The city posted a proposed rule on August 21 that rewrites two things inside the Department of Buildings' electrical program at once: what you pay for an electrical permit, and how DOB compensates the registered design professionals — RDPs, the architects and engineers who self-certify certain filings — who review that work. It's open on the City Rules site now. DOB hasn't posted an effective date.

Here's why you should care even if you've never dealt with an RDP directly. Every electrical contractor working in this city eats permit fees on every job, big or small — it's in your general conditions whether you line-item it or not. Any time DOB touches that fee schedule, your number on the next bid moves, even if it's a few hundred bucks a permit times however many permits the job needs. And if the RDP-compensation side changes what a self-certifying professional gets paid to turn a filing around, that can change how fast — or how slow — your permit clears. A slower permit means a longer mobilization window, and on a tight bid that's real money sitting idle.

The rule text on rules.cityofnewyork.us is where the actual fee table lives — the notice itself doesn't summarize the dollar figures, so don't price a bid off the headline. If you run electrical work regularly, or you're an RDP who reviews self-certified filings, pull the full text now and check the comment period. DOB rulemakings this specific usually move to adoption in months, not years, so this isn't one to file away.

Source: NYC Rules, "Amendment of Rules Regarding Fees for Electrical Permits and Licensing and Compensation of Registered Design Professionals," posted Aug. 21, 2026 — https://rules.cityofnewyork.us/rule/amendment-of-rules-regarding-fees-for-electrical-permits-and-licensing-and-compensation-of-registered-design-professionals/