In the U.S., photos of buildings taken from public places are generally allowed for both editorial and commercial use. U.S. copyright law specifically permits pictorial representations of architectural works visible from public spaces, so a photo of the Empire State Building taken from a public street or other public viewpoint is typically fine.

That means you usually do not need a separate license just because the building appears in the photo. This also applies to many publicly accessible interior viewpoints, though stock agencies may still have their own submission rules.

The main practical caution is that stock agencies like Getty or iStock may impose additional requirements or restrictions beyond what copyright law allows, so check their contributor guidelines before submitting.