BIN (Building Identification Number)

The full definition

A seven-digit Department of Buildings number identifying one building. A single tax lot holding a main house and a rear structure carries a separate BIN for each of them.

Also called: Building Identification Number.

Which related terms should you know?

These are the terms that come up alongside bin (building identification number) in the same file.

BBL (Borough-Block-Lot)

The tax lot identifier for a parcel of New York City real property, written as borough, block and lot. Nearly every City record system keys on it rather than on an address.

Open permit

A DOB permit filed for work that was never signed off. Closing it usually means a licensed professional filing for inspection or formally withdrawing the job.

Violation (cited against the premises)

An agency record that a condition at a property does not comply with a code or rule. It attaches to the premises and follows the property through a sale.

Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)

The Department of Buildings document that fixes a building's legal use and occupancy. Lenders and title companies read it to confirm the property can lawfully be used the way it is sold.

Municipal search

The record search covering agency violations, municipal arrears and occupancy documents for a property. It runs alongside the land records search rather than inside it.

What else should you read before closing?