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DOB Checks Often Need Both DOB NOW And Old BIS
For a Brooklyn building question, check DOB NOW for newer records and BIS for older filings before assuming the permit history is empty.
Published June 24, 2026 · Last verified June 24, 2026
A Brooklyn rowhouse, small apartment building, or storefront can have paperwork split across time. DOB NOW is the public portal for many newer Department of Buildings filings and records, while the older Buildings Information System still matters for historical permits, complaints, violations, and certificates tied to older work.
The split can make a quick search misleading. If DOB NOW looks quiet, run the address or BIN through BIS too. Do not rely only on a contractor’s statement that the job was legal; compare it with both DOB record systems.
Ask where the filing appears and whether the older DOB record tells the same story. Have the address, borough-block-lot, BIN if you have it, and any contractor paperwork nearby before you start comparing records.
Brooklyn has many buildings with long paper lives. A brownstone, mixed-use storefront, or small apartment house may have old permits, complaints, or certificates that do not show up in the place you checked earlier. DOB NOW and BIS are better read together than treated like rival answers.
If the two portals disagree, save both results and ask DOB which record controls the decision you are making.