The Department of Buildings (DOB) recently announced that the inspection and report deadlines for low- and high-pressure boilers have been extended to Dec. 31. In addition, reports for these inspections are now due no later than Feb. 15, 2013.

This year has been the second full year of implementation for boiler inspection rules. The latest version of the rules were signed into law in April 2010, and were fully implemented in May 2010. They pertain to low-pressure boiler inspections, filing requirements, penalties, and waivers. The 2012 inspection cycle recently ended on Nov. 16. Without the extension, if you waited until the end of the cycle, and you own a building with six or more apartments, you were required to file an annual inspection report with DOB by Dec. 31, 2012. Now, with the extension you have until Feb. 15 to file the report. We’ll review who must file a report, the types of forms you may need to submit, and the filing fees.

Who Must File a Report

The following boilers must be inspected and a report must be filed for them with the DOB annually:

• Low-pressure boilers in residential buildings with six or more families;
• Low-pressure boilers in mixed‐used buildings;
• Low-pressure boilers in commercial buildings; and
• H‐stamp domestic hot water heaters with over 350,000 BTUs in residential, mixed‐used, and commercial buildings.

For a low-pressure boiler, a licensed master plumber, a licensed oil-burner equipment installer, a licensed high-pressure boiler operator, or an inspector working for a state-authorized insurance company may inspect the boiler and fill out the “Inspection Report” section of the appropriate DOB form. If you choose an insurance company inspector, the inspector must have a certificate of competence from the state’s Department of Labor (DOL).

Types of Boiler Forms

After you have your boiler inspected or disconnected, there are four possible forms you can file with the Boiler Inspection Division of the DOB:

BO‐9: Boiler Annual Inspection Report. This form is used to report annual low-pressure boiler inspections. Recently updated, the form also serves as the registration report for Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) renewal requests. The form is to be completed by a master plumber, oil burner installer, or authorized insurance company. And it’s due 45 days after the date of inspection, per inspection cycle.

BO‐13: Affirmation of Correction. This form is used to report defects that were corrected based on inspection. It’s also to be completed by a master plumber, oil burner installer, or authorized insurance company, and is due 45 days after the date of inspection, per inspection cycle.

BO‐13E: Extension Request. This form is used to request an extension for defects to be corrected. It’s to be completed by a master plumber, oil burner installer, or authorized insurance company, and the request must be made within 45 days after the date of inspection.

OP‐49: Self-Certification of Removed, Disconnected Boiler. This form is completed by a master plumber, oil burner installer, or authorized insurance company, and is due 30 days after the date of inspection, per inspection cycle.

Inspection reports submitted after the deadline are considered a late filing. There’s a late filing fee of $50 per month, which applies to all forms, and full penalties of $1,000 are issued to owners who fail to file an inspection report or who filed an incomplete inspection report. For a complete list of fees and violations, see the Boiler Fees & Violations table below.

Where to File

You can file forms by mailing them to Department of Buildings, Central Filing and Billing Unit, 280 Broadway, 6th fl., New York, NY 10007. The Central Filing and Billing office is responsible for the processing fees, and will reject and return incomplete processing payments.

The Central Inspections office, on the other hand, will receive the reports, including the late and full penalties payments to be reviewed and processed. Incomplete reports and late/full payments will be sent back as a rejection and require a reprocessing fee.

If you need to submit late filing or full penalty reports in person, you can go to the DOB’s Central Inspection Service Area at 280 Broadway, 4th fl., New York, NY 10007.

If you have any questions, the Central Inspections Boiler Division can be reached at (212) 566‐4994 or boilersInfo@buildings.nyc.gov.

BOILER FEES & VIOLATIONS

Type                                  Form                      Cost

Annual Inspection               BO-9                       $30

Affirmation of Correction     BO-13                      $30

Extension of Request          BO-13E                    $15

Removal/Disconnection       OP-49                      $45

Late Filing                         Applies to all forms     $50 per month

Full Penalty                       Applies to all forms     $1,000