No More Paper Pushing at the Department of Buildings

Any New Yorker who has had dealings with the Department of Buildings bureaucracy knows that the experience is about as much fun as trying to get through to the Kremlin. That, at long last, may be changing.

The DOB is rolling out a new $29.6 million computer system this summer that will replace an antiquated mainframe that still relies on paper to process all construction permits, safety inspections and complaints, Crain’s reports.

The new system, known as DOB Now, will streamline and digitize nearly every filing. It will replace the paper-dependent Building Information System, which has been in use since 1989 and has been upgraded erratically over the years. Five years ago, for instance, we reported on the addition of QR (Quick Response) Codes. Prior to 1989, the DOB kept track of work on 3-by-5 index cards.

“This will address the ever-present myth that anything having to go through a regulatory process will be a nightmare,” promises DOB Commissioner Rick Chandler.

Time will tell. The rollout of DOB Now is scheduled to begin in late July, and the clumsy, outdated and unloved Building Information System will be laid to permanent rest by 2018. Few people are expected to shed tears at the graveside.