Code: BIS (DOB building record system)
Description: (Building Information System) is the legacy online database of the NYC Department Of Buildings where you can look up property profiles, permits, violations, complaints, and inspections for almost any building in the city. This system is often called BIS or BISWeb and works together with DOB NOW, which handles most new filings.
Practical Meaning: For a NYC homeowner, BIS is one of the main places online where you can quickly check your building’s DOB history, including open violations, past complaints, permits, and basic property data. This helps you see what the city already knows about your property before you start work, refinance, sell, or respond to a violation.
Where You May See It: DOB website links, DOB NOW: BIS Options portal, violation and complaint instructions, title reports, bank and lawyer due‑diligence checklists, real estate research tools, RegWatch and other third‑party lookup tools.
Why It Matters: If you do not check BIS, you may miss old or active violations, complaints, or permit issues that can delay permits, closings, or refinancing. BIS also shows which records still live in the older system and which actions have moved to DOB NOW, so you know where to look and what history the city will see when it reviews your property.
Source: Buildings Information System