Licensing Changes: DOB Requires Summons Payments, Electronic Insurance Updates
By Katherine Baerga
The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has announced some licensing changes. Specifically, the agency will no longer renew licenses if the applicant has any unpaid OATH violations. Also, insurance certificates must now be uploaded to DOB NOW; email submissions are no longer accepted.
License Renewals
Licensees and registrants who have outstanding Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) summonses are prohibited from starting the license renewal process in DOB NOW: BIS Options. Upon logging into DOB NOW and choosing “License Renewal,” the licensee or registrant will see a list of any unpaid OATH summonses, based on NYC Department of Finance records. Applicants must pay any summonses and civil penalties before they can renew their license with DOB.
Licensees and registrants can search and pay for OATH violations and penalties on the NYC CityPay website.
License Insurance Updates
DOB now requires licensees and registrants to submit license insurance certificates for general liability, workers’ compensation, and disability online through DOB NOW: BIS Options. Insurance certificates must include the following information:
- License/Registration/Tracking number
- Business name, address, and phone number (NOTE: This information must match DOB records.)
- Typed information; information—including corrections—cannot be handwritten
- Contact name, phone number, and email address
In addition, the certificate needs to have the following information in the Certificate Holder box: NYC Department of Buildings, Attn: Licensing & Exams Unit, 280 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Each insurance type must be saved as a separate PDF document, and the General Liability ACORD 25 form cannot include workers’ compensation and disability insurance.
To submit the certificates, licensees and registrants must log into DOB NOW and select BIS Options. From the BIS Options dashboard, they can choose “+License Insurance Updates” and follow the instructions for uploading the required document(s).
Upon submission, the new insurance information will be updated in DOB NOW and the Buildings Information System (BIS).
If you have any questions about these changes or need assistance, contact Metropolis Group at 212.233.6344.