Local Law 77 — Cooling Tower Registration, Inspection, and Legionella Testing

Who is covered

Any building or facility in New York City that operates one or more cooling towers, evaporative condensers, or fluid coolers.

What the law requires

• Register each cooling tower with DOHMH within 30 days of installation or operation.
• Develop and maintain a water management plan following ASHRAE Standard 188 or equivalent.
• Conduct quarterly Legionella culture testing by a certified laboratory.
• Submit an annual certification to DOHMH confirming compliance with all maintenance and testing requirements.
• Immediately report any Legionella test result exceeding 1,000 CFU/mL to DOHMH.

Filing frequency and deadlines

Penalty structure

Non-compliance with LL77 can result in the following penalties:

• $2,000 to $5,000 for failure to submit the annual certification.
• $1,000 to $2,000 per tower for failure to register.
• $1,000 to $2,000 per missed quarterly Legionella test.
• Emergency shutdown orders for towers with positive Legionella results that are not properly addressed.

Exemptions

• There are no exemptions — all cooling towers must comply regardless of building type or size.

Recent updates and amendments

DOHMH has increased random sampling and enforcement since 2020. Buildings with repeated positive Legionella results face escalated penalties and mandatory remediation timelines.

Reference

Official source: NYC DOHMH — Cooling Towers