Before signing a contract on a New York City property, you can check most of the municipal record yourself, for free, in seven public systems: the Department of Buildings’ BIS and DOB NOW, OATH’s Summons Finder, HPD Online, the Department of Finance property account, the DEP water and sewer account, and NYC Open Data. Together they show open violations, permits that were never signed off, the certificate of occupancy (CO), unpaid summonses, and unpaid taxes and charges.
The findings fall into two groups. Some are money items that can be or become liens and must be paid at or before closing. Most are condition items: records the title company reports for information but does not insure, which the buyer, seller and lender deal with in the contract. Which group a record belongs to, and how each is cleared, is covered in NYC property violations at closing. This guide is the lookup side: where to search, what you will see, and what to do with it.
Everything here applies to the five boroughs only. Recorded documents (deeds, mortgages, satisfactions) are a separate search in ACRIS; see how to read ACRIS for title.
Start with the BBL
Every system below can be searched by address, but addresses fail on corner lots, buildings with several street numbers, and condos. The reliable key is the BBL (borough, block and lot), the tax parcel number. The Department of Finance (DOF) property lookup returns it from an address. For a condominium, each unit has its own lot, separate from the building’s base lot. Building-wide DOB and HPD records usually sit on the building, while taxes and water charges sit on the unit. Search both.
DOB BIS: older permits, DOB and ECB violations, older COs
What to search. The Buildings Information System (BIS) has a property profile page for every NYC property, searchable by address or BBL. DOB describes it as the home of “records of permits issued and job applications created before the launch of the DOB NOW system”, along with complaints, violations and occupancy information.
What you will see. DOB points owners to the BIS property profile overview for the number of open DOB violations, and the profile links to the DOB and ECB violation records for the property. DOB tells owners to use BIS to view violations on a property, and DOB-issued summonses heard at OATH (ECB violations) are shown only in BIS, not in DOB NOW. A dismissed DOB violation is marked with an asterisk, for example “V*7052-18P”. COs requested before March 1, 2021 are found in BIS from the property profile (DOB, Certificate of Occupancy). The job and permit list shows older filings and their status.
What it means. An open DOB violation is not a lien and does not block the transfer, but it stays with the building after closing. An ECB violation can carry an unpaid penalty that has become a judgment, and an ECB violation can show “open” in BIS even after the penalty is paid, until DOB accepts proof of correction (DOB, Resolve a Summons or Violation). Note the violation numbers and check the OATH record for each ECB item.
DOB NOW: newer permits, newer COs and safety violations
What to search. The DOB NOW Public Portal has a property profile searchable by address, BBL, BIN (building identification number) or job number, with no account or login needed (DOB NOW Public Portal FAQs).
What you will see. Only filings made in DOB NOW: newer job applications and permits, COs requested on or after March 1, 2021, and safety compliance records for boilers, elevators and facades. Apart from safety compliance types such as boilers, elevators and facades, DOB NOW shows only violations issued after November 2024; older ones remain in BIS (same source). Jobs in pre-filing status are not displayed.
What it means. BIS and DOB NOW split the record by date and filing system, so a clean result in one says nothing about the other (see the next section). A permit that was issued but never signed off, in either system, is an open permit. It is not a lien, but it can hold up a new CO, refinancing or the buyer’s own future filings. How open permits are closed out is covered in open permits on a NYC sale.
BIS versus DOB NOW: why open permits get missed
DOB moved its filings into DOB NOW in stages, and it has not finished: the Public Portal FAQs say records will not all be in one place “until all transactions have fully transitioned to DOB NOW.” Because the Public Portal shows only jobs filed in DOB NOW, a permit filed through BIS in 2015 and never signed off is found in BIS, even if the building has newer jobs in DOB NOW.
Three things cause most misses:
- Searching only DOB NOW because it looks current. It shows only DOB NOW filings. Filings made in eFiling or at a borough office are in BIS (same source).
- Reading the violation count in one system as the total. DOB NOW shows most violation types only from November 2024 onward. Older violations, OATH/ECB violations and 311 complaints are in BIS.
- Picking the wrong CO. The CO split is by the date the CO was requested, March 1, 2021, not by when the building was built (DOB, Certificate of Occupancy). A building can have a final CO in BIS and a later amended CO in DOB NOW.
| Record | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Pre-DOB NOW, eFiling, borough jobs | BIS |
| DOB NOW jobs and permits | DOB NOW |
| Pre-filing jobs | DOB NOW login only |
| CO requested before Mar 1, 2021 | BIS |
| CO requested from Mar 1, 2021 | DOB NOW |
| OATH/ECB violations | BIS only |
| Most DOB violations before Nov 2024 | BIS |
| Most DOB violations after Nov 2024 | DOB NOW |
| Boiler, elevator, facade compliance | DOB NOW |
| 311 complaints | BIS |
| Elevator filings before Dec 11, 2017 | BIS |
| Boiler filings before Sept 3, 2019 | BIS |
Run the same address and BBL through both systems, list every job not signed off from either one, and reconcile the two lists before relying on either. What happens to those jobs at closing is covered in open permits on a NYC sale.
The certificate of occupancy
What to search. Use the date the CO was requested to pick the system: BIS for a CO requested before March 1, 2021, DOB NOW for one requested on or after that date (DOB, Certificate of Occupancy). Look for the most recent final CO, or a temporary CO (TCO).
What you will see. The CO states the building’s legal use, number of units and occupancy. Buildings built before 1938 were not required to have a CO unless later alterations changed their use, egress or occupancy. For those, DOB may issue a Letter of No Objection confirming legal use (same source).
What it means. Compare the CO to the listing and to what is actually there. A “three-family” house on a two-family CO, or a finished cellar used as an apartment, is a legal-use problem, not a title defect. The title company will report the CO search for information and will not insure that the use is legal. The issue usually surfaces with the lender or appraiser, and it is handled in the contract: cure before closing, a price adjustment, or a buyer who accepts the risk. If no CO is on file at all, see no certificate of occupancy in NYC.
OATH Summons Finder: summonses, hearings and balances
What to search. OATH’s Summons Finder searches by name, address or summons number. Search the property address and the seller’s exact name, including any LLC or prior owner entity. Summonses issued to for-hire vehicles and restaurants are not available in the Summons Finder (same source).
What you will see. Each summons, its issuing agency (DOB, FDNY, DSNY, DEP and others), the hearing date and result, and how much may be owed.
What it means. A pending summons is not yet a money item. An unpaid penalty becomes a judgment, collected by DOF, that runs against the person named in the summons. Certain DOB-issued judgments become tax liens on the building. A paid penalty does not close the matching DOB violation in BIS. The full treatment, including which judgments convert to liens, is in NYC property violations at closing. Before contract, list every summons with a balance, note who the respondent is, and ask the seller how each will be paid or resolved.
HPD Online: Housing Maintenance Code violations
What to search. HPD Online by address. It shows a residential building’s complaints and violations, property registration, charges and litigation, block and lot, and vacate orders.
What you will see. Open and closed violations, each with a class: A (non-hazardous), B (hazardous) or C (immediately hazardous) (HPD, Clear Violations). Before civil penalties apply in Housing Court, owners get 90 days to correct Class A, 30 days for Class B and 24 hours for most Class C conditions, with longer Class C periods for items such as lead paint and mold and no grace period for heat and hot water (same source). You may also see Housing Court litigation and vacate orders.
What it means. HPD violations are not liens. Many old ones remain open only because the correction was never certified to HPD. A long list of open Class C items, active litigation, or a vacate order tells you about building condition, tenant relations and cost. Emergency repair charges are different: they are billed through DOF and can become tax liens, so confirm them on the DOF account.
DOF property account and the lien sale
What to search. The DOF property tax account, by address or BBL, through the property information lookup. It shows what is owed, charges and interest, payment history, exemptions and tax class. For a co-op apartment, DOF directs owners to the co-op’s management office for this information (same source).
What you will see. Unpaid property taxes, plus other charges DOF bills on the property account, which can include HPD emergency repair charges and DOB-issued ECB judgments converted to tax liens. Exemptions and abatements are shown too, which helps a buyer estimate future carrying costs.
What it means. Unpaid property tax is a lien and is paid from the seller’s proceeds at closing. Also check whether liens have already been sold. The City’s tax lien sale has covered unpaid property taxes, water and sewer charges, and emergency repair and alternative enforcement charges (311, Tax Lien Sale). Once sold, the debt is owed to the lien holder, with a 5% surcharge plus interest and fees, and the holder can foreclose (same source). A sold lien appears in ACRIS as a TLS document. DOF publishes past lien sale lists on its lien sales page. The most recent sale on that page was June 3, 2025. The Mayor said there would be no lien sale in 2026, and 2026 local laws create a land bank intended to take over lien enforcement starting in 2029 (NYC Independent Budget Office, April 2026). Liens sold in earlier years remain enforceable, so the check still matters.
DEP water and sewer account
What to search. Water and sewer charges are billed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), not DOF. The online account, My DEP Account, is for the property owner, so a buyer usually gets the balance from the seller or from the title company’s water search. Questions about overdue balances go to DEP at 718-595-7890 (DEP, Overdue Water and Sewer Charges).
What you will see. The current balance, charges and consumption.
What it means. Overdue water and sewer charges can be included in a tax lien sale (same source), so treat them like taxes: paid from proceeds at closing. The seller should request a Property Transfer Meter Reading (also called a title or final read) at least 30 days before closing. It costs $25 and does not shut off service (311, Water and Sewer Bill). Without a current reading, the closing figure is an estimate and the parties often hold back an amount.
NYC Open Data: bulk and cross-checks
NYC Open Data publishes the same agency records as downloadable datasets, searchable by borough, block and lot. The useful ones for a pre-contract check:
- DOB Violations (older BIS civil penalties)
- DOB ECB Violations (DOB summonses heard at OATH)
- DOB Permit Issuance (BIS permits) and DOB NOW: Build Approved Permits
- HPD Housing Maintenance Code Violations
Open Data is most useful for investors screening several properties or a portfolio. It is not a substitute for the live portals: dataset updates lag, and the balance shown in the ECB dataset should be confirmed against the live OATH record.
Quick reference
| Portal | Shows | Title impact |
|---|---|---|
| BIS | Older permits, DOB and ECB violations, older COs | Information |
| DOB NOW | Newer permits, newer COs, newer violations | Information |
| CO (BIS or DOB NOW) | Legal use, units | Information; lender issue |
| OATH Summons Finder | Summonses, hearings, balances | Judgment if unpaid |
| HPD Online | A/B/C violations, litigation, vacate orders | Information |
| DOF property account | Taxes, ERP, converted ECB charges | Lien; pay at closing |
| DOF lien sale lists | Liens sold to lien holder | Lien; payoff needed |
| DEP account | Water and sewer balance | Lien risk; pay at closing |
| ACRIS | Deeds, mortgages, TLS certificates | Recorded title |
Using what you find
Run these checks before the contract is signed, not after the title report arrives. A finding is most useful when it can still shape the deal: a seller cure obligation, a price credit, an escrow holdback, or a decision to walk away. Money items (taxes, water, sold liens, ECB judgments against the seller) will be picked up by the title report and paid at closing from the seller’s proceeds, so the main question is whether the proceeds will cover them. Condition items (DOB and HPD violations, open permits, CO mismatches) survive closing unless the contract says otherwise, and they are the ones a lender or appraiser is most likely to question.
None of these lookups is insured, and none replaces the title company’s municipal and departmental searches. For how the attorney, title company and lender divide this work, see who does what at a New York closing.
Official sources
- DOB, Find Building Data: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/dob/find-building-data.page
- DOB, Certificate of Occupancy: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/property-or-business-owner/certificate-of-occupancy.page
- DOB, DOB Violations: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/safety/dob-violations.page
- DOB, Resolve a Summons or Violation: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/dob/resolve-a-summons-or-violation.page
- DOB, DOB NOW Public Portal FAQs: https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/dob-now-public-portal-faqs.page
- OATH, Case Status (Summons Finder): https://www.nyc.gov/site/oath/help-center/case-status.page
- HPD, HPD Online: https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/about/hpd-online.page
- HPD, Clear Violations: https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/clear-violations.page
- DOF, Lien Sales: https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/property-lien-sales.page
- NYC 311, Property tax account information: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01680
- NYC 311, Tax Lien Sale: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01512
- NYC 311, Water and Sewer Bill: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02459
- DEP, Overdue Water and Sewer Charges: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/pay-my-bills/overdue-water-sewer-charges.page
- NYC Independent Budget Office, NYC’s Tax Lien Sale (April 2026): https://www.ibo.nyc.gov/assets/ibo/downloads/pdf/taxes-and-other-revenues/2026/2026-april-nycs-tax-lien-sale.pdf
- NYC Open Data: DOB Violations, DOB ECB Violations, DOB Permit Issuance, DOB NOW: Build Approved Permits, HPD Housing Maintenance Code Violations (links above)