City Council Extends Local Law 152 Gas Pipe Inspection Deadline

Local Law 152 requires that all buildings with gas piping, except R-3 occupancy buildings (which are mostly one- and two-family dwellings), have their gas piping system inspected at certain intervals by a licensed master plumber (LMP).

Similar to last year’s extension for the first group of inspections, the City Council recently passed INT 2259-A, extending the deadline for the second group of inspections. These extensions were made to accommodate delays due to the pandemic. Now, instead of a Dec. 31, 2021, deadline, buildings in Community Districts 2, 5, 7, 13, and 18 in all boroughs have until June 30, 2022, to complete their gas piping system filings.

Upcoming Inspection Due Dates

All building gas piping systems must be inspected periodically as per Local Law 152. The only exception is gas piping systems classified in occupancy group R-3. As per the DOB’s building code, occupancy group R-3 applies to buildings or portions of buildings that have two dwelling units or fewer, with fewer than 20 occupants, such as group homes, and one- to two-family dwellings.

Inspections for the gas piping systems are being organized by community district, with the first cycle start date having begun on Jan. 1, 2020. After the initial inspection, inspections must be performed and submitted to the DOB every four years. Inspection due dates for buildings depend on the community district in which the building is located and not by borough. You can get information about your community district at https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/.

There are four groupings of community districts. Here are the date ranges for the upcoming gas piping inspections in this first cycle:

• Community Districts 2, 5, 7, 13, and 18 in all boroughs: Jan. 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022;
• Community Districts 4, 6, 8, 9, and 16 in all boroughs: Jan. 1, 2022 – Dec. 31, 2022;
• Community Districts 11, 12, 14, 15, and 17 in all boroughs: Jan. 1, 2023 – Dec. 31, 2023.

If your building doesn’t have a gas piping system, you’ll still be required to comply with this law. Owners must submit to the DOB a Gas Piping System Periodic Inspection Certification (https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/gps2.pdf), signed and sealed by a registered architect or a professional engineer stating that your building contains no gas piping. This inspection certification must be submitted once every four years by the end of the inspection date range for the community district in which the building is located.

Conditions Requiring Corrections

DOB rules require submission of a certification that all conditions identified in the inspection report have been corrected no later than 120 days, or if more time is needed, no later than 180 days following the inspection date. According to the text of the passed bill:

…if the certification form indicates that there are one or more conditions requiring correction, such building owners may submit the certification form to the department later than 120 days following the building’s inspection date or later than 180 days following the building’s inspection date as provided in item 4 of section 28-318.3.3 of the administrative code of the city of New York, but in no event shall the certification form be submitted later than June 30, 2022.

However, this doesn’t impact requirements for reporting and correcting unsafe or hazardous conditions. If an inspection reveals any unsafe or hazardous condition(s), the licensed master plumber must immediately notify the building owner, the utility providing gas service to the building, and the DOB. The building owner must take immediate action to correct the condition(s) in compliance with the NYC Construction Codes and any required permits. The text of the bill states, “ Nothing in this section shall affect the requirements to report and correct unsafe or hazardous conditions revealed by a gas piping system inspection as set forth in section 28-318.3.4 of the administrative code of the city of New York.”

Buildings with No Active Gas Service

INT 2321-A allows owners of buildings with gas piping, but no active gas service, to skip Local Law 152 inspections as long as they provide certification from their utility company and themselves that there’s no active gas service in their building. If they resume gas service they must obtain a certificate of approval of gas installation from the DOB and comply with the gas piping inspection and certification requirements of Local Law 152.

The following must be submitted to the DOB for certification of buildings without active gas service and no appliances connected to any gas piping:

• The last date upon which gas was supplied to the building;
• The date upon which gas service was no longer provided to the building; and
• A signed statement from the owner certifying that the building no longer receives gas service and that the building no longer contains appliances connected to gas piping.