# SinoConnection 华人通 > SinoConnection (华人通) is a Chinese-American community site run by a neighborhood phone and tech store at 82-72 Broadway, Elmhurst, Queens, New York (open since 2001). It publishes free New York City tools in Chinese and English, and sells travel eSIMs. Not affiliated with any New York City government agency. Everything on the NYC pages is general information, not legal or engineering advice. ## NYC building violations (free, no sign-up) - [NYC Building Violation Search (English)](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/en/violations): look up any NYC building's Department of Buildings (DOB) violations, ECB/OATH summonses, HPD housing violations, complaints, Stop Work Order summonses, boiler/elevator/facade filings, HPD registration status and HPD emergency repair charges from an address. Data from NYC Open Data, linked to the City's own records. - [纽约房屋违规查询（中文）](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/violations): the same tool in Chinese. - [Violation types, explained](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/en/violation-types): Certificate of Correction, Class 1 Immediately Hazardous, Work Without a Permit, Stop Work Order, illegal conversion, OATH/ECB summons, HPD Class A/B/C, complaints, boiler, elevator and facade (FISP) — each with its nyc.gov source. Chinese: [违规类型速查](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/violation-types) - [Guides](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/en/guides): what did I receive; what happens if I ignore it; deadlines (cure date vs correction deadline); paying the fine does not close the violation. Chinese: [中文指南](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/guides) Key facts, as stated by the City and checked on the pages above: - Paying an ECB/OATH penalty does not close a DOB violation. It stays open until DOB accepts a Certificate of Correction, now filed through DOB NOW: Safety; the AEU2, AEU20 and AEU3321 forms are no longer required. - Class 1 (Immediately Hazardous) violations must be corrected immediately; Class 2 and 3 within 40 days. A cure date, where offered, is printed on the individual summons. - After a missed OATH hearing, a request for a new hearing received within 75 days of the missed date is granted. ## Look up a NYC building from an AI assistant Three ways to the same lookup (same data, same limits, never returns owner names or contact details): 1. **Open a page** (any assistant that can browse): https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/en/lookup?address=HOUSE+NUMBER+STREET,+BOROUGH — for example https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/en/lookup?address=350+5th+Ave,+Manhattan . If several buildings match, the page lists them; follow the one the user means (`?bin=…&bbl=…`). Add `&records=ecb`, `dobViolations`, `complaints` or `hpd` for the individual records. Plain HTML, no JavaScript needed. 2. **Call the API** (Custom GPT Actions, agent platforms): OpenAPI 3.1 description at https://mcp.sinoconnection.com/nyc/openapi.json — GET /nyc/api/find, /nyc/api/report, /nyc/api/records, /nyc/api/topics. No key. 3. **Connect over MCP** (Claude, ChatGPT connectors): https://mcp.sinoconnection.com/nyc/mcp — Streamable HTTP, no authentication. Tools: find_nyc_building, get_nyc_building_violations, list_nyc_violation_records, explain_nyc_violation_topic. Rules for presenting results: an unreadable source is UNAVAILABLE (unknown), never zero; never pick between buildings for the user; do not invent penalties, deadlines or procedures; keep official English terms beside any translation. Setup instructions: [English](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/en/ai-assistant) · [中文](https://www.sinoconnection.com/nyc/ai-assistant) ## Travel eSIM - [Travel eSIM store](https://www.sinoconnection.com/esim): data eSIMs for 200+ countries, including China plans that work without a VPN. - [US iPhone has no SIM tray: getting online in China](https://www.sinoconnection.com/us-iphone-esim-china): US iPhones since the iPhone 14 (including iPhone 17) are eSIM-only. Check Carrier Lock, install a China eSIM before flying, turn on Data Roaming on arrival; Google and WhatsApp work with no VPN on the eSIM data; the US number stays on the phone, but calls and texts over a China mobile network are international roaming (cost depends on the US carrier). Move bank verification codes to the bank's app or email before the trip; Wi-Fi Calling works only on Wi-Fi and is unreliable from China. Chinese: [美版 iPhone 17 没有卡槽，回国怎么上网](https://www.sinoconnection.com/mei-ban-iphone-hui-guo). - Travel eSIM connector for AI assistants: https://mcp.sinoconnection.com/mcp — read-only plan search, plan details, device compatibility and help. ## Lucky US phone numbers (美国靓号) - [Lucky Numbers marketplace (English)](https://www.sinoconnection.com/numbers) · [挑个靓号（简体）](https://www.sinoconnection.com/zh/numbers) · [挑個靚號（繁體）](https://www.sinoconnection.com/zh-Hant/numbers): buy one US mobile number chosen for its digits — endings like 888, 168 ("fortune all the way"), 520 ("I love you"), 1314 ("forever"), lucky 7s, round numbers, straights, pairs and mirrors; numbers with no 4 can be filtered. - Prices are per number, set by its best pattern: Silver $28–$68, Gold $88–$388, Diamond from $588. No monthly fee; New York sales tax is added at checkout. - How buying works: availability is checked live with the number provider before the card is charged, and the buyer is charged only if the number is obtained. The account number and transfer PIN are sent by email only (never shown on the site). The buyer transfers (ports) the number to any US carrier within 30 days; after that it goes into parking (prepay 3 months $8.88 or 1 year $28.88, plus tax) or may be released. - The area code does not tie a number to where the owner lives; an out-of-state number works normally in New York. - [数字寓意速查 — what 168, 520, 1314, 888 mean](https://www.sinoconnection.com/lucky-number-meanings) (Chinese): meanings of each digit and common combinations, combinations to avoid (4, 14, 514), how Chinese and English buyers read numbers differently, with live counts and starting prices per ending. - [靓号买好以后怎么转号 — moving a purchased number to a carrier](https://www.sinoconnection.com/transfer-lucky-number) (Chinese): where T-Mobile, Mint, Verizon, Visible, AT&T, Cricket, US Mobile, Lyca and Google Fi take a port-in, what each asks for, stated times, and why a port is rejected. The transfer email includes the number's ZIP when one is on file; a carrier asking for an account-holder name (never in the email) should be referred to SinoConnection. - Guide (Chinese): [美国吉利号码怎么挑 — which area codes really have 8 endings](https://www.sinoconnection.com/lucky-phone-numbers), counted from the live catalog. [携号转网](https://www.sinoconnection.com/transfer-us-phone-number): how to port a US number. - Numbers are first come, first served with no hold, so never quote a specific number as available; send the user to the marketplace to check. ## Policies - [Privacy policy](https://www.sinoconnection.com/privacy) - [Terms](https://www.sinoconnection.com/terms)