The Department offers a Professional Certification Program which enables Registered Architects (RA) and Professional Engineers (PE) to certify that the plans they file with the Department are in compliance with all applicable laws. This reduces the amount of time a builder normally has to wait for a DOB permit by eliminating the process of Department examination and approval of the plans.

Applicants who use the Professional Certification Program need to be aware that:

• Professional certification must be elected at the time of pre-filing.



• An application that is professionally certified goes through the same pre-filing, payment and data entry process (see How to File an Application and Get a Permit). However, if all required documents are present, the application will be approved at the end of data entry.



• A professionally certified application does not go through plan examination. The applicant can check the application status by using the Buildings Information System and upon approval, can retrieve the application folder from the Department in order to apply for a permit.



• Twenty percent of all professionally certified applications will be selected for audit within 10 days of first permit issuance.



• Post Approval Amendments (PAAs) to professionally certified applications must also be professionally certified. Department examination and approval is not available. Twenty percent of all PAAs are also subject to audit once the application’s first permit has been issued.