Getting Started

1Get access & sign in

Go to the login page and sign in with Google or your email. That's it — your account works right away. No waiting, no approval email, no credit card.

2Set up your filing identity (once)

Open My Profile and enter the filing representative email used for your work. Enter an applicant email and PE/RA type only when you are that licensed applicant. The extension can enter these reviewed identifiers in the Stakeholders section; DOB NOW performs its own lookup and each party remains responsible for their role.

3Install the browser extension

The DOB Desk — DOB NOW Autofill extension is what types your prep package into DOB NOW. Install it from the Chrome Web Store (works in Chrome and Edge), pin it to your toolbar, and you'll also see a “⚡ Fill Entire Filing” button floating on DOB NOW pages.

What it can and can't do: it only fills fields on pages you're already viewing, logged in as yourself. It never submits anything. Privacy details: extension privacy policy.

4Your first filing

1. Have the authorized person create the job in DOB NOW: Build (job type + work types). DOB NOW assigns the job number.
2. Open DOB Filing here. In Step 1 — Describe the Filing, type the address and click Look Up Property — BIN, block/lot, stories, dwelling units, building type, and code edition all prefill from city records. Add your work types and scope (or draft the scope with AI).
3. In Step 2 — Zoning & Technical Report Data, click ✦ Generate Zoning & TR Data and review what it produced — zoning classifications, cost rows, inspection picks. Everything is editable.
4. In Step 3 — QA & Prep Package, run Check Approval Readiness (optionally Plan Check your drawings — see below), then Generate Prep Package.
5. Step 4 hands off to the extension: switch to your DOB NOW tab and click ⚡ Fill Entire Filing — it clicks through every tab and fills as it goes. Green outlines mark what it filled (verify each), orange marks what needs your input. The popup shows per-tab progress for the job so you always know what's left.
6. Review everything, then have the authorized person submit in DOB NOW. The suite prepares and coordinates; it does not act as the filing representative, owner, contractor, or professional of record.

5Help it get smarter

Two things make the tool better for everyone: leave auto-send field reports on in the extension (it sends DOB NOW's field labels and what matched — never your values or project data), and use the 👍/👎 feedback that appears after each prep package or objection decode — the founder reads every note. Questions or something filled wrong? support@dobdesk.com — a screenshot of the DOB NOW field helps us fix the matcher for everyone.

＋More in DOB Desk

Filing and the objection decoder are the core, but your account includes more — two ways to check plans against NYC code, for two kinds of user:

• Plan Check (beta) — on the DOB Filing page (Step 3), upload your plan set as a PDF and get an AI pre-review against the NYC Building Code, Zoning Resolution, and Energy Code — egress, occupancy, code-cycle, and objection risks flagged for qualified review before filing. No CAD needed, so expediters and design professionals can coordinate it on the site.
• ZoneIQ CAD — an in-AutoCAD tool for design teams: zoning districts, overlays, and envelope checks in your drawing as you design (licensed add-on). See pricing.

Both are AI/automated pre-reviews — preparation aids, not certified plan reviews. The responsible PE/RA retains professional judgment.

?What the abbreviations mean

DOB NOW

The Department of Buildings' online portal. Use it alongside BIS when researching legacy filings.

BIS

Buildings Information System — the DOB's older system. Anything filed before DOB NOW still lives there.

BIN

Building Identification Number — the city's 7-digit ID for one building. Not the same as the tax block and lot.

PW1

The Plan/Work Application — the main DOB NOW form describing the job. Most of what DOB Desk prepares ends up here.

TR1

Technical Report — Statement of Responsibility. Names the special inspections your job needs and who signs off on each.

ECB

Environmental Control Board — the violations now heard at OATH. Each carries a hearing date and a penalty.

OATH

Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings — where ECB violations are heard, contested, or settled.