Rule guide · Energy & emissions

Energy & water benchmarking (Local Law 84), explained.

Local Law 84 (with Local Law 133) requires larger buildings to benchmark their energy and water use every year in the EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and submit the results to the city. If your building is over 25,000 square feet, this is an annual data-entry task, not an inspection, but the late penalties add up quietly per quarter.

What it costs to skip: $500 per quarter while unfiled, up to $2,000 per year. Amounts vary and can change; confirm the current figures with DOB.

Applies toBuildings over 25,000 sq ft

FrequencyAnnual, by May 1

Filing deadlineFile by May 1 each year

AgencyDOB

The lawNYC Admin. Code § 28-309 (Local Laws 84/2009 & 133/2016)

What benchmarking actually involves

You pull twelve months of whole-building energy and water usage, enter it into Portfolio Manager, and generate the report the city asks for. Utilities can often feed usage in automatically once the account is linked, which removes most of the manual work in later years.

The groundwork for Local Law 97

Benchmarking is where your emissions numbers come from. Getting it right and on time each year is what makes the Local Law 97 emissions report manageable rather than a scramble. See the LL97 guide for the emissions side.

See every rule that applies to your building

Source: DOB official page · NYC Admin. Code § 28-309 (Local Laws 84/2009 & 133/2016). Reviewed July 4, 2026. This guide organizes public requirements in plain English; it is not legal advice, and No Fines is not affiliated with the City of New York. Confirm specifics with the agency before your deadline.