DOB Violation, no Landmark Violation

A couple of years ago I got a DOB violation for my limestone facade. I not get a Landmarks violation, but it is a landmark building. The contractor I am considering using for the renovation says I must get a Landmarks permit in addition to the DOB permit. Is this so? It seems reasonable, but it is news to me. I want to be sure.

This contractor also says I would get the Landmarks permit much more speedily if I applied for it myself rather than go through him. Is this so? He says he doesn’t know about D.O.B permits, which sounds off to me. Is it?

Also, how much is it okay for him to charge for applying for the permit(s)?

Thanks in advance.

Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago

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lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Nothing is more regulated from your neighbors than Landmark Violations. Listen to everyone above or you will likely get a fine much larger than the original cost of a permit and work.

resident2 | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Always use a Contractor that gets the Landmarks Permit & sees it through to sign off. If you are using a Contractor that does not on a regular basis deal with Landmarks, you will end up wishing you had.

Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Adding comment to everyone sentiment here. Without Landmark permit you can’t do any work if the building is in landmark block. Even if you finish working they can come and give bigger violation for changing facade color or what have you. Please get Landmark permit and it is very easy to get. Call Millad at 718-669-8305, his company can help you to get the permit and do the work as well. Will make thing easy for you.

stevecym | 5 years and 3 months ago

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see what susan says. there was a time when i was new to working in brooklyn and i did not know about landmarks and every time we went through them everything went great – from the get go. finally, after years of no issue, we applied for something the year before last and got an email saying that that it would probably be declined and if we insisted it would have to go through board approval. we withdrew the application and went back to landmarks school and read the guide and we were able to move forward and get approval without the board. basically, we had to do everything they told us to from the get go to suit the style of building. i think they let us go darker on the suggested color.

my point is, even a contractor who does not understand them can succeed with them, if they read that book and play by the rules and the one who has been doing this for 13 years can mess it up and have to reapply.

and by the way, it used to be that the contractor could apply directly. that changed at some point and now the homeowner must sign off on the application. i sti ll always fill the application out for the homeowner and mark up photos and drawings and will accept some of the responsibility if there is an issue and run interference as i feel as though i may better understand the process than the homeowner and may better be able to guide things. and it is like building a staircase; once you have done one you are an expert.

all of this should be fast. if you are applying for a limited application, ie, no changes in color and materials (i forget the specifics)they will speed it right through with a stamp from an in house staff member. they will want photos and drawings and colors. if you request a change from what is there or what was not original, it goes through the board and i do not recall how often they meet – it may be monthly or twice a month – i seem to recall wednesday evenings. the woman in the office is great at answering questions and once you have an application in, they will answer some. you can always gauge what she is saying and withdraw (or alter) if you need, which is what i did with the last landmark project.

also, the last job i had that we had to withdraw and resubmit. it was in the Heights and she said to me, “you are working in a high profile area and the board will not look kindly on the kinds of changes you are asking for” which implied to me that it might be easier to push changes through in certain areas. by the way, i mentioned that this was the first time we had push back on an application and it was also the first time i had submitted one in Brooklyn Hieghts, so there you go.

don’t be intimidated by them. be conversational with them in any communication and they will be conversational back. my impression of them is that they are nice because they want us working with them and applying and not sneaking around. i had at times let it be known that i was already working on a job we were applying for and they only said “you know you shouldn’t be doing that” with a smile and approved the application anyway (job with no changes in color or materials)

Jasperrose11 | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Melanie Lee – the Landmarks Preservation Commission has a new guide on how to get your repair or alteration approved and it is available online – https://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/new-york-landmarks-preservation-commission-permit-guidebook-2019-repairs-alterations-windows-doors/

Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago

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Thanks, both of you.

anotherposter | 5 years and 3 months ago

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I agree with Maggie O on both points.

Guest User | 5 years and 3 months ago

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if the building is a landmark or in a landmark district and you’re working on the facade you will need to get a permit from landmarks before you can get a DOB permit. if your contractor doesn’t know about permits you should find a different contractor.