FDNY approved ARCS companies are the businesses on the Fire Department’s current list for in-building Auxiliary Radio Communication System work. If you are an owner, facilities manager or GC hiring a New York DAS installer for a building that needs FDNY radio coverage, that list is the first filter, not the last. The approval belongs to the company; installation, testing and design each carry separate personal credentials that should appear by name in the proposal.
This guide is the hiring companion to our FDNY ARCS requirements guide, which covers which buildings need a system and how the code references changed. Here the focus is narrower: what FDNY approval actually certifies, how to read the official list, which person must hold which credential, and how to compare two ARCS proposals line by line. Official sources were checked October 6, 2026.
What “FDNY approved” covers, and what it does not
FDNY’s company-approval page describes a letter of approval valid for one year. To be approved, the company’s principal must hold a valid B-03 Certificate of Fitness, and the company must keep its insurance records current to stay on the list. Renewal requires a new application with supporting documents, and FDNY recommends filing at least four weeks before the approval expires. FDNY ARCS company approval.
The company application form adds detail a buyer can use. At least one principal must hold both the B-03 certificate and an FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License, and the form asks for at least three years of ARCS or related in-building radio experience. The company lists every employee who will install or test, with a minimum of one B-03 holder. Insurance must be at least a $500,000 policy naming FDNY as additional insured, from an insurer rated A- or better by A.M. Best, and the form states that termination or expiration of that policy automatically ends the approval. Companies based outside the city must name an agent within the five boroughs to receive legal papers. FDNY company application.
What approval does not do: it does not approve your building’s design, replace the master electrician the Fire Code requires for installation, or pre-accept your commissioning test. Each of those is a separate record tied to your project.
How to read the FDNY approved-company list
The approved-company PDF is linked from the FDNY page above. The edition dated October 1, 2026 lists 19 companies. Each entry shows an application number, the company’s address and phone, the principal’s name, an approval expiration date and an insurance expiration date. FDNY approved list, October 1, 2026.
Use those fields actively:
- Match the legal name. The name on the proposal, contract and insurance certificate should match the list entry, not a trade name or a parent brand.
- Compare dates with your schedule. If the approval or insurance date falls before your expected commissioning or acceptance date, ask how renewal will be handled and make continued approval a contract condition.
- Check the principal. The list names the principal; ask whether that person or another B-03 holder employed by the company will supervise your testing.
- Download a fresh copy. The PDF is dated. Save the edition you checked with your procurement file and recheck it before award.
FDNY also publishes a Disciplined Companies and COF Holders list, which has its own section for ARC companies and records warnings, probation and suspensions. Search it for the bidder’s name and the names of its certificate holders. FDNY disciplined list.
Match each credential to a named person
An ARCS project has four credentialed roles. A single firm may fill more than one, but the proposal should say who fills each.
| Role | Credential | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Design professional | New York State licensed Professional Engineer or Registered Architect who certifies the design plans | NYC Business ARCS application |
| Installer | Master electrician licensed by NYC DOB | FC 510.2.1 |
| Commissioning tester | B-03 Certificate of Fitness holder employed by a company holding an FDNY company certificate; FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License | FC 510.2.2.1; 3 RCNY 510-01(d)(3)(C) and (d)(6) |
| Owner | Signs the agreement for use of Fire Department radio frequencies; designates an impairment coordinator | 3 RCNY 510-01(d)(4) and (h)(1) |
The Fire Code text is in FC 510; the rule text is in 3 RCNY 510-01. FDNY’s B-03 study material adds that the certificate is issued only through an alternative issuance procedure based on education and experience, and that the holder must be employed by an FDNY approved ARC company. B-03 study material.
To check the people behind those roles:
- Master electrician: use the Licensee tool on DOB’s public portal, which searches by name, business name or license number. DOB’s Know Your Construction Professional directory adds disciplinary and voluntary-surrender records. DOB public portal FAQs and Know Your Construction Professional.
- Engineer or architect: DOB points to New York State’s online license verification for state-issued licenses.
- B-03 holder: ask for a copy of the certificate. The commissioning report you eventually file must include it anyway.
DOB also recommends that a written contract with a tradesperson include the company name, a New York City address and the license numbers. Apply that to the electrical subcontractor if the ARCS company is not the electrical contractor.
The approval path, step by step
Knowing the sequence tells you where a schedule can slip and which firm is responsible at each point.
- Design filing. The owner, a contractor or a licensed professional files the application on FDNY Business with the TM-1 form, the Certificate of Occupancy or Schedule A, the notarized owner agreement and sealed ARCS drawings with a riser diagram and floor plans. The plan-examination fee listed by NYC Business is $585 ($420 plan review plus $165 documentation processing).
- Plan review. FDNY answers with a Letter of Deficiency or a Letter of Acceptance. A deficiency must be answered within 180 days; an application left unanswered for six months is treated as abandoned and may need new fees.
- Project Authorization. Work starts only after FDNY grants Project Authorization, which is requested separately on FDNY Business.
- Installation. The system is built to the approved documents by the master electrician. The rules allow system RF cabling to be shared with other in-building radio systems if sharing does not impair the ARCS; other components stay dedicated.
- Commissioning test and report. The B-03 holder runs the coverage survey and component tests, and the testing company files the report. NYC Business lists a $420 fee for a new, amended or recertification report. After a Letter of Acceptance, the owner contacts FDNY’s Fire Alarm Inspection Unit to schedule inspection.
- Acceptance test and permit. The B-03 holder who ran commissioning must attend. FDNY performs a limited readiness test rather than a second commissioning test, then issues the permit to maintain and operate the system.
Sources for steps 1 to 3 and 5: ARCS application and commissioning report. Steps 4 and 6 follow 3 RCNY 510-01(d)(3) and (d)(7). Any later change to the system requires a new FDNY application.
What drives the price of an ARCS job
We did not find an official source for ARCS installation prices, so this guide does not quote a per-square-foot figure. The rules do show where cost accumulates, which helps you compare bids:
- Test grid count. Each grid on the commissioning floor plans may be no larger than 5 percent of a floor’s testable area and no more than 1,600 square feet. Large floor plates mean more measurement points, audio recordings and report pages.
- Coverage targets. Critical areas, including sprinkler control valves and standpipe hose connections, must reach 100 percent coverage; general areas must reach 95 percent.
- Failure handling. A floor that fails is retested on a grid at least 50 percent smaller, and a failed commissioning test leads to redesign of the failed floors. Ask each bidder what its price includes if that happens.
- Building conditions. Riser access, equipment-room space, occupied work windows and below-grade areas affect labor.
- Recurring obligations. Daily console checks, annual certification and a five-year recertification conducted within a continuous 72-hour window and compared with the original commissioning results.
- Filing fees. NYC Business lists the same $585 fee for an amended application, and an abandoned filing may need new fees.
Coverage, grid and recertification requirements: 3 RCNY 510-01(f) and (g).
Questions to ask every ARCS bidder
- Which entity is the FDNY approved ARCS company, and what are its current approval and insurance expiration dates on the FDNY list?
- Who is the licensed master electrician performing installation, and what is the license number?
- Which B-03 holder will supervise commissioning and attend the acceptance test? Is that person employed by the approved company?
- Who is the registered design professional, and does the price include drawings, filing and responses to a Letter of Deficiency?
- What test equipment will be used, and when was the spectrum analyzer last calibrated? The commissioning report must state both.
- Will the proposal include equipment part numbers and NRTL listing details? The commissioning report requires them.
- What happens to price and schedule if a floor fails commissioning?
- Is the annual certification or five-year recertification quoted, and who keeps the system records?
- Does the scope include cellular DAS, or only the FDNY radio system?
ARCS versus a cellular DAS installer
A firm that markets itself as a New York DAS installer may focus mainly on carrier cellular coverage. That work can share pathways with an ARCS project, but the approval tracks are different, and a cellular walk test says nothing about FDNY acceptance. If your building needs both, ask for two scopes and two acceptance plans on one schedule. Our DAS system explainer covers the cellular side, and the NYC DAS installation page describes how we scope both for buildings in the five boroughs.
Frequently asked questions
Is Low Voltage New York an FDNY approved ARCS company?
No. Low Voltage New York is a statewide network of licensed, insured partner contractors: we scope the project and match it with the right crew. For ARCS work, verify the proposed company against the current FDNY list and check each person’s credentials as described above.
How long does FDNY ARCS approval take?
FDNY does not publish a standard review time. The schedule depends on how complete the filing is, whether a Letter of Deficiency is issued, building access during installation, the commissioning result and acceptance-test scheduling. Ask bidders to list the approvals their completion date assumes.
Does FDNY approval transfer if the company is acquired or renamed?
Check the list. Approval is issued to a named company and runs for one year, and the application form requires FDNY to be notified in writing within 24 hours of changes to the application. If the name on your contract does not match the current list, ask for FDNY’s written confirmation.
Can an electrical contractor without FDNY approval install the system?
The Fire Code requires installation by a DOB-licensed master electrician; the commissioning test must be supervised by a B-03 holder employed by an FDNY certified company. A project can use an electrical contractor for installation and an approved ARCS company for testing, provided the contract assigns responsibility for coordination and failed tests.
What does the building owner sign?
The owner signs and notarizes the agreement allowing use of the ARCS on Fire Department radio frequencies. The city grants temporary consent at plan approval and final consent when the permit issues. The owner also designates an impairment coordinator and must notify FDNY when a system impairment is not restored within 48 hours.
Do these NYC rules apply in Westchester or Long Island?
No. FC 510 and 3 RCNY 510-01 are New York City requirements. Outside the city, identify the local authority having jurisdiction and its adopted public-safety radio requirements before pricing equipment; see our Westchester DAS and Long Island DAS pages.
Get the bid package right
Send the building address, the reason ARCS is needed (new building, alteration trigger, deficiency letter or recertification), floor count and approximate area, existing ARCS records, and whether cellular coverage is also in scope. Low Voltage New York will scope the request and match it with partner crews whose FDNY approval and credentials you can verify before award. Get a Free Estimate.