How does your pricing work?

We provide a fixed-price quote based on your space, materials, and scope of work. That number is locked in before we start — no change orders, no escalations. What we quote is what you pay.

How long does a typical renovation take?

Kitchen renovations typically run 3–5 weeks. Bathrooms are 1–2 weeks. Full apartment gut renovations range from 8–16 weeks depending on scope. We build a detailed timeline before signing and stick to it.

What does locked-in pricing actually mean?

It means your final invoice matches your signed quote, to the dollar. If we encounter unexpected conditions in the walls or floors, that is our problem to solve, not a reason to charge you more.

Do I need to hire a separate designer?

No. We work with dedicated design specialists who guide you through the entire process, from material selection to final layout. You will know exactly what your finished space looks like before a single tool is picked up.

Are you licensed and insured in New York?

Yes. Euro Restoration is fully licensed and insured in New York State, New York City, and New Jersey. We carry full general liability and workers' compensation coverage on every job.

What neighborhoods do you serve?

We work across Manhattan: Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Tribeca, SoHo, West Village, Chelsea, Midtown, Flatiron, and more. We are also fully licensed in New Jersey and serve Jersey City and Hoboken.

Do you serve New Jersey?

Yes. Euro Restoration holds a full contractor's license in New Jersey. We regularly work in Jersey City and Hoboken for apartment and condo renovations. The same standards, the same team.

Do You Need a Permit to Renovate an Apartment in NYC?

You need a permit to renovate an apartment in NYC for most kitchen and bathroom renovations, any work that moves walls, gas lines or plumbing beyond narrow limits, and almost all electrical wiring. Painting, plastering, new cabinets, resurfacing floors and replacing plumbing fixtures in place do not need a Department of Buildings permit. Your co-op or condo board can still require approval, and sometimes a permit, for work the city does not.

The short answer by type of work

Work	DOB permit?	Who does it or files
Painting, plastering	No	Licensed home improvement contractor
New cabinets, resurfacing floors	No	Licensed home improvement contractor (DCWP license)
Replacing a toilet, sink or faucet in the same spot	No permit; licensed master plumber records it	Licensed master plumber
Moving up to two fixtures within the same room, up to 10 feet	No permit; filed as ordinary plumbing work on form OP128	Licensed master plumber
Replacing a gas range or dryer where the shutoff valve stays	No permit; filed as ordinary plumbing work	Licensed master plumber
New or rerouted gas piping	Yes	Licensed master plumber, often with an RA or PE
Most kitchen and bathroom renovations	Yes, Alteration filing	Registered architect (RA) or professional engineer (PE)
Adding a bathroom	Yes	RA or PE
Removing or moving a load bearing wall	Yes	RA or PE
New circuits, outlets, rewiring	Yes, electrical permit	DOB licensed electrical contractor
Changing use, egress or occupancy, combining apartments	Yes, Alteration-CO filing in most cases	RA or PE
Any DOB permit work in a landmark building	LPC permit first	RA or PE files with LPC

The rest of this post explains each line and where the rule comes from.

What does not need a permit

DOB's own guidance lists minor alterations that are exempt from permits: painting, plastering, installing new cabinets, plumbing fixture replacement, resurfacing floors and nonstructural roof repair. The legal basis is the minor alterations and ordinary repairs section of the NYC Administrative Code, §28-105.4.2.

Two things to know about "no permit":

The contractor still needs a license. DOB notes that contractors installing cabinets or resurfacing floors must hold a Home Improvement Contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
Your building still has rules. A board can require an alteration agreement for a cosmetic job. See our guide to the co-op alteration agreement in NYC.

Kitchens and bathrooms: usually an Alteration filing

DOB states it plainly: "Most kitchen and bathroom renovations require an ALT2 permit application, which must be filed by a PE or RA." Its examples include adding a bathroom, rerouting gas pipes while adding electrical outlets, and moving a load bearing wall.

How filings work in DOB NOW

Filings for this kind of work now go through DOB NOW: Build, the city's online system. The old job type names still appear in DOB guidance, but DOB NOW uses new ones:

Alteration covers what used to be called ALT2 and ALT3: renovation work that does not change the building's use, egress or occupancy. This is where most apartment renovations land.
Alteration-CO covers what used to be ALT1: work that changes the certificate of occupancy, such as changing the number of units. Combining two apartments often lands here, but it depends on the building and the scope.
Limited Alteration Application (LAA) covers certain limited plumbing, sprinkler and standpipe work.

Your architect or engineer decides which filing fits your job. The answers given when the job is first created in DOB NOW set the job type, and DOB says it cannot be changed after the first save.

Plumbing: what changed in 2026

Plumbing work has its own category called ordinary plumbing work. A licensed master plumber can do it without a permit by recording it with DOB on form OP128. As of February 22, 2026, Local Law 142 of 2025 amended the rule (§28-105.4.4), and DOB published an industry notice on April 2, 2026 listing the current scope. The items that matter most in an apartment:

Relocating up to two plumbing fixtures within the same room, to a maximum of 10 feet from the original location
Repairing or replacing branch piping that is not gas or sprinkler piping, past the riser shutoff valve, including replacing fixtures
Repairing or replacing piping that is not gas or sprinkler piping, up to 25 feet long, inside a building
Installing or replacing a food waste disposer
Replacing an appliance connector or the appliance itself for a gas range, oven, stove or clothes dryer, as long as the existing shutoff valve stays and is accessible and in good condition

The same notice lists limits. Each monthly report can cover up to 20 jobs, with no more than two bathrooms and one kitchen per building per monthly report. Gas, sprinkler and standpipe work cannot go on an ordinary plumbing report. DOB lists the OP128 fee as $130.

Anything beyond that, including new gas piping, moving fixtures to another room, or a full bathroom relocation, needs a plumbing permit. Gas work in NYC is done by a licensed master plumber. Check the current DOB notice before you rely on these limits, since this rule just changed.

Electrical: almost always a permit

DOB says an electrical permit is required for most electrical work, and the work must be done by an electrical contractor licensed by DOB. Electrical filings are submitted in DOB NOW: Build. The permit has to be posted at the job site, and the work is inspected before the job is signed off.

In a kitchen renovation, new appliance circuits, added outlets and moved lighting all count. Many co-ops and condos also ask for a load letter showing the apartment's electrical service can handle what you are adding, especially induction cooktops and new laundry. If the building has to upgrade the service, that is a building job and it will set your schedule. Our kitchen renovation clients usually hit this question first.

Landmark buildings and historic districts

If your building is an individual landmark or sits in a historic district, the Landmarks Preservation Commission gets involved. LPC says interior work needs an LPC permit when:

the interior work requires a DOB permit
the interior work affects the exterior, such as HVAC louvers and vents
the work affects a designated interior landmark space

For a typical interior apartment renovation that changes nothing outside, the permit is usually a Certificate of No Effect, issued at staff level. LPC offers an expedited version for interior only work. LPC's expedited application form limits it to work above the second story or in the cellar, with no change to exterior walls, windows or the roof, and no dropped ceiling or partition closer than one foot from window sills or frames. Window replacement always needs an LPC permit, even when DOB does not require one.

Much of Manhattan, including large parts of the Upper East Side, the Upper West Side, SoHo, Tribeca and the West Village, sits in historic districts. Check your address on LPC's map before you schedule anything.

What happens if you skip the permit

DOB warns that unpermitted work can bring violations, and that a Class 1 violation can carry a $25,000 fine plus penalties and interest. The work then has to be legalized or removed, which means filing permits after the fact. In some cases owners end up in Criminal Court. Unpermitted work also tends to surface when you sell, because buyers' attorneys and boards look at DOB records.

Checklist before you start

Write a scope: what moves, what stays, what gets replaced in place.
Get your building's alteration agreement and house rules.
Check LPC's map for your address.
If anything moves beyond the limits above, hire an RA or PE to file.
Confirm your plumber holds a NYC master plumber license and your electrician a DOB electrical license.
Confirm your general contractor holds a DCWP home improvement license.
Do not start work until the board approves and permits are issued and posted.

Our approach

We have worked in Manhattan for more than 25 years and are licensed and insured in New York and New Jersey. On a full apartment renovation, we coordinate the filings with your architect or engineer and licensed trades, and our pricing is fixed and locked in, so the final invoice matches the signed quote.

Talk to us

Tell us what you want to change and we will tell you which parts need a permit. Get your estimate or call (973) 723-4242.