What is a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation and when is one needed?
A NYC Place of Assembly Permit (PA) is a space that allows large groups of people to assemble at a given time for any activity.
If 75 persons or more are gathered indoors or 200 persons or more are gathered outdoors, a Place of Assembly Certificate of Compliance is needed.
Assembly places are found in restaurants, theaters, sporting arenas, schools, churches, and auditoriums but can be found in other places as well.
What you need to know.
When applying for a PA, the registered design professional (RDP) is hired to generate the plans. These plans will be filed at the Dept. of Buildings. Those plans will need to address safety issues such as the number of exits and occupant loads. Moreover, handicap accessibility must be provided for PA spaces. The RDP will determine if a sprinkler and/or fire alarm system will be required. Also, seating and furniture arrangement will be shown on the plans. Plans will further show the required travel distances to the exits.
Before the PA space can be legally occupied, the required number capacity sign must be posted. The Certificate of Operation must also be displayed in a conspicuous location within the space. The capacity sign indicates the number of persons that can legally occupy the space. Approved PA plans must be kept on site for the annual inspection performed by the Fire Department.
The Department of Buildings issues the Certificate of Operation. A year after this has been issued, the Fire Dept. will issue a Place of Assembly permit. This will be renewed by the FDNY annually based on the inspection they perform.
If any of the following changes, an amendment filed at the DOB will be required:
- change in establishment name
- change in seating plan
- change in use or assembly group.
Let S & M Expediting help you when planning your place of assembly space.
