To request a physical New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) record, first identify the record type and the key you have. A Pre-BIS job number, BIS job number, DOB NOW job number, borough-block-lot (BBL), and street address open different request choices. DOB directs physical document requests through DOB NOW: BIS Options; a public job listing by itself is not a copy of the plans or folder.
Recover the key before choosing a file
DOB’s Find Building Data page sends older or legacy building information to BIS and current applications to DOB NOW. The public portal FAQ describes anonymous searches by address, BBL, BIN or job number, but the current portal shows DOB NOW filings; use BIS for older records. If you start with a property rather than a job number, the BIS property profile can provide its tax block and lot. Its Jobs/Filings area can supply a BIS job number, while Actions may carry an older Pre-BIS ALT reference. Keep the number exactly as the source displays it, plus the borough and any property identifiers that help confirm the same building. Our NYC permit-search guide covers the broader public lookup; this page begins when you need the underlying physical item.
For example, a reader seeking a drawing might have a DOB NOW job number for one alteration, a BIS job number for an earlier job, and a BBL for the lot. Those are three different search keys, not three names for the same file. Choose the key tied to the specific work and document. If you only have the BBL, the request choices are lot-based; do not assume that route produces the plan for an unidentified job.
Choose the physical object that the key allows
DOB’s records-request guide and service notice map the input to the available request categories:
- Pre-BIS job number: folder, microfilm, docket book, or reel. This is the older-job route; a docket is a transaction record, not a drawing set.
- BIS job number: folder, microfilm, or plans. Enter the job number without its extension in the request field; preserve the complete reference in your own notes.
- DOB NOW job number: plans. Enter the number without its extension. A plan request should name the job, not merely the building.
- BBL: folder, entire microfilm, or I-card. This is a lot identifier; it does not automatically pinpoint the plans for a particular job.
- Street address: the address-only choice in this request matrix is for a Queens curb-cut card. For other physical objects, recover a job number or BBL first.
Pick one document question at a time. The dated request guide warns that an entire-lot microfilm request prevents other record requests until it closes. Check that constraint before choosing a broad microfilm request when you actually need one job’s plans.
If you need a drawing, a BIS or DOB NOW job number may lead to a plans choice, depending on which system holds the job. If you need older activity evidence, a Pre-BIS docket may be the appropriate object. DOB says a pre-1990 docket book is a transaction log and contains no plans; do not order it expecting floor plans. Other collections, including HPD I-cards, have their own paths on the Find Building Data page. Match the custodian and document before treating an archive label as the physical DOB record you need.
Treat the request result as a file-availability answer
Use the current DOB physical-record route to open BIS Options. The City’s NYC.ID login notice says a NYC.ID is required for BIS Options. The City’s floor-plan request help also points to BIS Options and explains the borough pickup-email step. In the request, retain the borough, exact job number or BBL, requested object, and the property address as context. A response may say a record is off-site or not found.
An off-site or not-found response does not prove that no permit or drawing exists. If the identifier is uncertain, use the City’s floor-plan request help for borough assistance and explain which job period or record type you could not identify. If the requested material is found, wait for DOB’s pickup notification before treating it as ready; submitting a request alone does not make a copy available.
Record what was requested and what DOB supplied or reported missing. A folder, microfilm image, plan, I-card and docket can answer different questions about the same building. None should be described as proof of lawful occupancy or final approval without the relevant dated agency action. For a public search that returns no result before you have a request key, our no-result guide explains why an empty display is only a starting point.
City guidance checked September 30, 2026. The record-selection guide is dated November 15, 2021; use the current NYC.ID instructions when accessing BIS Options.