In New York a minor oversight in a set of plans costs months. Every new building, renovation, and conversion has to satisfy three separate bodies of law at once: the NYC Building Code, the Zoning Resolution, and the Multiple Dwelling Law. A structurally sound design still fails DOB review if the zoning envelope breaks a setback, or if egress falls short of what the MDL requires of a multi-family building.
We don’t just review plans. We find the objection before the plan examiner does.
Three bodies of law, one set of drawings
Code compliance means the 2022 Construction Codes — building, energy, and fire.
Zoning compliance means the Zoning Resolution, which governs use, density, building envelope, and lot coverage. It was first adopted in 1916 and comprehensively rewritten in 1961.
MDL compliance means the Multiple Dwelling Law, established in 1929, which sets the floor for light, ventilation, egress, and habitability in multi-family buildings. Window-to-floor ratios. Fire separations. Accessibility.
They interact. That is the part that catches people.
Why NYC is harder than it looks
The codes have layered over a century: 1938, 1968, 2014, and today’s 2022 edition. Buildings altered under one edition get judged against another. The 2025 zoning reforms, including City of Yes, are still reshaping what density is permitted where.
What actually delays projects
- Zoning calculations that don’t hold. Misread floor area ratio, misapplied setbacks.
- Unverified use groups. The intended use is not the permitted use.
- Fire Code conflicts, particularly around rooftop amenities.
- Energy Code mismatches between the drawings and the modeling.
- MDL oversights — egress, window sizes, required light.
How we work
We start with the record: zoning map, lot history, DOB filings, any special district or overlay. Then we cross-check massing, height, and use against both the Zoning Resolution and the Building Code. We evaluate ventilation, light, and occupancy against the MDL. Where the code is silent or the zoning is ambiguous, we prepare a CCD1 or ZRD1 reconsideration. Where violations already exist, we clear them. You get a written compliance report.
Sustainability is now compliance
The Energy Code sets efficiency minimums for insulation, HVAC, and lighting. Local Law 97 sets carbon caps. Neither is optional, and both belong in the drawings rather than in a retrofit two years later.
Zoning shapes value
An R7A lot permits meaningfully more residential density than an R5 lot down the block. What a property is worth depends on what it is allowed to become.
Compliance isn’t a step. It’s a strategy.