// NYC Local Law Compliance
Local Law 84 — energy & water benchmarking.
What is Local Law 84?
Local Law 84 is New York City's benchmarking law. Owners of covered buildings must measure and report their whole-building energy and water use to the City every year using the EPA's free ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool.
Benchmarking is the data foundation for the rest of NYC's compliance framework — it feeds your building's Local Law 33/95 energy letter grade and the emissions baseline that drives Local Law 97. Getting it right, and on time, keeps you out of quarterly fines and sets up every other filing.
$500
per quarter until an accepted report is filed — up to $2,000 per year, assessed at each quarterly deadline (May 1, Aug 1, Nov 1, Feb 1).
25,000+
gross sq ft covered
May 1
annual submission deadline
// Who is covered
Which buildings must benchmark?
Any building over 25,000 gross square feet — lowered from 50,000 by Local Law 133 of 2016.
Two or more buildings on the same tax lot that together exceed 100,000 gross square feet.
Two or more condominium buildings under one board of managers that together exceed 100,000 gross square feet.
// What it requires
Your annual benchmarking obligation
Portfolio Manager
Benchmark each covered building's energy and water use in EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, the City's required tool.
Whole-building data
Collect a full 12 months of the prior year's utility data — electricity, gas, steam, oil, and water — including aggregated tenant metering.
Annual submission
Submit the benchmarking report to the City by the deadline every year, and confirm the City accepts it.
Energy label
Post your Local Law 33/95 energy efficiency grade (A–F) at every public building entrance — the grade is derived from your benchmarking data.
// Deadlines & penalties
File by May 1 — or fines accrue every quarter
Annual deadline
Benchmarking is due May 1 each year for the prior calendar year's data — 2025 usage is due May 1, 2026.
$500 per quarter
Missing the deadline triggers a $500 penalty each quarter until an accepted report is filed — up to $2,000 per year.
Energy-label fine
Failing to display the required Local Law 33/95 energy grade label carries a separate $1,250 fine.
// How we help
How Eastern Engineering handles your LL84 compliance
- 01Set up or clean up your ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager account and correct property-use and metering data.
- 02Gather and reconcile whole-building utility data — including aggregated tenant meters — and clear data-quality flags.
- 03File your annual benchmarking submission on time and confirm the City's acceptance, so quarterly fines never start.
- 04Use your results as the on-ramp to LL33/95 grades, LL87 energy audits, and your LL97 carbon plan.
// The full slate