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Minimum Room Size in NYC

Minimum Room Size in NYC

New York City apartments use limited space efficiently, but fitting a bed or sofa does not make a room a legal bedroom or habitable room. The room must satisfy the rules for floor area, width, ceiling height, light, ventilation, and adjoining spaces.For many projects governed by the 2022 NYC Building Code, the general minimum room size in NYC is 80 square feet, with no plan dimension smaller than 8 feet. At least one habitable room in a dwelling unit must...

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NYC DOB NOW and DOB BIS

DOB NOW vs. DOB BIS: Which NYC Building System Should You Use?

If you have ever searched for a New York City building permit, violation, complaint, or construction application, you have probably encountered two different systems: DOB NOW and the Buildings Information System, better known as DOB BIS or BISWeb.Why does New York City have both?The short answer is that the Department of Buildings is moving from an older record system to a newer digital platform. However, the transition is not complete. Older applications and permits may remain in BIS, while newer...

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nyc dob permit sign off

How to Close an Open DOB Permit in NYC and Get Sign-Off

Finishing construction does not automatically close a New York City Department of Buildings permit. Walls may be painted, contractors may have left the property, and the space may have been occupied for years, but the application can still remain open in DOB records.An open permit can create problems when an owner wants to sell, refinance, renovate, obtain a new permit, or confirm that previous work was legally completed. During property due diligence, attorneys, lenders, managing agents, and prospective buyers frequently...

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In this post, I want to explain, what is the difference between a cellar and a basement And how it affects your project. Both cellar and basement are below the grade level. according to the NYC zoning law and regulation chapter ZR 12-10, the cellar is a story with half or more than half of the height below the curb level, or in projects that they use the base plane to determine the building height, half or more than half must be below the base plane. To calculate the 50% of the floor height, you need to measure it from floor to ceiling then you can easily find it out. In general, a basement can be habitable, have a dwelling unit with a full bathroom and DOB consider it as Floor Area for your property zoning calculation But cellar, is not a habitable space, cannot have any dwelling unit in it, and must use as an accessory space, but for the zoning calculation, it doesn’t count as Floor Area.

The difference between cellar and basement 

In everyday conversation, New Yorkers often use “basement” and “cellar” to describe the same thing: the floor below the first floor. Under New York City law, however, they are not the same.The difference is not based on whether the space is finished, whether it has a separate entrance, or what the real-estate listing calls it. The legal classification depends mainly on how much of the space is above or below the established curb level.That distinction matters because it affects whether...

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