Local Law 84 of 2009 · Admin Code 28-309
Energy & Water Benchmarking (Local Law 84)
Buildings over 25,000 sq ft must report a full year of energy and water use through ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager by May 1 every year. Quarterly $500 penalties stack until you file — and your letter grade hangs in the lobby.
Who must comply
Buildings over 25,000 sq ft, and lots with multiple buildings totaling over 100,000 sq ft (the city’s Covered Buildings List is authoritative).
Key deadlines
| Benchmarking submission (prior calendar year’s usage) | May 1 every year |
| Energy grade posting (LL33/95) | Post the letter grade within 30 days of receiving it, near each public entrance |
What it costs to miss
$500 per quarter of continued non-filing, up to $2,000/year — every year. And a missing filing earns an automatic F grade posted at your front door.
Why May 1 sneaks up
The filing covers the previous calendar year, so owners assume there’s slack — but whole-building data means collecting tenant utility data or getting aggregated usage from Con Edison and National Grid, and DEP water data via automatic meter reading. Those requests take weeks.
LL84 is also the data backbone for Local Law 97: the usage you benchmark is what your emissions compliance is measured against. Errors here compound there.
Knowing isn’t the hard part. Doing is.
Parcel tracks your May 1 deadline per building, shows your filing history and energy grade, and flags buildings that crossed the 25,000 sq ft threshold.
Official source: DOB: Benchmarking (LL84)
Current as of September 9, 2026 · last reviewed 2026-08-19. This guide is a summary for owners and managers, not legal advice.