To help you stay in compliance with New York City local laws, RAND has compiled a list of important building maintenance-related local law deadlines for the next several months. Planning now will help you avoid violations, fines, and even possible civil penalties. Most importantly, timely compliance will help keep your buildings, residents, and commercial tenants safe. (The New York City Department of Buildings {DOB} occasionally extends deadlines and offers amnesty programs to help with compliance, although this is certainly not the norm. RAND will continue to keep you informed of any updates as soon as they are released.)
October 31
Energy Efficiency Building Labels
(Local Law 33 of 2018)
Owners of buildings that are subject to NYC Benchmarking Law must post an Energy Efficiency Rating Label near the entrance to their building by October 31 or risk a DOB violation and an annual fine of $1,250. Labels are available to print starting every October 1 in the DOB Now Public Portal.
November 1
Cooling Tower Requirements
(Local Law 77 of 2015)
Regular maintenance of cooling towers prevents the creation of health risks such as deadly legionella bacteria. Local Law 77 of 2015 requires the registration, inspection, cleaning, disinfection, and testing of all cooling towers, as well as certification of compliance with the law by November 1 of every year.
NYC Benchmarking Second Quarterly Deadline
Benchmarking data for buildings over 25,000 SF on the DOB Covered Buildings List is due May 1 of each year. The DOB imposes an additional $500 penalty per quarter for non-compliance, up to $2,000 per year. Owners have until November 1 to submit their 2020 benchmarking data and avoid an additional $500 fine.
December 31
Energy Efficiency Reports
(Local Law 87 of 2009)
Retaining Wall Inspections
(Local Law 37 of 2008)
February 21
Facade Inspection Safety Program (FISP) Sub-Cycle 9A
Owners of buildings in Sub-cycle 9A (block numbers ending in 4, 5, 6, or 9) must have their buildings inspected and 9th Cycle facade inspection reports filed with the DOB by this deadline to avoid a $1,000/month penalty, plus an additional $5,000 failure to file penalty after one year (and every year thereafter until filing).
It is critical to have your 9A buildings inspected as soon as possible. New requirements for the 9th Cycle, including additional hands-on inspections and probe investigations for cavity wall facades, as well as COVID-19 slowdowns, have increased the lead time of the entire facade inspection process to approximately three to four months. We strongly recommend that owners and managers of 9A buildings schedule their FISP inspection well before November 2021 to avoid missing the filing deadline, as failure to file penalties have increased fourfold since the last cycle.
FAIRER Program: Reduce Fines By Up to 75%
Need help with unpaid OATH/ECB fines? Through December 20, 2021, the NYC Department of Finance is offering a temporary program known as the FAIRER (Fine and Interest Reduction Enabling Recovery) Program, which allows individuals or businesses to pay a reduced amount, up to 75% off, for eligible OATH/ECB fines, and have the penalties and interest associated with your judgments waived.
For questions about a DOB-issued violation, contact the Department's Administrative Enforcement Unit at (212) 393-2405 or at their website.
Contact RAND
For more information or to schedule a consultation regarding your property, contact us at (212) 675-8844 or info@nullrandpc.com. We look forward to speaking with you.
