Your Building’s Energy Grade Is Due October 31: What the $1,250 Local Law 33 Deadline Means for Park Slope and Prospect Heights Co-op Boards

For co-op and condo boards, October brings an annual building compliance task that is easy to overlook: posting the NYC Building Energy Efficiency Rating label.

The 2026 label becomes available for download through the DOB NOW Public Portal on October 1, 2026. Covered building owners must print and display it in a conspicuous location near each public entrance no later than October 31, 2026.

The label must remain posted until the next annual label is issued on October 1, 2027. Failure to post by the deadline can result in a $1,250 DOB civil penalty.

This requirement applies across Brooklyn, including buildings in Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, and Bay Ridge. It is particularly relevant to boards and managing agents overseeing larger multifamily buildings, where compliance responsibilities are divided among board members, management staff, building employees, and outside consultants.

Why does NYC require an annual energy grade?

Local Law 33 of 2018, as amended by Local Law 95 of 2019, requires covered buildings to display an energy efficiency score and letter grade.

The grade is based on the building’s ENERGY STAR score, which is generated from the building’s annual energy benchmarking information. That benchmarking filing is required under Local Law 84 and is generally due by May 1 each year for covered buildings that are at least 25,000 square feet (subject to the city’s covered-building rules and applicable exemptions).

The system is intended to make building energy performance visible to owners, residents, prospective buyers, and the public.

The grades are assigned as follows:

• A: ENERGY STAR score of 85 or higher
• B: Score of 70 through 84
• C: Score of 55 through 69
• D: Score below 55
• F: Required benchmarking information was not submitted on time
• N: The property is exempt from benchmarking or is not eligible for an ENERGY STAR score

The official NYC Department of Buildings Local Law 33 guidance explains the covered-building rules, exemptions, grade ranges, and posting obligations.

A 30-unit building is not automatically exempt simply because it has fewer apartments. Square footage, property type, eligibility for an ENERGY STAR score, and inclusion on the city’s Covered Buildings List all matter.

What must Park Slope and Prospect Heights buildings do between October 1 and October 31?

The 2026 process is straightforward, but it requires an owner or authorized representative to complete several separate steps.

1. Confirm that the building is covered

Before downloading the label, confirm that the property is included in the applicable NYC Covered Buildings List or otherwise subject to Local Law 33.

Review:

• The building’s borough, block, and lot number
• Whether the property is generally 25,000 square feet or larger
• Whether the property received an ENERGY STAR score
• Whether the building is part of a campus or contains multiple structures
• Whether an exemption or temporary exemption applies

A building that receives an N grade because it is not eligible for an ENERGY STAR score is generally not subject to the same posting requirement. That conclusion should be supported by the building’s records and, where appropriate, confirmation from the city.

2. Download the official 2026 label on October 1

The label is not mailed automatically. The owner or owner’s representative must access it through the DOB NOW Public Portal.

The typical process is:

1. Open the Building Energy Efficiency Rating section.
2. Search by borough, block, and lot.
3. Review the building or BIN information shown in the results.
4. Select the option to download the label.
5. Enter the requested owner or representative information.
6. Complete the required attestation.
7. Download and save the resulting file.

The managing agent should save the electronic copy in the building’s compliance folder before printing it. This creates a record of which label was posted and when it was obtained.

3. Print enough copies for every public entrance

The label must be posted near each public entrance. A building with one main lobby entrance may need one posted label. A building with two street-facing lobby entrances, a separate resident entrance, or multiple connected buildings may need more.

Service entrances, such as loading docks used solely for deliveries or building services, are generally treated differently from public or restricted entrances.

The label should be:

• Clearly visible to the public
• Posted internally or externally near the entrance
• Placed between four and six feet above the floor or ground
• Printed in a way that keeps all information legible
• Protected from damage, defacement, or concealment

Color printing is recommended, although grayscale printing is permitted. Framing or laminating is not required, but it can help preserve the label for the full year.

4. Post the label by October 31, 2026

October 31 is the operative deadline for the 2026 label. Do not treat October 31 as the date to begin the process.

A board or managing agent should schedule the work shortly after October 1 because delays can occur if:

• The building has several entrances
• The portal search produces multiple BINs
• The label information appears inconsistent with the building’s records
• A superintendent or porter is unavailable to complete the posting
• The building uses an outside printing or facilities vendor

5. Photograph and document the completed posting

After the labels are posted, take dated photographs showing:

• The label itself
• The entrance where it is posted
• Its visibility from the public approach
• The approximate placement near the entrance
• Any additional entrances with separate labels

Keep the photographs, downloaded label, posting date, and responsible person’s name in the building’s compliance records. This documentation can be useful if the label is removed during construction, damaged, or incorrectly cited by the Department of Buildings.

What does a poor energy grade actually cost a board?

The immediate legal cost of failing to post is clear: $1,250 per violation.

The more important issue is that the grade can influence building operations and future capital planning.

A poor grade may:

• Become part of public building data
• Prompt questions from shareholders, buyers, lenders, and residents
• Increase pressure on the board to explain utility costs
• Highlight outdated boilers, inefficient lighting, air leakage, or heating controls
• Overlap with the building’s broader Local Law 97 carbon-compliance planning
• Require additional analysis before the next benchmarking cycle

A D grade does not automatically mean the building has violated Local Law 97. Local Law 33 and Local Law 97 measure different issues. However, a low ENERGY STAR score may indicate that the building should review its energy use before carbon-emissions limits become more restrictive.

An F grade requires a different response. It generally means the required benchmarking information was not submitted on time. The F label still must be posted. The board should separately investigate the missing or late benchmarking filing rather than treating the posted label as the end of the matter.

How does the impact differ for a 30-unit building and a 300-unit building?

The compliance deadline is the same, but the operational and financial impact can differ significantly.

A 30-unit building

A 30-unit co-op or condominium may have:

• One primary lobby entrance
• A small management team or volunteer board
• Fewer utility accounts and building systems
• Lower total energy consumption than a larger property
• A higher per-unit impact from a fixed $1,250 penalty

If the building receives a D grade and the board does not post the label, the $1,250 penalty equals approximately $41.67 per unit when divided across 30 units. That does not mean the board must automatically charge a special assessment, but it illustrates why a fixed violation can be meaningful for a smaller property.

A 300-unit building

A 300-unit building may have:

• Several public entrances
• Multiple boilers, elevators, mechanical rooms, or utility accounts
• More complex benchmarking data
• A dedicated managing agent and building staff
• Larger potential energy savings from capital improvements
• More residents and shareholders reviewing the grade

The same $1,250 penalty equals approximately $4.17 per unit when divided across 300 units. The direct penalty is smaller on a per-unit basis, but a poor grade may reveal larger operational issues because the building’s energy consumption is spread across more systems and occupants.

For both properties, the board should focus first on accurate compliance and then on the operational meaning of the grade.

What should boards do if the 2026 grade is low?

A low grade should lead to a documented review, not an immediate assumption that every building system must be replaced.

The board and managing agent should:

1. Confirm the benchmarking data.
   Review square footage, unit count, occupancy information, utility accounts, meter assignments, and property-use classifications.

2. Check whether the ENERGY STAR score reflects the full building.
   Campus reporting, shared utilities, and multiple structures can affect how data is submitted and interpreted.

3. Compare the grade with prior years.
   A significant change may point to a data-entry issue, a change in occupancy, abnormal utility use, or a building-system problem.

4. Review high-consumption systems.
   Start with heating equipment, domestic hot water, lighting, ventilation, controls, insulation, windows, and common-area schedules.

5. Coordinate the grade with Local Law 97 planning.
   Review the building’s emissions profile and any existing decarbonization plan. A low energy grade does not by itself establish an LL97 penalty, but the information may support future capital decisions.

6. Set a pre-May deadline.
   The next Local Law 84 benchmarking filing is generally due by May 1, 2027. Data collection should begin well before that date.

What is the practical checklist for managing agents?

Managing agents providing building compliance services should create one tracking item for each covered property.

The file should include:

• 2026 label download confirmation
• A copy of the official label
• The number and location of public entrances
• Posting photographs
• The date of posting
• The name of the person who completed the posting
• The building’s benchmarking filing records
• Notes regarding any D, F, or N grade
• A calendar reminder for October 1, 2027
• A separate reminder for the next May 1 benchmarking deadline

Boards seeking Property Management Services in Prospect Heights or Property Management Services in Brooklyn Heights should also confirm that their management agreement clearly assigns responsibility for sustainability filings and physical posting.

The same review applies to owners looking for a Property Management Company in Park Slope, a Property Management Company in DUMBO, or Property Management in Bay Ridge. The relevant question is not only whether the label is posted, but whether the building has a reliable process for tracking the information behind it.

What should a board do next?

The practical sequence is simple:

• Confirm coverage before October 1.
• Download the 2026 label from DOB NOW on October 1.
• Print one copy for each public entrance.
• Post each label no later than October 31, 2026.
• Photograph and document the completed installation.
• Keep the label posted until October 1, 2027.
• Review a low grade with the building’s benchmarking professional, engineer, or energy consultant.
• Begin preparing early for the next May 1 benchmarking filing.

For additional context, boards can review the city’s Local Law 33 FAQs, Local Law 84 benchmarking guidance, and Landlord Management’s NYC building compliance resources.