Single Room Occupancy
Single-room occupancy housing (SROs) in New York City typically consists of single room dwellings without a bathroom, kitche...
Illegal Home Use
Illegal Home Use refers to any altered buildings or apartments that violate New York City’s construction codes and can creat...
NYC’s Local Law 97
Local Law 97 was enacted in April 2019 as a way to lower carbon emissions from buildings larger than 25,000 square feet. Pas...
Accessory Dwelling Units
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are self-contained structures that exist on the same lot as a single family home. Throughout...
Permitted Obstructions
Permitted obstructions refer to any structures or objects that may be located in a yard or open space. They may also be allo...
NYC’s Landmark Preservation Law
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Law was created to protect historic landmarks and historical neighborhoods from rea...
Transferable Development Rights
The Transferable Development Rights (TDR) program allows property owners to sell unused development capacity to other landow...
Sky Exposure Planes
A sky exposure plane is an imagined inclined plane which the height of a building is not allowed to pass through. Its purpos...
As-of-Right Development
As-of-right development refers to any proposed construction or enlargements that comply with all the zoning regulations in a...
Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP)
The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure is a process of community board and city council review for new developments that will...
Non-Complying Buildings
A non-complying building is any building that doesn’t comply with the bulk regulations of a particular zoning district. Thes...
Non-Conforming Use
Non-conforming use refers to a structure, which function does not match its zoning district. For example, a factory that exi...
Board of Standards and Appeals in NYC
The Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) is made up of five commissioners who are appointed by the mayor of New York City. A...
Zoning Lots
A lot or a zoning lot is a tract of land comprised of a single tax lot or two or more adjacent tax lots within a given block...
Coastal Zone Boundary
The Coastal Zone Boundary is an area in which New York City's
Transit Zone
Transit zones in NYC are dense urban areas with a low car ownership rate and different programs of affordable housing. These...
Overlay District
An overlay district is an area that is additionally placed within an existing zoned districts (for example a
Mixed Use District
The mixed use district (MX district) is an area where mixed land uses are permitted. For instance, both residential and comm...
Manufacturing District
Zoning districts around the USA are mainly divided in three main areas: the
Floor Area Ratio
The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is the ratio of the total area of the building, compared to the size of the given land i.e. it co...
Special Purpose Districts
Special purpose districts are area’s with particular qualities and functions, and are created to meet the needs of a neighbo...
