NYC FAR Analysis

Determine How Much Floor Area May Be Permitted

Floor Area Ratio determines how much zoning floor area may be permitted on a zoning lot.

ZoningNYC calculates the property’s potential floor area and compares it against available information concerning the existing building.

The analysis helps determine whether the property may contain unused development capacity or whether the existing building may already meet or exceed current zoning limits.

What Is FAR Analysis?

FAR analysis compares the zoning lot area against the permitted Floor Area Ratio.

The basic calculation may appear simple, but the usable result may depend on:

• Zoning district
• Property use
• Community facility allowances
• Zoning-lot boundaries
• Floor-area exclusions
• Existing development
• Special-district rules
• Inclusionary or affordable-housing provisions
• Quality Housing regulations
• Prior zoning-lot declarations
• Development-right transfers

What Is Included?

Our service may include:

• Zoning-lot area review
• Applicable FAR identification
• Residential FAR analysis
• Commercial FAR analysis
• Community-facility FAR analysis
• Existing building-area review
• Available zoning-floor-area calculation
• Preliminary unused FAR calculation
• Identification of apparent overbuilt conditions
• Review of floor-area deductions or exclusions
• Zoning-lot declaration screening
• Development-right limitation review
• Written calculation summary
• Risk and assumption notes

Why Is This Service Important?

Tax-lot area and zoning-lot area are not always the same. Building gross area and zoning floor area are also not interchangeable.

Using incorrect assumptions can materially overstate or understate development capacity and distort a property’s value.

Our Service Is Designed For:

• Developers
• Property owners
• Investors
• Brokers
• Real estate attorneys
• Lenders
• Architects
• Buyers
• Sellers
• Owners considering enlargements
• Air-rights purchasers
• Acquisition teams

Why Choose ZoningNYC?

ZoningNYC does not calculate FAR as a stand-alone multiplication exercise.

We review the zoning lot, applicable uses, available property records, existing building, and apparent legal conditions that may affect whether the calculated floor area can actually be used.