H-9Heat · boiler inspections
Which NYC buildings need a yearly boiler inspection?
NYC boiler inspections are required every calendar year for low-pressure boilers in residential buildings of six or more families, while buildings of five families or fewer are exempt.
Which building is yours?
- Prewar walk-upA walk-up of six or more families needs a yearly DOB boiler inspection; five families or fewer is exempt. The owner hires the inspector.
- Brownstone or row houseExempt from the yearly DOB inspection, as a residential building of five families or fewer. Boiler service is still a licensed pro’s job.
- Co-op or condo high-riseCovered. The building files a yearly low-pressure report; a high-pressure boiler needs an internal and an external inspection.
- Two-family houseExempt from the yearly DOB inspection as a building of five families or fewer; the owner arranges service with a licensed pro.
- New-build condoA central boiler in a building of six or more families is inspected yearly; a single boiler inside one unit, heating only it, is exempt.
Start with the number of families in your building, because that decides almost everything here. A brownstone or a two-family house is below the line and needs no annual DOB boiler inspection. A prewar walk-up of six or more apartments, and nearly every co-op or condo high-rise, is above it. Either way, the inspection is something the owner arranges and a licensed inspector files; residents never open, adjust or test the boiler.
Which boilers need a yearly inspection?
DOB’s boiler compliance page lists low-pressure boilers in residential buildings with six or more families, in commercial and mixed-use buildings of any size, and in single-room-occupancy buildings. Two cases are exempt: boilers in residential buildings of five families or fewer, and a single boiler inside one dwelling unit that heats only that unit. Small boilers are not exempt everywhere: one of 100,000 BTU or less still needs inspection if it sits outside a single apartment in a building of six or more units.
| Building | Yearly inspection? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Prewar walk-up, 6+ families | Yes | Residential, six or more families |
| Prewar walk-up, 3–5 families | No | Five families or fewer |
| Brownstone or row house | No | Five families or fewer |
| Co-op or condo high-rise | Yes | Six or more families |
| Two-family house | No | Five families or fewer |
| New condo, boiler in one unit for that unit only | No | Single-unit boiler exemption |
Who does the inspection and files the report?
The owner hires it out. A low-pressure boiler may be inspected only by a qualified installer licensed by DOB or by an authorized boiler insurance company; a high-pressure boiler only by an authorized insurance company. The report goes into DOB NOW: Safety. The video below is DOB’s walkthrough for those licensed filers. It shows what the owner’s inspector submits, not a job for anyone living in the building.
What are the deadlines?
The inspection cycle runs January 1 to December 31, and annual inspections must be at least six months apart under 1 RCNY §103-01. The report is due within 14 days of the inspection. Any defects must be fixed within 90 days, and a correction filed more than 104 days after the first inspection is rejected. An owner may ask for up to two 45-day extensions. These replaced the old 45-day and 180-day limits from reporting year 2022, per a DOB industry notice; some older DOB pages still show the earlier numbers.
Legend: the numbers on this plate
- 14 daysTo file the inspection reportNYC DOB boiler compliance
- 104 daysHard stop to correct, reinspect and file, when no extension is grantedDOB industry notice, 2022
- $50/monthLate filing, per boiler, up to $600NYC DOB boiler compliance
- $1,000Failure to file, per boilerNYC DOB boiler compliance
- 2 × 45 daysExtensions an owner may request for correctionsNYC DOB boiler compliance
What does an owner pay for filing late?
A late filing costs $50 a month per boiler, capped at $600, as of 11 Nov 2026. A report not filed by January 14 of the next year is treated as expired, and the failure-to-file penalty is $1,000 per boiler. A late affirmation of correction also draws $1,000 per boiler plus the monthly charge.
What counts as a high-pressure boiler?
A steam boiler operating above 15 psig, or a hot-water boiler above 160 psig or 250°F, under the definition in the 2022 Construction Codes. Those need two inspections each cycle, internal and external, about six months apart, and the inspector must notify DOB at least 10 days before the internal one. Ordinary apartment steam runs far lower: maker guidance puts typical one- and two-pipe systems under 2 psig, as one-pipe steam explains.
What happens when an inspector finds a boiler unsafe?
The boiler is taken out of service at once by the inspecting agency, the owner is told, and DOB must be notified within 24 hours. A new or replaced boiler must pass DOB’s First Test Inspection before it is used. If the building loses heat while repairs go on, the owner still owes the heat season minimums.
What does a boiler pro check on a steam boiler?
Among other parts, the low-water cutoff, which Weil-McLain’s steam boiler manual has a service technician clean and test at least once a year, making sure the burner goes off when the water drops too low.
Heating oil has its own deadline: No. 6 oil was phased out under Local Law 43 of 2010, and Local Law 38 of 2015 ends No. 4 oil by 2030, DEP has told the City Council.
Look up your own building
Questions people ask
Does my two-family house need a DOB boiler inspection?
No. A home for five families or fewer is outside DOB’s yearly boiler check, and that takes in one- and two-family houses and most brownstones. The boiler still needs servicing by a licensed pro.
Can a building’s super do the annual inspection?
Only if licensed for it. DOB accepts low-pressure inspections only from qualified installers it licenses or from authorized boiler insurance companies.
How long does an owner have to fix defects?
90 days from the initial inspection, with up to two 45-day extensions on request. Without an extension, a correction filed more than 104 days after the inspection is rejected.
What is the fine for not filing a boiler report?
$1,000 per boiler once the report is treated as expired, after January 14 of the following year. Late filing before then costs $50 a month, up to $600.
Does a boiler inside my condo unit need inspecting?
No, when it is one boiler sitting inside your apartment and heating nothing else. A shared central boiler in a building of six or more families does.
How this plate was drawn
Deadlines and penalties come from DOB itself: its boiler compliance page, rule 1 RCNY §103-01, the 2022 industry notice and the 2022 Construction Codes. The low-water cutoff line is from a Weil-McLain steam boiler manual and the oil dates from DEP’s 2022 Council testimony. Everything was checked on 11 Nov 2026 and the dollar amounts stand as of then. Two older DOB pages still list 45-day and 180-day limits; we set them aside. The state Labor Law section behind the five-family exemption would not load for us, so DOB’s own wording is used.
Sources
- Boiler Compliance — NYC Department of Buildings · who needs inspection, exemptions, inspectors, deadlines, penalties, unsafe boilers · checked 11 Nov 2026
- 1 RCNY §103-01, low-pressure boiler rule — DOB · 14-day filing, calendar-year cycle, six months apart · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DOB industry notice on boiler report changes in DOB NOW: Safety · 2022 change from 45/180 days to 14/104 · checked 11 Nov 2026
- Licensing chapter of the 2022 NYC Construction Codes (GAP Ch. 4) — DOB · high-pressure boiler definition · checked 11 Nov 2026
- Weil-McLain manual for the SGO oil-fired steam boiler · low-water cutoff testing by a service technician · checked 11 Nov 2026
- DEP Deputy Commissioner’s Council testimony on heating oil (June 7, 2022) · No. 6 and No. 4 oil phase-outs · checked 11 Nov 2026
Plate H-9 · revised 11 Nov 2026