Annual DOB Boiler Inspections in NYC
One Inspection a Year, Every Year
NYC requires most boilers outside small residential buildings to be inspected once every calendar year, from January 1 to December 31. The report has to be filed with the Department of Buildings in DOB NOW: Safety within 14 days of the inspection.
Owners usually get in trouble in the steps after the inspection, not the inspection itself. When the inspector lists defects, they have to be repaired and an Affirmation of Correction filed within 90 days. Miss either step and DOB issues penalties per boiler. We schedule the inspection, get the boiler ready, see the filing through, and make the repairs.
We Handle
- Scheduling the inspection within the calendar year
- Cleaning and preparing the boiler beforehand
- Making sure the report is filed within 14 days
- Repairing any defects the inspector lists
- The Affirmation of Correction filing
- Defect repairs are quoted before any work starts.
Has Your Boiler Been Filed?
Enter your building's address to see every boiler DOB has on record and whether this year's inspection report is filed.
Boiler missing or records look wrong? Call us and we'll check the building in DOB NOW: Safety.
Which Boilers Need an Inspection
DOB's rules for low-pressure boilers, the kind that heat most NYC buildings.
Required: buildings with 6 or more apartments, SROs, mixed-use, and commercial buildings, plus H-stamp water heaters over 350,000 BTU.
Exempt: buildings with 5 or fewer apartments, boilers that heat one apartment, and boilers of 100,000 BTU or less.
The Deadlines
- Inspection. Once a year, between January 1 and December 31.
- Report filed. In DOB NOW: Safety within 14 days.
- Defects fixed. Within 90 days of the inspection.
- Affirmation filed. Confirms the repairs. Rejected after 104 days.
- Missed deadlines. $50 a month per boiler for a late report, up to $600. $1,000 per boiler if never filed.
The DOB Inspection Isn't a Tune-Up
The annual DOB inspection checks that a boiler and its boiler room meet the city's code. Our tune-up and startup services the boiler so it runs all winter. One is a compliance check, the other is maintenance.
| Annual DOB InspectionA compliance check | HEPCO Tune-Up & StartupA service visit | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Shows the boiler and boiler room meet NYC code. | Keeps the boiler running safely all heating season. |
| Required for | Buildings with 6 or more apartments, mixed-use, and commercial buildings. | Not required by law. Recommended for every boiler, including exempt homes and small buildings. |
| Done by | A DOB-licensed inspector or an authorized insurance company. | Our own technicians. |
| What happens | The boiler, its safety devices, and the boiler room are inspected against code, and any defects are written up. | Cleaning and tune-up, a check of the low-water cutoff, relief valve, and limits, and startup. |
| Problems found | Listed on the report. They have to be repaired within 90 days. | Small problems are fixed on the spot. Bigger repairs are quoted first. |
| Result | A report filed in DOB NOW: Safety within 14 days. | A boiler that's ready for the first cold night. |
| When | Any time from January 1 to December 31. | Every year, before October 1. |
Annual DOB Inspection
A compliance check
- Purpose
- Shows the boiler and boiler room meet NYC code.
- Required for
- Buildings with 6 or more apartments, mixed-use, and commercial buildings.
- Done by
- A DOB-licensed inspector or an authorized insurance company.
- What happens
- The boiler, its safety devices, and the boiler room are inspected against code, and any defects are written up.
- Problems found
- Listed on the report. They have to be repaired within 90 days.
- Result
- A report filed in DOB NOW: Safety within 14 days.
- When
- Any time from January 1 to December 31.
HEPCO Tune-Up & Startup
A service visit
- Purpose
- Keeps the boiler running safely all heating season.
- Required for
- Not required by law. Recommended for every boiler, including exempt homes and small buildings.
- Done by
- Our own technicians.
- What happens
- Cleaning and tune-up, a check of the low-water cutoff, relief valve, and limits, and startup.
- Problems found
- Small problems are fixed on the spot. Bigger repairs are quoted first.
- Result
- A boiler that's ready for the first cold night.
- When
- Every year, before October 1.
Buildings that need the DOB inspection get the most out of both: we do the startup first and the inspection right after, so a clean, tuned boiler goes in front of the inspector and fewer defects get written up.
See what the tune-up includesHow the Inspection Works
A clean boiler and a planned date make the inspection itself the easy part.
Schedule
We book the inspection with time left in the year to fix anything it finds.
Prepare
We clean the boiler and check the safety controls so it's ready for the inspector.
Inspect & File
The boiler is inspected and the report goes into DOB NOW: Safety within 14 days.
Correct & Affirm
We repair any defects and the Affirmation of Correction is filed before the deadline.
Why Buildings Use HEPCO for Boiler Compliance
The team that repairs the defects is the same team that tracks the deadline.
Whole Portfolio
Every boiler in every building you manage on one inspection schedule.
Deadlines Tracked
The 14-day filing and 90-day correction dates on our calendar, not yours.
Repairs In House
Defects are fixed by our own technicians, so nothing waits on a second contractor.
Copies for Your Records
You get the inspection report and the filings for every boiler.
Low-pressure boilers in residential buildings with 6 or more families, SROs, mixed-use buildings, and commercial buildings need one every year. Boilers in residential buildings with 5 or fewer families, boilers that heat a single apartment, and boilers rated at 100,000 BTU or less are exempt.
Any time in the calendar year, January 1 to December 31. The report is due in DOB NOW: Safety within 14 days of the inspection. Booking early in the year leaves room to repair defects before the 90-day correction deadline.
Low-pressure boilers can be inspected by a qualified installer licensed by the Department of Buildings or by an authorized boiler insurance company. High-pressure boilers can only be inspected by an authorized insurance company.
The defects have to be corrected within 90 days of the inspection, and an Affirmation of Correction filed to close out the report. We quote the repairs, make them, and make sure the affirmation is filed in time.
A late report costs $50 per month, per boiler, up to $600. A report that is never filed, or an Affirmation of Correction that isn't filed in time, carries a $1,000 penalty per boiler. DOB lets owners request a waiver in some cases.
No. The DOB inspection is a compliance check: the inspector checks the boiler, its safety devices, and the boiler room against code and writes up any defects, but doesn't clean or repair anything. A tune-up, like our yearly tune-up and startup, is a service visit: we clean the boiler, check the safety controls, start it up, and fix small problems. We recommend a tune-up for every boiler, even ones the DOB doesn't require inspecting.
Yes. An owner or licensee can request up to two 45-day extensions in DOB NOW: Safety, but each request has to be filed before the current deadline passes.