building permits can be revoked at any time for any number of reasons. The most common reasons include either changing the scope of work during construction or if unsafe work conditions are discovered. If a permit is revoked, the client will have to file a correction with DOB which will result in additional filing and professional services fees.
Contact our Director of Business Development, Tom Cimillo for additional questions.
Tom Cimillo
Tel: 212.645.3775 EXT. 333
Email. tomc@fsi-architecture.com