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Plan Examiner Intelligence

NYC DOB Plan Examiner Objections: What 412,000 Cases Reveal

BuildNYC analyzed 412,889 NYC DOB plan examiner objections across 385 distinct code sections. We found 6× variance in approval times between examiners, zoning objections taking 2× longer to clear than Building Code objections, and specific resolution patterns that cut round trips in half.

May 2026 Plan Examiner Intelligence 10 min read

412K

Objections Analyzed

385

Code Sections Cited

6×

Examiner Variance

Zoning

38%

Bldg Code

44%

Other

18%

All Articles

What's Actually on a Building's Record — Before You Close

A complete NYC property due diligence pull covers 12 city agencies: DOB permits, ECB violations, HPD complaints, FDNY records, ACRIS ownership, Loft Board status, and LL11/LL97 exposure. What a full building record reveals — and what a title search misses.

ECB. DOB. HPD. FDNY. Four Agencies. One Building. Completely Separate Records.

NYC building violations come from multiple agencies and are enforced independently through OATH hearings. What each type means, how defaults work, what they cost a property owner — and why "resolved" and "dismissed" are not the same thing.

NYC's Subsurface Modeled at City Scale

Kriging-interpolated bedrock depth, groundwater elevation, and fill extent predictions at any NYC coordinate — with P10/P90 confidence bounds — built from 112,000+ boring observations. What you can know before you commission your own investigation.

How to Search NYC Contractor Permit History, Violations, and Licenses

Search NYC building violations, open permits, contractor licenses, and renovation history from live NYC Department of Buildings data. How permit abandonment rates, stop-work order history, and co-occurrence networks reveal contractor risk before you hire.