Filing types
Descriptions come from the source files. Wording varies between boroughs and filers.
- New building
- An application to construct a new structure, or a new building that replaces an earlier one. The record describes what is proposed, not whether construction has started.
- Alteration (ALT)
- Work to an existing building: interior renovation, enlargement, conversion or a change of use. Most residential unit additions appear here.
- ALT-CO (alteration with a new certificate of occupancy)
- An alteration that also changes the building's certificate of occupancy, typically because use or the number of units changes.
- Full demolition
- An application to remove a building or a structure on the lot.
- Alt-CO — new building with existing elements to remain
- A filing that keeps part of an existing structure while constructing the rest, so it sits between an alteration and a new building.
- Supporting filings (plumbing, mechanical, electrical, fencing)
- Records filed alongside a main application. They often describe one trade's portion of a larger job, so a plumbing record can appear on a new building job.
Recorded status
Status text is copied as delivered. It is not a schedule and does not confirm approval or completion.
- Job in process
- The source reports the application as being processed at the time the file was produced. It does not mean construction is under way.
- Latest action date
- The most recent official action date supplied by the source. Many records arrive without one; the field then stays empty rather than being estimated.
- Filing date
- The date recorded for the filing itself. It is the date used whenever records are sorted or filtered.
- Superseded
- A newer filing replaces an earlier one for the same work. Both records stay searchable; the newest filing for a job is the one we keep as current.
Property and record fields
These fields identify the property and let you compare before and after values.
- Job number
- The identifier the city assigns to a filing. It is unique citywide, so one job number is one filing even if it appears in more than one report.
- BIN
- Building Identification Number: a permanent identifier for a building on a tax lot.
- Block and lot
- The tax block and lot for the property. Useful for grouping filings that share a zoning lot.
- Borough code
- 1 Manhattan, 2 Bronx, 3 Brooklyn, 4 Queens, 5 Staten Island.
- Dwelling units, existing and proposed
- Unit counts supplied by the source. A blank value means the source left it empty and is never treated as zero.
- Stories and height
- Building stories and height in feet, again as existing and proposed. Blank values are shown as an em dash.
- Landmark
- Whether the record is flagged as a landmark property. Landmark status can add review steps that the record itself does not describe.
- Conflicting source rows
- Several rows in one report carried the same job number with different values. The last row is kept and the record is flagged so you can review it.
Owner and applicant
These fields sit behind a subscription and are never shown in public examples.
- Owner
- The owner of record as supplied on the filing, with the owner type (individual, corporation, partnership) and relationship where given.
- Applicant / filing professional
- The person or firm that filed the application, usually an architect or expediter. They are not necessarily the contractor doing the work.
- Availability
- Whether the source supplied a value for a contact field. We show availability before purchase and never invent placeholder names or numbers.
Coverage and imports
Figures describe what has been imported, not what exists in the city.
- Import batch
- One uploaded report. Every record keeps the batch it came from, its first-seen date and its last-imported date.
- Coverage
- The earliest and latest filing dates held for each dataset. A quieter week in our imports is not a slowdown in the city.
- Reversed import
- An import an administrator removed. Its records are marked inactive and excluded from search and totals.
Still unsure what a record means? Search the address and read the original description — it is kept exactly as filed, with contact details redacted.
Search the filings