Department of Buildings (DOB)

The Department of Buildings is the New York City’s Floodplain Administrator. Any building in the floodplain (including certain properties located in X Zones) must comply with the applicable flood resistant construction requirements outlined in Appendix G of the 2014 Building Code. An existing building in the floodplain that is performing a substantial improvement or was substantially damaged, must be constructed or altered to fully comply with the flood zone regulations as if it were newly built. For residential buildings, this includes elevating habitable spaces and filling in basements or cellars to grade. If you have any questions, please contact DOB at constructioncodes@buildings.nyc.gov. Also, DOB has homeowner nights at their borough offices every Tuesdays, no appointment necessary.

DOB offers several resources to guide construction and provide homeowners and design professions with information about building in New York City’s Flood Zone.

Here are some of them:

Rebuilding After Sandy

Know Your Construction Professional

Resiliency Legislation

Find Your Flood Map

How do you determine your flood risk? There are a few options.

1.    FEMA's Region II Coastal site
2.    Center for New York City Neighborhoods (CNYCN) FloodHelpNY.org
3.    View flood maps in person at the borough Department of Buildings offices