Reference
Every NYC building Local Law, explained
The rules that govern NYC buildings are spread across a dozen Local Laws and half a dozen agencies. Here’s the whole landscape in one place — who each law covers, how often, and what it costs to miss. Want just the ones that apply to your building? Run your address →
🌡️ Energy & carbon
Local Law 97
Annual carbon-emissions caps by building type. The single biggest financial exposure for large buildings, with limits that tighten sharply in 2030.
How often: Annual report (May 1)
Penalty: $268 / ton over the cap
Benchmarking (LL84/133)
Report annual energy and water use through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The data that feeds your LL97 number and your public energy grade.
How often: Annual (May 1)
Penalty: $500/quarter (up to $2,000/yr)
Energy Audit (LL87)
An ASHRAE Level II energy audit plus retro-commissioning, filed once each 10-year cycle in the year set by your tax block.
How often: Every 10 years
Penalty: $3,000–$5,000
Lighting & Submetering (LL88)
Upgrade lighting to code and submeter large commercial tenant spaces. The upgrade deadline has passed — confirm your building complied.
How often: One-time + ongoing
Penalty: $1,500–$3,000
🧱 Safety
FISP / Local Law 11
Periodic facade inspections by a qualified engineer, filed as Safe, SWARMP, or Unsafe. Cycle 10 runs 2025–2030 on staggered sub-cycles.
How often: Every 5 years
Penalty: $1,000/month late + repairs
Parking Structures (LL126)
A qualified engineer inspects covered parking structures on a borough sub-cycle and files a condition assessment.
How often: Every 6 years
Penalty: Penalties + unsafe status
🏠 Housing
Lead Paint (LL1/LL31)
Presume and remediate lead paint in older residential buildings, with XRF testing of every unit and annual inspections where a child under 6 lives.
How often: Annual + turnover
Penalty: Class C hazard violations
Asthma-Free Housing (LL55)
Keep units free of mold and pests (indoor allergen hazards) and remediate at turnover using safe work practices.
How often: Annual + turnover
Penalty: Class B/C violations
Bedbug Report (LL69)
File an annual report of the building’s bedbug infestation and eradication history, and distribute it to tenants.
How often: Annual (December)
Penalty: $500–$5,000
Property Registration
Register the building and managing agent with HPD every year. Missing it blocks you from certifying violations or suing for unpaid rent.
How often: Annual (Sept 1)
Penalty: $250–$500 + can’t sue for rent
⚙️ Systems
Gas Piping (LL152)
A licensed master plumber inspects exposed gas piping on a schedule set by your community district. R-3 (1–2 family) is exempt.
How often: Every 4 years
Penalty: $10,000 failure to file
Elevator Inspection
Category 1 testing every year and Category 5 every five years for each elevator device, with reports filed within 60 days.
How often: Annual + 5-year
Penalty: ~$1,000+/device
Boiler Inspection
Annual inspection of low-pressure boilers, filed with DOB by December 31 each year.
How often: Annual (Dec 31)
Penalty: ~$1,000/yr late
Cooling Towers (LL77)
Register cooling towers and evaporative units and test them for Legionella quarterly, with annual certification.
How often: Register + quarterly
Penalty: $500–$2,000+
Backflow Prevention
Annually test DEP-mandated backflow prevention devices that protect the public water supply.
How often: Annual
Penalty: DEP penalties
Don’t guess which of these apply to you.
Enter your address and get your building’s exact obligation list.
Frequently asked questions
How many Local Laws does a typical NYC building have to follow?
It varies with size, height, age, and use. A small owner-occupied home may have almost none; a large pre-war apartment building can be subject to ten or more at once — registration, lead paint, asthma-free, bedbug reporting, facade inspection, benchmarking, LL97, plus boiler, elevator, and gas inspections. Our compliance profile derives the exact set from your building’s records.
Which agency enforces these?
Mostly the Department of Buildings (DOB) and Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), with the FDNY, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and Department of Health also involved depending on the law.
What happens if I ignore a Local Law deadline?
Penalties range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands per year, and several laws carry knock-on consequences — an unregistered building can’t sue for unpaid rent, unresolved violations can block permits and property sales, and LL97 penalties compound annually.