N-2Borough · Bronx
Heat, hot water and pipes in the Bronx
Bronx heat and plumbing problems usually land on the owner of an elevator or walk-up apartment building, and the Bronx was first in line for DEP’s free lead service line replacement.
Six in ten Bronx homes are in elevator buildings or in buildings with stores below. For a big elevator building, the closest sheet is the co-op or condo high-rise. Older stair-only buildings match the prewar walk-up sheet, and a house with a rented floor matches the two-family house sheet.
What kind of building do most Bronx residents live in?
Elevator apartment buildings, by a wide margin. City Planning’s PLUTO file (26v2) records 590,443 Bronx homes, and our tally of its categories puts 40% in elevator buildings.
| Category | Units | Share of Bronx homes |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-family elevator | 236,649 | 40% |
| Multi-family walk-up | 143,198 | 24% |
| Mixed residential and commercial | 122,896 | 21% |
| One and two family | 81,468 | 14% |
| Recorded as built before 1940 (any category) | 273,771 | 46% |
These count dwelling units, not people, and year built is reliable only to the decade.
Is the Bronx part of the free lead service line program?
Yes, it went first. DEP’s 2025 Lead Service Line Replacement Plan lists federally funded work in Concourse, Kingsbridge Heights, Melrose, Mott Haven-Port Morris, Mount Eden-Claremont, University Heights, Norwood, Williamsbridge-Olinville and Soundview-Bruckner. The 2025 water quality report says the program expanded that year to eligible Bronx and Queens properties.
Only owners who receive a DEP letter can sign up. The owner is responsible for the whole line from the street main to the building. DEP ties lead lines to buildings under six units, and our count of DCP data finds 22% of Bronx homes on lots with one to five units. The lead service line page has DEP’s Bronx video and the steps, and anyone can ask for a free test kit.
Which Bronx districts owe a gas piping inspection, and when?
The Bronx has 12 community districts, and DOB’s Local Law 152 table assigns each a year. Houses with one or two families are exempt; three-family houses and apartment buildings are not. See the Local Law 152 page.
| Sub-cycle | Bronx districts | Neighborhoods in them (DCP) | Years due |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1, 3, 10 | Mott Haven, Morrisania, Throgs Neck, Co-op City | 2024, 2028 |
| B | 2, 5, 7 | Hunts Point, Fordham, Bedford Park, Norwood | 2025, 2029 |
| C | 4, 6, 8, 9 | Highbridge, Belmont, Riverdale, Parkchester | 2026, 2030 |
| D | 11, 12 | Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Wakefield | 2027, 2031 |
District names follow DCP’s Community District Profiles. Marble Hill, legally part of Manhattan, sits in Bronx districts 7 and 8 in DCP’s files, so check that address with DOB.
Where does Bronx water come from?
Upstate reservoirs. The CEQR Technical Manual says Croton water flows to Jerome Park Reservoir in the Bronx and on to the Bronx and Manhattan, after filtering at DEP’s underground Croton plant in the Bronx (up to 290 million gallons a day). Neighborhoods often get a blend of Croton, Catskill and Delaware water.
Does the Bronx have older sewers?
Some areas do. DEP’s December 2024 sewer backup report places older combined sewers, below today’s design standard, mostly in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Report a basement backup to 311 and read sewer backups.
Who does what here?
| What went wrong | Who acts first | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Cold apartment in heat season | Landlord or super | 311, which routes it to HPD |
| Rent-stabilized and still no heat | HPD finding on record | DHCR form RA-84 or HHW-1 |
| Lead line letter from DEP | Property owner signs up | DEP replaces the line at no cost |
| Smell of gas | Everyone leaves now | Call 911 and the gas utility once outside |
| Basement sewage | Stay away from the water | 311; owner’s licensed plumber |
Look up your own building
- HPDONLINE · registered owner, open HPD violations and complaint history for a Bronx address
- DEP lead page and service line map · whether city records show lead on your line
- DOB gas piping lookup · the district and Local Law 152 year for your building
- ZoLa · year built, unit count and district for your lot
- 311 · heat, hot water, lead kit and sewer backup requests
Questions people ask
Can a Bronx owner apply for free lead line replacement?
Not by request. DEP says only owners who receive its letter are eligible, in the areas it has chosen. Others can still check the service line map and request a free kit through 311.
Does a Bronx two-family house need a yearly boiler inspection?
No. DOB exempts boilers in residential buildings with five families or fewer. The tenant’s unit is still covered by the city’s heat and hot water rules.
Are Co-op City and Parkchester due for Local Law 152 in the same year?
No. Co-op City is in district 10, sub-cycle A (2024 and 2028); Parkchester is in district 9, sub-cycle C (2026 and 2030). DOB’s lookup gives the year for each address.
How many heat complaints come from the Bronx?
HPD publishes citywide totals only: 344,437 heat complaints in the 2025–26 season. We could not get a Bronx figure, so none is given.
How this plate was drawn
Drawn from DEP’s 2025 lead plan, water report and 2024 sewer report, DOB’s gas piping page, the CEQR manual and DCP’s PLUTO 26v2 data, checked 11 Nov 2026. Percentages are our arithmetic on DCP counts. NYCHA buildings, which have their own complaint channel, are left out. No borough split of heat complaints is published in a form we could use.
Sources
- DEP — New York City Lead Service Line Replacement Plan 2025 · Bronx program neighborhoods, small-building pattern · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DEP — 2025 Drinking Water Supply and Quality Report · 2025 expansion, Croton plant in the Bronx, supply split · checked 11 Nov 2026
- Department of Buildings — gas piping inspections · sub-cycle districts and exemptions · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DCP — PLUTO Data Dictionary, August 2026 · building categories, Marble Hill servicing note · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DCP — Bronx Community District Profiles · neighborhood names by district · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DEP — Protecting Your Home, sewer backup report · older combined sewers by borough · checked 11 Nov 2026
- CEQR Technical Manual, water and sewer chapter (Dec 2025) · Jerome Park Reservoir and the Croton route · checked 11 Nov 2026
Borough sheet N-2 · revised 11 Nov 2026