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NYC cooling towers · Local Law 77 of 2015

What NYC’s cooling tower law asks of owners

Local Law 77 of 2015 and the DOHMH rules in 24 RCNY Chapter 8 put every cooling tower owner on a set of clocks. Since May 8, 2026 the rules are stricter: a Legionella sample at most every 31 days, each sample date reported within 5 days, and no cure period at inspection. The owner answers for all of it, even when a vendor does the work.

Check a building freeLast verified Oct 14, 2026

What it asks

What the owner has to do

  1. Register each tower before it runsEvery cooling tower is registered in the City’s portal before its first operation, and a removed tower is reported within 30 days.Admin Code §28-317.3, §28-317.3.1
  2. Keep a maintenance program and planA plan written to ASHRAE 188 by a qualified person, kept on site, and certified by its author every year.Admin Code §17-194.1(c); 24 RCNY §8-03
  3. Sample for Legionella at most every 31 daysWhile the system holds water, by an ELAP-certified lab, with each sample date reported to DOHMH within 5 days.Admin Code §17-194.1(e), (f)
  4. Keep the weekly logsA weekly checklist, water readings at least three times a week with no more than two days between them, and a weekly bacteriological indicator (HPC or dip slide).24 RCNY §8-04(a), §8-05(f)
  5. Have a qualified person inspect every 90 daysA compliance inspection with a written checklist at least every 90 days while the tower runs.24 RCNY §8-04(b)
  6. Clean and disinfect at least twice a yearOne of them within the 15 days before a seasonal startup; in summer, a hyperhalogenation between July 1 and August 31.24 RCNY §8-04(d), (f)
  7. Keep every record and show it at inspectionOn site or on a device the owner provides, exportable as PDF, for 3 years (10 years from November 3, 2026). A record not shown during the inspection is presumed not to exist.24 RCNY §8-07(a); Admin Code §17-194.1(h)

Deadlines

The clocks

  • Legionella sampleNo more than 31 days after the last one§17-194.1(e)
  • Sample date reported to DOHMHWithin 5 days of the sample§17-194.1(f)
  • Startup and shutdown reported to DOHMHWithin 5 days of each24 RCNY §8-06
  • Compliance inspectionEvery 90 days while the tower runs24 RCNY §8-04(b)
  • Summer hyperhalogenationJuly 1 to August 3124 RCNY §8-04(f)
  • Certification to DOBNovember 1, 2026; then January and July, dates pending a DOB ruleAdmin Code §28-317.5

Penalties

What a violation costs

First violation / repeat, per the penalty schedule, with DOHMH’s violation code where it has one. Since May 8, 2026 there is no cure period at inspection.

  • Legionella culture sample, no more than 31 days apartAdmin Code §17-194.1(e); 24 RCNY §8-05(f)(3)$2,000 / $4,000 · AH8S
  • Report the sample date to DOHMH within 5 daysAdmin Code §17-194.1(f)$1,000 / $2,000 · AHK2Filed late: $500 / $1,000 · AHK0
  • Weekly routine monitoring checklist24 RCNY §8-04(a)$1,000 / $2,000 · AH8C
  • Compliance inspection by a qualified person, every 90 daysAdmin Code §17-194.1(e); 24 RCNY §8-04(b)$1,000 / $2,000 · AH8D
  • Cleaning and disinfection, at least twice a year24 RCNY §8-04(d)$1,000 / $2,000 · AH8F
  • Certification to DOB, or statement of non-operationAdmin Code §28-317.5; 24 RCNY §8-07(b)Up to $10,000 (DOB major violation; the maximum DOB states)

FAQ

Questions owners ask

Who is responsible when a vendor does the work?

The owner. Vendors and qualified persons sample, inspect and file, but DOHMH issues the summons to the owner, and nothing in the 2026 rules moves that responsibility.

What changed on May 8, 2026?

Legionella sampling went from every 90 days to at least every 31 days, each sample date must be reported within 5 days, startups and shutdowns are reported electronically, penalties doubled, and there is no cure period at inspection.

What changes on November 3, 2026?

Chapter 206 of 2026, a State law that amends the City code, takes full effect: the certification moves to January and July, records are kept 10 years, and the penalty caps rise to $2,500 for a first violation, $7,000 for a repeat, and $12,500 for one with a fatality or serious injury.

Does New York State have its own rules?

Yes. The State’s Part 4 rules apply as well: a separate registration in the State registry, updates at least every 90 days while the tower runs, and a certification by November 1.

Your building

See the clock DOHMH sees

Type the address. The free check shows the last sample date DOHMH has, the days left on the 31-day clock, the inspections and any OATH summons on the lot.

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Sources · Last verified Oct 14, 2026

A plain-English summary of the rules, not legal advice. The rule text and DOHMH’s guidance decide; check them before you act.