Closings glossary
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 is a municipal search?
Quick Answer
The full definition
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.
Which related terms should you know?
These are the terms that come up alongside municipal search in the same file.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Tax search
- The search reporting property tax status, water and sewer balances and municipal charges. Its results drive the tax adjustments shown on the closing statement.
- 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.
Where does municipal search come up in a New York City closing?
A Bronx municipal search returns two HPD violations, an emergency repair charge and an open DOB permit, none of which appeared in the land records.
What else should you read before closing?
Questions this raises
- What happens if the title search finds a problem before closing?Schedule B-I requirements are the punch list, not a dead deal. How New York closings clear old liens, missing satisfactions and name hits before th...
- How long does a title search take?Three to five business days for a clean NYC house or condo, longer for co-ops, estates and multi-parcel files. What slows a New York title search d...
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