- Approval
- NYC DOB must approve the plans before a work permit is issued
- Who files
- A New York State licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect
- Filed through
- DOB NOW: Build
- Also required
- Sidewalk and curb permits from NYC DOT; construction to DOT specifications
- Curb drop
- Curb is dropped to a height of 1.5"; adjacent reveal must match neighbouring lots
- Drainage details
- Required where the driveway and parking space exceeds 200 sq ft
A curb cut is a filing before it is a construction job
NYC DOB describes a curb cut as a dip in the sidewalk and curb that enables a vehicle to drive to a driveway, garage, parking lot, loading dock or drive-through. That description makes it sound like concrete work. The approval process tells you what it really is: a permanent alteration to the public right of way that changes how vehicles cross a pedestrian route.
Before anything is built, DOB must approve the proposed plans to confirm the design meets safety and zoning requirements, and only then issue a work permit. The application must be submitted by a New York State licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect through DOB NOW: Build. Sidewalk and curb permits from DOT are required as well, and the curb cut must be installed according to DOT's specifications.
There is no version of this work that a concrete crew can lawfully carry out on its own. An unpermitted curb cut is unauthorised work in the right of way, and it is attached to your property, not to the contractor who poured it.
Where a curb cut cannot go
Location is decided before design. Curb cuts must not be located in bus stop zones, or close to fire hydrants, trees, utility poles or parking signs. Width is separately restricted, and the permitted width depends on the zoning district and the street frontage, which is one of the first things a filing has to establish.
On a Bronx residential block, the constraint that most often decides the answer is the street tree. A mature tree sitting where the crossing wants to go is not something that can be worked around informally: street trees are City property and cannot be removed or have roots cut without NYC Parks authorisation.
The technical detail that surprises people
The curb is dropped to a height of 1.5 inches at the cut. It is not taken flush to the roadway. The remaining adjacent curb reveal, the height difference between the curb cut and the street, has to match the existing or new curb reveals of the adjacent lots, so the streetline reads continuously rather than stepping property to property.
Cross sections of the curb, apron and sidewalk based on DOT design standards have to be documented as part of the filing. So does storm water drainage for the paved driveway area where the proposed driveway and parking space exceeds 200 square feet.
How the project actually sequences
- FeasibilityZoning district, permitted width, frontage, and physical obstructions: hydrants, trees, poles, signage, bus stops. This determines whether a cut is possible at all before you spend on design.
- Design and filingA licensed PE or RA prepares and files the application through DOB NOW: Build, including the required cross sections and, where applicable, drainage details.
- DOB plan approvalThe Department reviews for safety and zoning compliance and issues the work permit.
- DOT permitsSidewalk and curb permits obtained for the right-of-way work.
- Construction to DOT specificationCurb dropped to 1.5", reveal matched to adjoining lots, apron built at the 7-inch driveway section on a proper base, slope set so the crossing drains to the curb.
- Sign-offInspections completed and the permit record closed out.
An honest word on timing
The pour is the short part. The filing, plan examination and permit issuance sit ahead of it and run on DOB and DOT review times, not on ours. We will tell you where your filing sits and what it is waiting on, but we will not quote you an approval date we do not control, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does.
