Everything about the law below is from the Department of Buildings' Local Law 152 summary, labelled "Updated July 2026" and read 23 October 2026.
Does it apply to your building?
| Building | Local Law 152 |
|---|---|
| One- or two-family house, or other Occupancy Group R-3 | Not required to comply; a waiver can be filed if DOB records disagree |
| Three-family house and up, co-ops, condos, mixed-use | Inspection by an LMP at least every four years |
| Active gas piping | Inspection and certification |
| Gas piping but no active gas supply or appliances | Statements to DOB instead of an inspection |
| No gas piping at all | One-time certification |
| New building, CO issued on or after 6 December 2016 | First inspection due by the tenth year after the CO |
So a Brooklyn brownstone owner with a legal two-family is out, and the same owner with a legal three-family is in. The certificate of occupancy decides it, not how the house is used today; check it on the Buildings Information System before you call a plumber (our NYC building permit search guide shows where).
When your district is due
Cycle 2 runs 2024 to 2027 by community district number (the same numbers in every borough):
| Year | Sub-cycle | Community Districts |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A | 1, 3, 10 |
| 2025 | B | 2, 5, 7, 13, 18 |
| 2026 | C | 4, 6, 8, 9, 16 |
| 2027 | D | 11, 12, 14, 15, 17 |
Cycle 3 runs 2028 to 2031. The initial certification is due within your district's year, and an extension "grant[s] an extra 180 days past the end of the sub-cycle". From 27 July 2026, all Local Law 152 filings moved from the old GPS2 portal to DOB NOW: Safety.
What the plumber does, and what DOB charges
- The inspector files an Inspection Notification "at least 2 calendar days prior to performing the initial gas piping system inspection". DOB lists the Licensed Master Plumber, a Journeyman Plumber (with the supervising LMP named) or a Registered Design Professional as applicants.
- The plumber inspects. Defects are recorded by location (cellar, basement, floor, roof) and appliance (boiler, water heater, dryer, cooking, furnace and so on), with whether each was reported to the utility and whether gas service was partly shut down or locked. An LMP can notify DOB of unsafe conditions "at any time, regardless of cycle or sub-cycle."
- The owner files the initial certification within the sub-cycle.
- Any conditions found are corrected within 120 or 180 days of the inspection, and a Certification of Correction is filed.
DOB filing fees for private owners, from the same summary:
| Filing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Initial Certification, gas service | $35 |
| Initial Certification, gas piping but no gas service | $480 |
| Initial Certification, no gas piping | $375 |
| Certification of Correction | $35 |
| Extension request (initial or correction) | $35 each |
| Inspection Notification, Property Verification, Unsafe/Hazardous Conditions Notification | No fee |
The plumber's own fee is not set by DOB. A violation can be challenged "within thirty (30) days from the postmark date of the violation served by the Department."
Hiring the plumber
Ask three things before you book: the LMP's license number (check it with our NYC contractor license lookup); whether the price covers filing the Inspection Notification and the certification in DOB NOW: Safety; and what they charge per hour or per fitting if the inspection finds leaks, because the correction clock starts on the inspection date.
The timing matters because a repair that needs a plumbing permit is slow to close in this city:
| NYC plumbing permits, October 2023 to September 2026 | Value |
|---|---|
| Permits / firms | 11,396 / 709 |
| Firms matched to an active license | 96.5% |
| Firms whose matched license is expired, suspended or similar | 25 (3.5%) |
| Usual days from issue to sign-off | 350 |
| Signed off (permits a year or more old) | 77.5% |
| Usual filed value | $28,000 |
| Busiest / quietest month | April (index 111) / February (86) |
| Busiest firm, last 12 months of the file | American Standard P&H Cor (199 permits) |
A usual 350 days from issue to sign-off is longer than the 180-day correction limit. If an inspection finds a leak that needs a gas permit, pick a plumber whose past permits actually close: the 10th-percentile busy firm signed off only 55.7% of its permits, against 89.5% at the 90th. Plumbing work also peaks in April; booking a 2027 district's inspection in the quiet February stretch leaves the most room for corrections.
Compare NYC plumbers by share of permits signed off →
Prices by firm: NYC plumbing cost. Permit rules for the repair itself: NYC plumbing permit. Counts by year: NYC permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Our file counts plumbing permits; a Local Law 152 inspection with no repair files a certification, not a permit, so inspections themselves are not in these numbers. Sign-off rates include every kind of plumbing job, not only gas. And DOB's summary lists no dollar amount for penalties, so neither do we; ask the plumber for the current schedule on the DOB NOW: Safety filing.
How we know this
Coverage, the cycle and sub-cycle table, deadlines, the DOB NOW: Safety move and the fee table are quoted from the Department of Buildings' Local Law 152 summary updated July 2026, read 23 October 2026. Our figures are NYC Department of Buildings plumbing permits, October 2023 to September 2026; sign-off share uses permits a year or more old, days run from issue to sign-off, and license status comes from the DOB license file matched by name.
Numbers come from NYC Department of Buildings permits and DOB NOW filings on one- and two-family homes (NYC Open Data), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Do one- and two-family homes need a Local Law 152 inspection?
No. The Department of Buildings says 'One- and two-family homes, and other buildings classified in Occupancy Group R-3, are not required to comply.' If DOB's records show your house differently, you can file for a waiver with documents showing the R-3 or one- and two-family classification. A three-family house or larger is covered.
- Which community districts are due for Local Law 152 in 2026?
Community Districts 4, 6, 8, 9 and 16 are in Sub-Cycle C of Cycle 2, due 1 January to 31 December 2026. Districts 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 are due in 2027. An extension gives 180 extra days after the end of the sub-cycle for the initial certification.
- How much does it cost to file a Local Law 152 certification?
DOB's filing fee for a private owner's initial certification with gas service is $35; $480 with gas piping but no gas service; $375 with no gas piping. A Certification of Correction and each extension request are $35. The plumber's inspection fee is separate and set by the plumber.
- Who can do a Local Law 152 gas inspection?
A Licensed Master Plumber (LMP); DOB also accepts filings from a Journeyman Plumber who names the supervising LMP, or a Registered Design Professional. The inspecting party files an Inspection Notification at least 2 calendar days before the first inspection. 96.5% of NYC plumbing firms in our file matched an active license.
- How long do I have to fix gas piping problems found in a Local Law 152 inspection?
Corrections have to be completed within 120 or 180 days of the inspection date; a 120-day selection can be extended up to the 180-day limit. Plumbing permits in our NYC file took a usual 350 days from issue to sign-off, so a repair that needs a permit should start right away.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
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