| name | nyc-bsa |
| description | Look up Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) variances and special permits for any NYC property. Use when checking whether a lot carries zoning relief — variances, special permits, appeals — that modifies its as-of-right envelope. NYC only; for base zoning controls use /zoning-analysis-nyc. |
| allowed-tools | ["WebFetch","Write","Read","Bash"] |
/nyc-bsa — BSA Variances & Special Permits
Look up Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) applications, variances, and special permits for any NYC property. Records available from 1998 to present. No API key required.
Usage
/nyc-bsa 120 Broadway, Manhattan
/nyc-bsa 1000770001 (BBL)
/nyc-bsa 1001389 (BIN)
Step 1: Parse Input
Accept one of:
- Address + Borough/Zip — "120 Broadway, Manhattan" or "120 Broadway 10271"
- BBL — 10-digit number (boro 1 + block 5 + lot 4)
- BIN — 7-digit Building Identification Number
Borough codes: Manhattan=1/MN, Bronx=2/BX, Brooklyn=3/BK, Queens=4/QN, Staten Island=5/SI
Step 2: Resolve via PLUTO
Query PLUTO to get BBL, BIN, and building metadata. No API key needed.
By BBL:
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/64uk-42ks.json?bbl={BBL}
By address:
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/64uk-42ks.json?$where=upper(address) LIKE '%{STREET}%'&borough='{BORO_CODE}'&$limit=5
Address normalization: Uppercase, strip unit/apt suffixes. Borough names to codes: Manhattan=MN, Bronx=BX, Brooklyn=BK, Queens=QN, Staten Island=SI. If multiple results, ask the user to pick. If zero, try variations or suggest providing a BBL.
Store from PLUTO: bbl, bin (or bldgbin), address, borough, bldgclass, zonedist1, yearbuilt, ownername, numfloors, lotarea, latitude, longitude.
Parse BBL into: boro (1 digit), block (5 digits zero-padded), lot (4 digits zero-padded).
Step 3: Query BSA Applications
Query by BBL first:
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/yvxd-uipr.json?$where=bbl='{BBL}'&$order=date DESC
If no results, try address fallback:
https://data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/yvxd-uipr.json?$where=upper(street_name) LIKE '%{STREET}%' AND borough='{BOROUGH}'&$order=date DESC
Key fields: application, section, status, date, street_number, street_name, bbl, borough, decisions_url, project_description
Step 4: Print Results
## BSA Variances & Special Permits — {Address}
| Application # | Section | Status | Date | Description | Decisions |
|---------------|---------|--------|------|-------------|-----------|
| {application} | {section} | {status} | YYYY-MM-DD | {project_description} | {decisions_url} |
**Note:** Approved variances remain with the land. Check if conditions affect proposed work.
Source: [BSA Applications](https://data.cityofnewyork.us/City-Government/BSA-Applications-Status/yvxd-uipr)
If no applications found: "No BSA applications found for this property (records from 1998-present)."
Conventions
- All dates: YYYY-MM-DD
- If Socrata returns empty array: "No results found"
- If HTTP error: note it and suggest checking the address
- If the user requests, write results to a file
