July 1st marks the beginning of a new era for The New York City Zoning Resolution (ZR), which will be undergoing a Use Group overhaul. Make sure to read up on the changes before filing any applications—it’s easy to get confused!

These changes are just a small component of the “City of Yes for Economic Opportunity” proposal, the second installment of Mayor Adam’s plan to modernize zoning. Check out the recent “Decoding City of Yes” series at Decoder for more information about the transformative new regulations.

Breaking Down the New Zoning Use Groups

While the old system organized Use Groups from the numbers 1 to 18, the new ZR will use the Roman numerals I through X for categorization. Subcategories must also be entered in Roman numerals, when applicable.

The following applications must begin using the new Zoning Use Group designations for the floors within the scope of work:

• New Buildings (NB);
• Alterations that impact the Certificate of Occupancy (Alt-CO), involving:
• Building Schedule of Occupancy (BSO), or;
• Job Schedule of Occupancy (JSO)

The new numbering system affects applications for any new job filing, or for certain applications which were not approved by July 1. This means that, if your application was still pending as of 7/1/24, you must revise all the zoning data in the application documents to reflect the new Use Group designations and Uses.

Applications approved prior to 7/1/24 that also have not received a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO), may receive a Final CO with the old zoning Use Group system after applying for/renewing a TCO. You may notice the following note on the TCO or Final CO under Borough Comments:

Use Groups (UG) indicated by numerals 1 through 18 reflect Zoning Resolution Use Group Designations since 1961 but prior to June 6, 2024, the effective date of Zoning Text Amendment. UG in Roman numerals I-X reflect Zoning Resolution Use Group Designations on or after June 6, 2024, the effective date of Zoning Text Amendment.

Post Approval Amendments (PAA) filed after 7/1/24 may use the outdated Use Group designations on the initial (I-1) filing. However, to maintain consistency as we ease into the new categories, the DOB is urging applicants to update to the new zoning system as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The DOB has released a translation guide for those struggling to identify the correct Use Groups under the new numbering system. If you are looking for a specific Use Group, this could be an incredibly helpful resource.

Zoning changes can be tricky to navigate, but the experts at Outsource Consultants, Inc. are happy to offer guidance. Please feel free to reach out — we’d love to help you address any of your zoning or building code-related concerns.

Resources

• Changes to Zoning Use Groups
• Translation by Previous Use Group