Local Law 84 — Energy and Water Benchmarking

Who is covered

Individual buildings over 25,000 gross square feet, or two or more buildings on the same tax lot that together exceed 100,000 gross square feet.

What the law requires

• Create or maintain an ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account for each covered property.
• Enter 12 months of energy and water utility data for the preceding calendar year.
• Submit the benchmarking report to the City by May 1 each year through the online portal.
• Ensure the data is complete and accurate — the City audits a sample of filings each year.

Filing frequency and deadlines

Penalty structure

Non-compliance with LL84 can result in the following penalties:

• $500 per calendar quarter for late or missing filings, capped at $2,000 per year.
• Failure to comply may also affect the building's energy grade posted under LL33.

Exemptions

• Houses of worship are exempt.
• Buildings under 25,000 square feet (unless the same tax lot exceeds 100,000 square feet in aggregate).

Recent updates and amendments

The City expanded the benchmarking threshold for same-tax-lot coverage and began publishing building-level energy data on the NYC Open Data portal. Utility automatic upload features have simplified data collection for many owners.

Reference

Official source: NYC Sustainable Buildings — LL84