Under local law, if a residential building owner wants to:
- Change the use or occupancy of a building or
- Demolish it or any of its parts
They must apply for and receive a Certification of No Harassment (CONH) from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
An owner must have a CONH before applying to the Department of Buildings (DOB) for a permit for any residential building that is:
- A single room occupancy multiple dwelling (SRO)
- A multiple dwelling or interim multiple dwelling located in one of the following areas:
- The Special Clinton District
- The Special Hudson Yards District
- Preservation Area P-2 of the Special Garment Center District
- The Greenpoint-Williamsburg anti-harassment area
- The Special West Chelsea District
- A multiple dwelling on the CONH Pilot Program Building List
The CONH process makes sure alteration or demolition projects don't:
- Harass lawful occupants into leaving or
- Deprive lawful occupants of their rights
HPD will investigate if harassment happened during the inquiry period.
If HPD finds that harassment occurred, they begin a case at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings(OATH).
Based on the OATH case, HPD will then decide whether to issue the CONH.
Under the law, a denial of the CONH prevents an owner from getting any alteration or demolition permits for the building for a period of years.
Applications may be submitted to HPD online or with a paper application.
Learn more about Certification of No Harassment or Exemption and their applications.
