All topics / Infrastructure and Sustainability / Department of Buildings
Average days between construction inspection request and inspection
Facilitate safe and compliant development. — Promptly schedule development inspections.
DOB attributes longer waits for construction inspections to ongoing budget constraints and reduced inspector staffing capacity. A 2025 city Comptroller audit similarly found staffing reductions and diversion of staff to training and system changes contributed to slower processing across DOB's development-review functions.
Researched July 15, 2026 — DOB, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, NYC Comptroller, Audit of the New York City Department of Buildings' Enforcement of Building Codes (Apr. 21, 2025)
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 1.2 days |
| FY23 | 1.5 days |
| FY24 | 4.4 days |
| FY25 | 5.4 days |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available |
Why this is tracked
Beyond enforcing rules after the fact, DOB's plan-review and permitting functions are meant to catch safety and zoning problems before construction even starts, since fixing a badly built structure later is far costlier and more dangerous than reviewing plans up front. The agency describes its goal as striking a balance between safety and development, aggressively enforcing the Construction Codes, Zoning Resolution, and the state Multiple Dwelling Law to protect workers and the public while still allowing a dense, growing city to build.
NYC Department of Buildings - Building Applications & Permits, NYC Mayor's Management Report - Department of Buildings
Source: DOB NOW — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: The average number of business days between the receipt of a request for a construction inspection and the first available date that an inspector can visit a job site.