Methodology
How we calculate closure rates and which permits we count for New York City.
What is a closure rate?
When a contractor pulls a building permit in New York City, an inspector needs to verify the work was completed correctly before the permit can be closed. A closure rate measures the percentage of an applicant’s permits that have been properly closed:
The 365-day eligibility rule
A contractor who pulled a permit last month hasn’t had time to complete the work yet. To avoid penalizing recent activity, we only count permits issued more than 365 days ago when calculating closure rates.
Permits issued within the last year still appear in the data but are dimmed in the table and not factored into the rate.
Which permits are included?
NYC’s DOB NOW system issues permits for many types of work. We include only permits that represent real construction trade work where closure (sign-off) is a meaningful signal of contractor accountability:
| Permit Type | Description |
|---|---|
| General Construction | Core GC permits — renovations, alterations, new construction |
| Electrical | Electrical wiring, lighting, HVAC wiring, service work (from DOB NOW Electrical dataset) |
| Plumbing | Plumbing installations and modifications |
| Structural | Structural work — steel, concrete, load-bearing changes |
| Mechanical Systems | HVAC and mechanical installations |
| Boiler Equipment | Boiler installations and replacements |
| Sprinklers | Fire sprinkler systems |
| Standpipe | Standpipe fire protection systems |
| Foundation | Foundation and footing work |
| Earth Work | Excavation and grading |
| Support of Excavation | Shoring, sheeting, bracing for excavation |
| Solar | Solar panel installations |
| Full Demolition | Complete building demolition |
Electrical permits come from a separate NYC DOB dataset (DOB NOW Electrical Permit Applications) and are merged during the nightly refresh.
What is excluded?
We exclude permits that are administrative, temporary, or represent site safety equipment rather than permanent construction work:
| Permit Type | Reason |
|---|---|
| Sidewalk Shed | Temporary pedestrian protection — not construction work |
| Construction Fence | Temporary site barrier — not construction work |
| Supported Scaffold | Temporary access equipment for facade work |
| Suspended Scaffold | Temporary access equipment (30.6% closure — systemically unclosed) |
| Protection and Mechanical Methods | Site protection devices, not permanent construction |
| Sign | Signage installation, not building construction |
| Curb Cut | DOT/sidewalk work, not building construction |
| Antenna | Telecom equipment installation, not building construction |
| Green Roof | Only 12 permits total — insufficient data |
Deduplication
NYC permits can have multiple rows in the source data because of permit renewals. When a permit is renewed, a new row appears with a new sequence number and issued date. A single permit might appear 2-5 times (or more) due to successive renewals.
Electrical permits similarly have multiple filings per job (initial, PAA, subsequent filings). We deduplicate on job number, collapsing all filings into a single permit record.
In both cases, we keep the row with the earliest issued date (for accurate aging) and the most complete applicant name.
During dedup, we reconcile permit status: if any copy of a permit was marked as closed, the surviving row is updated to reflect that closure — ensuring we never lose a legitimate sign-off.
Status classification
NYC DOB NOW permits use two different status systems depending on the data source:
Approved Permits (DOB NOW Build)
| Status | Classification |
|---|---|
| Permit Issued | Counted as open — work not yet signed off |
| Signed-off | Counted as closed — inspector verified completion |
Electrical Permits
| Status | Classification |
|---|---|
| Job in Process | Counted as open — work not yet completed |
| Job is complete | Counted as closed — job completed and signed off |
| Inspection not complete due to withdrawal | Excluded — work abandoned, closure not applicable |
Leaderboard criteria
The leaderboard applies two additional filters:
- Minimum 20 rated permits — avoids surfacing statistically insignificant data.
- Active in the last 3 years — prevents the list from being populated by defunct companies.
The leaderboard can be filtered by permit type (e.g., General Construction, Electrical). When filtered, both thresholds apply only to permits of the selected type.
Median comparison
On applicant detail pages, each closure rate is compared to the median closure rate across all leaderboard-eligible applicants in the same category. This gives context — a 50% closure rate means something different in a category where the median is 40% versus one where it’s 80%.
Medians are calculated from the same pool of applicants who meet the 20-permit minimum threshold.
Data source
Data comes from two datasets on NYC Open Data: DOB NOW: Build – Approved Permits and DOB NOW: Electrical Permit Applications. Both are refreshed nightly.
Limitations
This site shows permit closure data. It does not evaluate the quality of anyone’s work. There are legitimate reasons a permit may remain open:
- Client non-cooperation — the property owner may fail to schedule the final inspection or grant access.
- Administrative backlog — work may be inspected and approved but not yet updated in the system.
- Project delays — financing, design changes, supply chain issues, or other factors outside the applicant’s control.
- Multi-phase projects — large commercial projects may legitimately take years to complete.
- Permit holder vs. contractor — the applicant may be a GC, architect, or owner — not necessarily the person scheduling the inspection.
If you believe there are inaccuracies in the underlying permit data, contact the NYC Department of Buildings at [email protected].