How to Find an FDNY Letter of Approval for Any NYC Property

What a Letter of Approval Actually Is

An FDNY Letter of Approval (LOA) is the document the Fire Department issues when a fire protection system — most commonly a fire alarm system — has been inspected and approved by the Fire Alarm Inspection Unit. It's the end of the filing chain that starts with a TM-1 plan application, runs through the A-433 inspection package, and closes with the inspection requested on a B-45.

In other words: the LOA is the proof that the system on the wall matches plans the FDNY reviewed and an inspection the FDNY passed. That's why so many different people come asking for it.

Who Asks for It — and Why

• Owners and managing agents during a sale, refinancing, or insurance review — the LOA is standard due-diligence material.
• Fire alarm companies taking over an account — before you put your S-97 holder's name on a system, you want to know what was actually approved.
• Contractors planning modifications — what you can file as an alteration versus a new system depends on the approved baseline.
• Attorneys and expeditors clearing violations — establishing that a system was approved (and when) is often the crux of the case.

Step 1: Check the Building's Own Records First

The original LOA was issued to the applicant and building owner. A well-run building has it in the fire safety files, often alongside the approved plans and inspection paperwork. Ask the managing agent for the fire alarm folder, not just "the letter" — the approved plans and prior applications that travel with it are just as valuable for whatever you're doing next.

In practice, this works less often than it should. Buildings change hands, management companies change, and paper files stop being complete somewhere around the second ownership transfer. When the building can't produce it, you go to the records.

Step 2: Pull the BIN and the DOB Job History

Every FDNY and DOB record for a building hangs off two identifiers: the Building Identification Number (BIN) and the block/lot. Before you request anything from an agency, get these right — a records request with the wrong BIN comes back empty, and corner properties and campuses often carry multiple BINs.

With the BIN in hand, the building's DOB job history tells you when work was filed on the property. Prior fire alarm filings give you approximate dates and reference numbers — exactly the specifics that turn a vague records request into one that can actually be fulfilled.

Step 3: Request the Record from the FDNY

When the building can't produce the LOA, request it from the source:

• FDNY Business support. The Bureau of Fire Prevention handles fire alarm records; inquiries about an existing approval go through the FDNY Business portal and its support channels.
• A FOIL request. For older records, a Freedom of Information Law request through NYC OpenRecords addressed to the FDNY is the formal route.

Either way, include: the exact address as DOB records show it, the BIN, the block/lot, and the approximate date range of the fire alarm work from the job history. Requests with those specifics get processed; requests that say "whatever you have on 123 Main Street" go to the back of the pile.

What If No Letter of Approval Exists?

Sometimes the search comes back empty because there's nothing to find: the system was installed, extended, or replaced without completing the FDNY approval process. It happens more than anyone likes to admit — especially on systems that have been touched by several vendors over the decades.

At that point the conversation changes from "find the document" to "legalize the system." The path is the standard filing chain: a TM-1 with plans reflecting the system as it needs to be, the A-433 package with as-built documentation, and a B-45 inspection request once the system is defect-free. For the owner it's an unwelcome surprise; for a fire alarm contractor it's the project that often follows the records search.