Every lot in the City has a zoning designation. Zoning describes what a property owner can do without getting explicit permission on a particular property. An owner that wants to do something that the zoning does not allow will have to seek a varience and will usually need to go through the Uniform Land Use Review Process. 

You can find out the zoning for a particular property on NYCommons.org (like this one) by clicking on the OASIS link on that property's page. OASIS will open in a new tab with a "Location Report" section on the right hand side of the screen. In the Location Report, look under "Property Characteristics."

You can learn more about zoning in the What is Zoning? Guidebook and Acitivity Sheet by the Center for Urban Pedagogy. 

These illustrations are from projects created by our friends at the Center for Urban Pedagogy.