How to File Your Local Law 97 Report (Due May 1)
Short answer: File the Local Law 97 report by May 1 each year: pay in DOB NOW, set up ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, register in BEAM, upload the supporting documents, get the registered design professional's attestation, then DOB reviews it.
Figures for 2030 and later are projections at today's energy use, not a bill or a forecast of what the city will charge.
The steps, in order
- Register and pay in DOB NOW. Create an account if you have none and pay the filing fee. DOB NOW sends the payment to BEAM to unlock the building's reporting.
- Set up ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Use the building's gross floor area and primary property type, and link it to your utilities so energy data uploads automatically. This applies to Article 320 buildings, and to Article 321 buildings meeting the 2030 limits.
- Register in BEAM with the same BBL, BIN and email as the other two. You can add emails and delegate your registered design professional.
- Upload supporting documents. A registered design professional verifies the floor area. BEAM works out the limit and the emissions from the imported energy data. Upload proof for any fuel the utility does not send, and a receipt for any offsets you bought.
- Sign the attestation. The registered design professional, or the retro-commissioning agent, attests that the information is accurate.
- DOB reviews it. The result is compliant, non-compliant with a penalty, or non-compliant with a mediated resolution.
Dates and late filing
The report is due every May 1. A late report costs $0.50 per square foot per month under DOB guidance, with June 30 as a grace date in guidance summaries, so do not plan around it. See the full calendar.
Before you file
Know your number first. Search the building or use the calculator, and check that the floor area and fuels in your benchmarking data are right. See how the penalty is calculated.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Local Law 97 report due?
Every May 1, for the previous calendar year's energy use.
Where is the Local Law 97 report filed?
Through DOB's systems: you pay the filing fee in DOB NOW, benchmark in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and upload the report documents in BEAM.
Who has to sign it?
A registered design professional, or a retro-commissioning agent for the Article 321 prescriptive pathway, reviews the report and signs an attestation that the information is accurate.
What if the building is over its limit?
The report can end with a penalty or a mediated resolution. An owner can submit a good faith efforts report or an adjustment application under section 28-320.7. DOB reviews each submission.
How long does filing take?
Longer than one day. DOB's guide notes that a report cannot be completed in one day and that eCheck payments can take up to 10 business days to clear, so start well before May 1.
Sources
More Local Law 97 guides
- What is the NYC Local Law 97 penalty?
- How much will my building owe in 2030?
- Local Law 97 penalties by building type
- How to reduce Local Law 97 emissions
- Local Law 97 deadlines and reporting dates
- The biggest Local Law 97 penalties in NYC
- Local Law 97 for co-ops and condos
- Local Law 97 for hotels
- Can renewable energy credits cut your Local Law 97 penalty?
- Local Law 97 Article 321: the pathway for affordable and rent-regulated buildings
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