Local Law 151 of 2024
Steam Radiator Inspections (Local Law 151)
NYC now requires owners of buildings with central steam heat to inspect steam radiators every two years in units with young children and in all common areas. The first Annual Notice cycle that includes radiators starts January 2027.
Who must comply
Multiple dwellings (3+ units) heated by a central steam system. Inspections are required in any unit where a child under six resides, and in all common areas.
Key deadlines
| Annual Notice to tenants (now includes radiator questions) | January 1–16 every year, starting January 2027 |
| Tenant responses due back | February 15 |
| Tenant No Response Form filed with HPD | March 1, for any unit that did not reply |
| Radiator inspection | At least once every 2 years in covered units and common areas |
What it costs to miss
HPD violations for failure to inspect, failure to send the notice, or failure to file. Because the notice rides on the same Annual Notice as window guards and lead paint, missing it usually means missing several requirements at once.
What the law requires
Local Law 151 responds to steam-radiator burn injuries in young children. If your building has three or more units and central steam heat, you must have steam radiators inspected at least once every two years in every unit where a child under six lives, and in all common areas.
Starting with the January 2027 cycle, steam-radiator questions are folded into the Annual Notice you already send tenants each January — the same mailing that covers window guards, lead paint, and stove knob covers. Notices go out January 1–16 in English and Spanish, tenant responses are due by February 15, and a Tenant No Response Form must be filed with HPD by March 1 for any unit that does not reply.
The detail owners miss
If your own superintendent performs the inspections instead of an outside plumber or boiler engineer, the super must first review HPD's Steam Radiator Inspection Manual — and both the owner and the superintendent must sign a certification confirming they understand the requirements before any inspection happens. Get that signed now, not during the January filing rush.
Knowing isn’t the hard part. Doing is.
Parcel already tracks your Annual Notice cycle and will flag the radiator requirement per building. When an inspection finds a radiator that needs work, the marketplace matches you with a licensed plumber — the law tells you what to do; Parcel gets it done.
Official source: HPD: Inspection of Steam Radiators
Current as of September 9, 2026 · last reviewed 2026-08-19. This guide is a summary for owners and managers, not legal advice.