The NYC Zoning Resolution has Use Groups to categorize buildings based on their use. NYC Zoning Use Group 6 consists of Commercial uses such as Personal Services, Restaurants, Offices, and Retail.
Commercial Zoning NYC Use Group 6
Certificate Of Occupancy for Use Group 6
Use Groups are listed on the Certificate Of Occupancy for a space. Use Group 6 has six categories. A Certificate Of Occupancy or CO for Use Group 6 would identify the use of spaces as:
- 6A
- 6B
- 6C
- 6D
- 6E
- 6F
Use Group 6A Convenience Retail and Services
- Bakeries with a maximum of 750 square feet for production floor area.
- Barber Shop
- Beauty Parlor / Salons
- Drug Store / Pharmacy
- Dry Cleaners for consumers with a max floor area of 2,000 sq ft.
- Self Service Laundry (Laundromats)
- Eating and Drinking Establishments
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Coffee Shops
- With or Without Outdoor Seating
- With or without drive through
- Food Stores
- Grocery Stores, supermarkets, delicatessens, meat markets, etc..
- Hardware store
- Liquor Store
- Post Office
- Shoe Repair
- Stationary Store
- Tailor & Dressmaking
- Variety Stores up to 10,000 square feet.
Use Group 6B
Use Group 6B consists of offices:
- Business Offices
- Professional Services
- Accountant, Lawyer, Architect Office like mine, etc…
- Government Offices
- Veterinary Medicine
- Ambulatory Medical Offices not under Use Group 4
Use Group 6C
Use Group 6C is for services and Retail Stores:
- Antique Stores
- Commercial Art galleries (Art Galleries not classified under Use Group 3)
- Artists’ supply stores
- Automobile supply stores, (supply only no repair shops)
- Banks (including drive through)
- Bicycle Shops
- Book Stores
- Candy and Ice Cream Shops
- Flooring Stores up to 10,000 square feet
- Cigar Shops, Tobacco Shops, and Vape Shops
- Clothing Stores, up to 10,000 square feet
- Docks
- Ferry Docks (with restrictions)
- Water Taxis (with restrictions)
- Dry Goods up to 10,000 square feet
- Fabric Stores up to 10,000 square feet
- Eating and Drinking establishments with Entertainment (no dancing) up to 200 people capacity
- Electrolysis studios
- Fishing equipment rental or sales
- Flower Shops
- Frozen Food Lockers
- Furniture Stores up to 10,000 square feet
- Furrier Shops
- Gift Shops
- Interior Decorating Establishments with up to 750 square feet for processing, servicing, or repairs
- Jewelry Stores
- Art Metal Craft Shops
- Leather or Luggage Stores
- Loan Office
- Locksmith
- Medical or orthopedic appliance stores
- Music Store
- Newsstands
- Optician or optometrist
- Paint stores
- Pet shops
- Photography equipment or supply stores
- Picture Frame Shops
- Record stores
- Gardening supply stores
- Household Sewing machine stores
- Shoe Stores
- Sporting Goods Athletic Stores
- Stamp or Coin Stores
- Telegraph offices
- Household Appliances: Television, radio, phonograph up to 10,000 square feet
- Toy stores
- Travel Agents
- Wallpaper stores
- Watch or clock stores or repair shops
Use Group 6D
Use Group 6D contains public services:
- Court Houses
- Electric or Gas substations not more than 10,000 square feet
- Utility Stations for metering oil or gas
- Fire and Police Stations
- Solar Energy Systems
- Communication Equipment Structures (with restrictions)
- Terminal Facilities at rivers for electric, gas, or steam
- Water or sewage pumping stations
Use Group 6E
Use group 6E contains Clubs that do not fall in other Use Groups.
Use Group 6F
Use Group 6F contains Accessory Uses to other Use Group 6 uses.
Where Can You Build Use Group 6 Commercial uses in NYC?
Residential Zoning Districts
You cannot develop commercial uses in residential zoning districts unless there is a commercial overlay.
Commercial Overlays
A Commercial Overlay is a commercial zone mapped within Residential Zoning Districts to allow for Commercial Use and or Residential.
Commercial Zoning Districts
You can develop Retail in most commercial districts in NYC including their respective subdistricts and contextual districts.
- C1 Local Retail
- C2 Local Service
- C4 General Commercial
- C5 Restricted Central Commercial
- C6 General Central Commercial
- C8 General Service
Manufacturing Zoning Districts
Manufacturing Zones allow for Use Group 6 commercial uses
Letter Of No Objection for Use Group 6
A Letter of No Objection or Letter of Verification is a document we can apply for with the NYC Department Of Buildings (DOB) to verify an existing use of a building or determine if a change in use will require a new Certificate of Occupancy. Use Group 6 is the most common Use Group I have noticed from people who request LNOs in my office. One example would be converting retail to a restaurant in many cases may not require a new Certificate of Occupancy.
NYC Commercial Zoning Use Group 6
As an architect I study Zoning Codes closely, but these are complicated and quite involved issues. In this article we reviewed some of the basic concepts with regards to the NYC Zoning Retail Use Group 6 for Commercial establishments. This post does not assume to cover every possible issue or condition, but provide a general overview of the topic.
Thank you for reading our blog post on Commercial Use Group 6 in the NYC Zoning Code.
I hope this was helpful. Please leave questions and comments below. If you would like to speak with an architect you can Contact Fontan Architecture directly.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
