Local Law 97
Local Law 97 compliance is critical for NYC building owners facing new carbon emissions limits and annual reporting deadlines. In April 2019, the New York City Council enacted Local Law 97 of 2019, an ambitious legislative initiative to help New York City comply with local laws designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly within the city by placing carbon caps on targeted structures.
What Is Local Law 97?
Local Law 97 is one of the nation’s most comprehensive emission reductions programs. This groundbreaking law specifically impacts large buildings in New York City and requires affected structures to reduce carbon emissions by 40% as of 2030 and 80% by 2050. According to the official NYC Department of Buildings Local Law 97 page, compliance with these regulations will require building owners to invest in renovations and retrofitting as needed to ensure they meet specific benchmarking standards and achieve meaningful emission reductions.
Buildings Impacted by Local Law 97
Most buildings over 25,000 square feet are subject to Local Law 97 requirements. Specifically, NYC LL97 applies to these structures:
- Single buildings larger than 25,000 gross square feet
- Multiple buildings on the same lot exceeding 50,000 square feet combined
- Multiple buildings owned by a condominium association governed by the same board of managers and exceeding a combined 50,000 square feet
According to the NYC.gov LL97 guidance, building owners with multiple buildings must ensure each building complies with its appropriate compliance pathway.
Local Law 97 Compliance & Energy Efficiency Requirements
All buildings affected by the law are subject to Local Law 97 benchmarking requirements. This process entails taking annual water and energy consumption measurements and submitting emission reports to the City. Building owners must utilize the Energy Star Portfolio Manager, an online benchmarking tool provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to submit their emission reports by May 1 each year.
This tool provides affected building owners with valuable data that helps them identify areas to improve energy efficiency while providing transparent carbon emissions tracking and water and energy consumption analysis. Buildings must comply with local laws by accurately reporting their carbon emissions and demonstrating progress toward emission reductions targets.
What Are the Penalties for Noncompliance?
Building owners failing to comply with relevant Local Law 97 emission reduction requirements will incur annual financial penalties. The cost varies according to the difference between the building’s actual carbon emissions and its allowed limit. Once you’ve calculated this figure, multiply it by $268 per ton of excess emissions. Failure-to-report fees will also apply beginning in 2025, making timely emission reports critical for building owners.
Are There Exceptions to Local Law 97?
Certain buildings that meet the LL97 size guidelines are exempt from the benchmarking requirement. These exceptions include city-owned structures, nonprofit hospitals and medical facilities, religious buildings classified as houses of worship and specific rent-regulated dwellings.
UtiliSave Can Help With LL97 Compliance
Does Local Law 97 affect your New York City building or business? At UtiliSave, we focus on helping building owners improve their bottom lines by recouping money from their utility expenditures while achieving emission reductions and energy efficiency goals.
Our utility bill auditing service helps you improve your LL97 compliance. By uncovering and resolving errors in your utility consumption data through our audit process, we reduce your building’s reported carbon footprint. If your structure already exceeds your allowable carbon emission limit, we’ll conduct a comprehensive utility audit that may reduce your penalty. Our services can also help identify areas to increase energy efficiency.
Why Choose UtiliSave
Since our founding in 1991, UtiliSave has established a successful track record of helping business owners, property managers and others reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies. We’ll help complete your Local Law 97 benchmarking requirements at no cost with our utility auditing services and ensure timely reporting to avoid penalties. Our services save valuable time and give you peace of mind.
Contact us to learn more about Local Law 97 solutions and how UtiliSave helps building owners comply with local laws through expert utility auditing services.
