What Is A Letter of No Objection and When Is One Required?

Posted on | by sebastian

Letter of No Objection in NYC

In the City of New York, in order for a building to be legally occupied the building must first have a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). The CO must state a building’s legal use and type of permitted occupancy. New buildings must have a CO.   Older, pre-existing buildings may not have a CO if built prior to 1938. Those older building may file for a Letter of No Objection or Verification letter which is issued by the Dept. Of buildings to establish legal use of the building or a particular space in the building.

Why would i need an LNO?

If you are selling a property that pre-dates the CO requirement, the potential buyer will ask for one as proof of current use.  If you are opening a business in a building without a CO, and your business requires a license from another government agency, you will have to file for an LNO.

A Letter of No Objection (LNO)

An LNO is fairly easy to obtain and on average takes approximately 3-4 weeks. A LNO can be issued if the proposed and actual use of the space/building in question are the same use group and occupancy group as dictated by the city zoning regulations and building code.  If either the use or occupancy group changes, a new certificate of occupancy must be applied for.

The types of agencies interested in Letters of No Objections are the liquor authority, banks and consumer affairs. The liquor board requires proof of use as an eating and drinking establishment in a building prior to awarding a license.

What is required to acquire a LNO? Some requirements to receive an LNO include but are not limited to the following:

Buildings with a Certificfate of Occupancy

  1. Copy of most recent CO
  2. Copy of Property Profile and list of Job filings (proof of work)

Buildings without a Certificate of Occupancy

  1. Copy of Property Profile and list of Job filings
  2. Block & Lot Folder Plans

Buildings with Child Related Special Occupancy

  1. Copy of most recent CO
  2. Copy of Property Profile and list of Job filings
  3. Block & Lot Folder Plans
  4. Hours/Dates of Operation, number of children (over and under age of 2)
  5. Layout Drawing with exits, accessory locations, etc.

Need help applying for Certificates of Occupancy (COs), TCOs, and Letters of No Objection? Call us today at 718-833-2333.