Closings glossary
Letter of No Objection
A DOB letter confirming the lawful use of a building constructed before Certificates of Occupancy were required. It stands in for a C of O on many older buildings.
What is a Letter of No Objection?
Quick Answer
The full definition
A DOB letter confirming the lawful use of a building constructed before Certificates of Occupancy were required. It stands in for a C of O on many older buildings.
Also called: LNO.
Which related terms should you know?
These are the terms that come up alongside letter of no objection in the same file.
- 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.
- TCO (Temporary Certificate of Occupancy)
- A Certificate of Occupancy issued for a limited period while construction is completed. Renewals are routine, but a lapse stops closings until the new one is issued.
- 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.
- 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.
- BIN (Building Identification Number)
- 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.
Where does letter of no objection come up in a New York City closing?
A 1910 Brooklyn rowhouse has no C of O, and the Letter of No Objection confirming three legal units is what allows the buyer's lender to close.
What else should you read before closing?
Building types
- Condo in a converted buildingA condominium created by converting an existing rental building, where non-purchasing tenants, the reserve fund and building-wide conditions carry ...
- Townhouse and 1-4 family condo declarationA small building divided into condominium units, where outdoor space, party walls, multiple-dwelling registration and the certificate of occupancy ...
Zoning and land use
- Buildings with no certificate of occupancyOlder New York City buildings can lawfully have no certificate of occupancy. A letter of no objection is how the City confirms the lawful use instead.
- Legal non-conforming use and grandfatheringA use lawful when it started can continue after the zoning changes, but the protection is narrow and it can be lost. Here is what it covers and how...
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Legal Disclaimer: This page is general information about New York practice. It is not legal advice, it does not account for the terms of any particular contract, building or transaction, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. This is attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.