Local Law 152: What Is It?
The NYC Council approved Local Law 152 in 2016 as a component of a package pertaining to gas safety. Owners of NYC buildings are expressly required by Local Law 152 to have regular inspections of their building’s gas lines.
January 1, 2019, was the effective date of Local Law 152. However, the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) had to create regulations before the law could be fully implemented, meaning that inspections could not begin. Final guidelines were released by DOB on September 23, 2019. Despite the fact that these regulations’ provisions took effect on November 2, 2019, no inspections can start until January 1, 2020.
Who Is Required to Comply
Every Building.
All building owners, with the exception of those in occupancy group R-3 (2 households or less). In NYC, the anticipated total number of impacted buildings is 280,000.
Every four (4) years, buildings with gas pipe systems must have an inspection performed, and the DOB must get a certification of the inspection.
Hire a Licensed Master Plumber to check the gas piping system in order to comply with this requirement. Then, within 60 days following the inspection, submit a signed and sealed Gas Piping System Periodic Inspection Certification (GPS2) to DOB .
Inspection Filing Process:
For those relevant structures, LL152 inspections must take place during the calendar year specified in the Inspection Cycle.
The licensed master plumber (LMP) must furnish the building owner with a Gas Piping System Periodic Inspection Report (GPS1) within 30 days following the inspection.
If the Inspection Certification submitted to DOB indicates that conditions requiring correction were identified in the Gas Piping System Periodic Inspection Report submitted to the owner, the owner must submit to DOB an Inspection Certification signed and sealed by the LMP who conducted the inspection, stating that the conditions have been corrected, within 120 days of the inspection.
If the Inspection Certification submitted to DOB indicated that additional time was required to correct the condition(s) identified in the Inspection Report, the owner must submit an Inspection Certification signed and sealed by an LMP stating that all conditions have been corrected within 180 days of the inspection.
Conditions highlighted in the Inspection Report must be corrected in accordance with the NYC Construction Codes, including the acquisition of any applicable work permits.
The inspection organization and the building owner must keep all reports and certificates on file for a period of ten years.
What Needs to Be Inspected?
All exposed gas pipes from the point of entrance of gas piping into the building, including building services meters, and all gas piping in public spaces, halls, corridors, as well as mechanical and boiler rooms, are required by LL152. This excludes gas pipes within flats.
Penalties in Civil Court
Failure to file an Inspection Certification by the appropriate due date may result in a $10,000.00 civil penalty.