--- title: "NYC occupancy: building, filing, and request identity" description: "Read BIN, filing indicators, certificate numbers, and request sequences before counting buildings for commercial locksmith project research and review." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/nyc-occupancy-building-filing-certificate-request-identity" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # NYC occupancy records: separate the building, job filing, and certificate request Five occupancy-request entries can describe one building. A commercial locksmith reviewing possible projects needs to preserve that distinction before preparing an estimator's research sheet. Choose what the sheet counts, then keep the supporting filings and requests underneath that count. Start with a building question: which location needs further research? Follow with a project question: which filing might concern the scope under discussion? Finish with a document question: which certificate request supplies the evidence? These questions deserve separate answers, even when a single source contains fields relevant to all three. The [commercial locksmith overview](/for/locksmiths) covers office information and service inquiries. The [project intelligence guide](/intelligence/locksmiths) introduces public-record research. This article focuses on the identity decisions that keep an occupancy worksheet from turning repeated requests into invented buildings or jobs. ## Read the field dictionary before choosing identifiers The [DOB NOW occupancy metadata](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/api/views/pkdm-hqz6.json) supplies definitions for the published fields. Preserve the source field names beside your working labels. Similar-sounding column names do not establish identical meanings. | Source field | Publisher meaning, paraphrased | Recommended worksheet treatment | | --- | --- | --- | | `bin` | Building Identification Number assigned by City Planning | Building reference, subject to review | | `job_filing_name` | Indicator for the filing sequence | Preserve within the building's filing evidence | | `application_number` | Certificate of Occupancy number | Keep as the publisher's certificate-number field | | `c_of_o_sequence` | Ordered position of requests within a series | Preserve with its surrounding request context | The important surprise is `application_number`. The dictionary describes a certificate number, despite the broader wording of the field name. Do not rename it “unique construction job ID” without separate evidence. Likewise, a filing sequence indicator does not, by its definition alone, establish a globally unique filing key. These distinctions come from the [publisher dictionary](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/api/views/pkdm-hqz6.json). Keep both the original value and any local reference you assign. A label such as “Filing A” can help a meeting, provided everyone understands its origin. It should never replace the source value or imply a city-issued identifier. The dictionary does not establish a universal deduplication key for this worksheet. Treat your grouping rule as a documented research choice. If two entries cannot be distinguished confidently, retain both and mark the relationship unresolved. ## Keep building identity separate from tax-lot context City Planning's [Geosupport building guidance](https://nycplanning.github.io/Geosupport-UPG/chapters/chapterVI/section03/) distinguishes building identification from address and tax-lot identification. A building can have several addresses, and a tax lot can contain several buildings. An address or BBL therefore cannot substitute automatically for a building identifier. DOB's [BBL explanation](https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/codes/ll97-cbl-faq.page) also confirms that a BBL can include multiple buildings. This article uses that explanation only for identifier context. It makes no determination about a building's obligations under the laws discussed on that page. For the worksheet, put the BIN in its own column. Place borough, block, and lot beside it as contextual checks. The occupancy dictionary defines borough as the work-location borough. It describes block and lot as tax identifiers for the proposed-work location. Cite the [occupancy dictionary](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/api/views/pkdm-hqz6.json) beside those labels in your source notes. A matching lot can support a review without settling which building is involved. If two candidate BINs share that lot, keep two candidate buildings. Ask the project contact which building and space the proposed work concerns. Avoid treating a visual similarity as a completed match. A copied street spelling, a familiar business name, or an adjoining block is a reason to investigate. Record the evidence needed to resolve the candidate rather than selecting whichever row makes the sheet look complete. ## Work through one synthetic building and two filings The following example is entirely synthetic. Building Cedar, Filing A, Filing B, and every request label are invented teaching references. They are not real BINs, certificate numbers, or source values. Assume the reviewer has independently confirmed that two filings concern Building Cedar. That confirmation is an explicit premise of the example. The table illustrates organization after that review, rather than claiming a method for establishing the match. | Synthetic building | Confirmed filing reference | Synthetic request reference | Research note | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Building Cedar | Filing A | Request A1 | Earlier request in the retained history | | Building Cedar | Filing A | Request A2 | Later request in the same reviewed history | | Building Cedar | Filing A | Request A3 | Another request requiring document review | | Building Cedar | Filing B | Request B1 | Separate filing confirmed by the reviewer | | Building Cedar | Filing B | Request B2 | Later request associated with Filing B | For a building research list, the example contains one confirmed building. For a reviewed filing inventory, it contains two confirmed filing references. For the retained request history, it contains five request entries. State which measure appears in the report heading. None of those counts measures locksmith demand. The example supplies no business identity, purchasing decision, current equipment description, or authorized service request. An estimator could have a legitimate research question about the building while having no evidence of relevant work. Now imagine the reviewer finds a repeated copy of Request A2 in another saved worksheet. Mark it as a possible duplicate observation. Compare the retained source context before excluding it. Two copies of evidence and two separate certificate requests are different situations. Do not use sequence alone to decide. A value appearing in two reviewed histories may belong to different series. Keep the filing context, certificate-number field, source date, and source location available for inspection. ## Label each total according to what survived review Suppose the manager asks how many projects were found. Return the count the evidence supports: one confirmed building with two reviewed filings and five retained requests. Add “commercial scope unconfirmed” until a responsible contact supplies that information. If the manager needs a project count, define project first. One building might be the unit for one research question. A particular tenant fit-out might be the unit for another. The public request entries alone do not select your company's business definition. Use an explicit status for each relationship: confirmed, candidate, or unresolved. Define confirmed as a reviewer decision supported by named evidence. Do not present these local labels as DOB statuses. Keep unresolved entries out of confirmed totals while retaining their visibility. For example, report one confirmed building and one unresolved candidate match. Combining them into two buildings would overstate the evidence. Deleting the unresolved candidate would conceal unfinished work. When someone corrects a grouping, record the reason and the evidence reviewed. Preserve the former local reference in a correction note. This lets a later estimator understand why last week's count differs without inventing another physical project. ## Treat address columns as unresolved until checked The inspected occupancy dictionary contains a caution for premises matching. Its house-number and street-name descriptions refer to the building owner's address. Its ZIP description refers to the filing representative's address. Those descriptions do not establish a consistent project-premises address across these columns. See the [published metadata](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/api/views/pkdm-hqz6.json). Do not assemble those columns into a verified job-site address. Retain the descriptions, label the address role unresolved, and seek corroborating project evidence. A plausible-looking combined address is still a research hypothesis. Prepare a short resolution note: which source values were compared, which building reference was considered, and what remains uncertain? Ask an authorized project contact to confirm the building and relevant space. Keep the response in the company's approved project record. If confirmation is unavailable, stop at the candidate stage. There is no need to fill the blank with a nearby business or an inferred tenant. A worksheet can be useful while plainly stating that the premises match remains open. ## Use a review worksheet with separate evidence columns Copy the following structure into a private research sheet. These are recommended local columns, rather than additional fields claimed to exist in the city feed. | Worksheet item | What the reviewer records | | --- | --- | | Research question | Building research, filing review, or certificate-history review | | Source and review date | Dataset identifier, dictionary location, and date checked | | Building reference | Original BIN value and local review status | | Location context | Borough, block, lot, and unresolved address-role notes | | Filing evidence | Original indicator and the basis for the filing grouping | | Certificate evidence | Original `application_number` and request sequence | | Match decision | Confirmed, candidate, or unresolved, with reviewer and reason | | Commercial scope | Confirmed description or unknown | | Next evidence | Exact document or contact confirmation still needed | Give each row a stable local reference so corrections remain traceable. Keep source values unchanged. Put cleaned display text in a separate column if needed. A corrected display label should not erase what the reviewer originally inspected. Add a summary above the sheet that names the count unit and exclusions. An example is “confirmed buildings only; unresolved candidate matches shown separately.” Include the reviewed period so the reader understands which retained evidence supports the total. Ask another staff member to reconstruct one grouping from the source notes. If they cannot explain why the five synthetic entries belong under one building, improve the notes. The goal is a decision another estimator can check. ## Separate certificate evidence from opening and service evidence DOB's [certificate guidance](https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/property-or-business-owner/certificate-of-occupancy.page) describes a CO in terms of legal use and permitted occupancy. It does not define the opening date of a particular business. Keep that distinction in the worksheet before adding a commercial interpretation. Request history needs its own time review. The companion [temporary-certificate renewal guide](/articles/nyc-temporary-occupancy-certificate-renewal-opening-evidence) explains why a later certificate event does not independently establish a new opening. Use that guide after resolving which building and filing the entries concern. A building match also supplies no authority to enter, inspect, rekey, or change access. Obtain the company's normal authorization for any service. Keep public research separate from private security details, installed hardware, credentials, and entry instructions. For a legitimate project discussion, ask which commercial scope needs estimating and who can authorize it. Ask whether the research concerns the whole building or a particular space. Leave existing lock condition unknown unless an authorized assessment establishes it. Keep the grouping decisions with the company's broader records. The [business memory guide](/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) explains how reviewed information can remain available to the next person. Here, the useful retained knowledge is the evidence behind the match, its correction history, and its unresolved questions. Scale With Search can scope a review sheet around your approved commercial research question. Bring a cleared synthetic sample and the decisions the estimator must make. [Request a written scope](/work) ## Sources and review date Primary sources were reopened October 28, 2026. The DOB NOW dictionary is dataset `pkdm-hqz6`; no numbered dictionary edition was identified. The other sources are DOB's certificate page, its BBL FAQ, and City Planning's Geosupport section VI.3. No real property rows were collected. All building, filing, and request examples are synthetic. Worksheet rules are recommendations, not publisher-defined identifiers or legal determinations. Continue the website review: [AI-native locksmiths: the first functions to build](/articles/ai-native-locksmiths-first-functions); [Commercial Locksmith Pages: Key-System Quote Requests](/articles/commercial-locksmith-key-system-quote-page); [Locksmith AI rules: data, approvals, and spend](/articles/locksmith-ai-rules-data-approvals-spend); [Car Key Locksmith Pages: Explain Coverage Before a Call](/articles/locksmith-car-key-website-coverage); [Locksmith Google Video Verification: Prepare the Proof](/articles/locksmith-google-profile-video-verification); [Locksmith Google Review Removal: Build an Evidence File](/articles/locksmith-google-review-removal-evidence); [Misleading Locksmith Map Listings: Prepare a Report](/articles/locksmith-misleading-google-maps-listing-report); [Changing a Locksmith Phone Number: Check Every Route](/articles/locksmith-phone-number-change-website-checklist); [Rekey or Replace: Clarify Your Locksmith Service Page](/articles/locksmith-rekey-replace-service-page); [Translated Locksmith Pages: Match the Language Handoff](/articles/locksmith-translated-service-pages-language-handoff); [Locksmith Website License Claims: Make Them Verifiable](/articles/locksmith-website-license-verification); [Locksmith Pricing Pages: Explain Starting Prices Clearly](/articles/locksmith-website-pricing-page); [Mobile Locksmith Google Profile: Hide or Show Address?](/articles/mobile-locksmith-google-business-profile-address); [Temporary occupancy certificates: read renewal history before calling a business newly open](/articles/nyc-temporary-occupancy-certificate-renewal-opening-evidence); [NYS pending license names: reconcile legal name, DBA, and premises before a match](/articles/nys-pending-license-legal-name-dba-premises-match); [Pending liquor license dates: keep received, first seen, and opening separate](/articles/nys-pending-liquor-license-received-first-seen-opening). [locksmiths](/for/locksmiths): website and search resources. ## Related: locksmiths - [Temporary occupancy certificates: read renewal history before calling a business newly open](/articles/nyc-temporary-occupancy-certificate-renewal-opening-evidence) - [NYS pending license names: reconcile legal name, DBA, and premises before a match](/articles/nys-pending-license-legal-name-dba-premises-match) - [Pending liquor license dates: keep received, first seen, and opening separate](/articles/nys-pending-liquor-license-received-first-seen-opening) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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