Gas Inspection Fees to Hit Multifamily

One benefit of being a reporter is having access to the press offices at otherwise impenetrable government agencies.

You might wonder, “Shouldn’t I as a building owner have at least as much access as the media does?” In a perfect world, yes, but — reality check — you don’t.

There is some logic to this. The press office can share information with a reporter who in turn shares it with thousands of customers, as I am about to do on a law affecting multifamily buildings.

The Department of Buildings has one of the most responsive press offices in city government. So when I got a curious letter from JTG Master Plumbing about new fees for gas inspections, I checked it out with DOB.

Local Law 152, enacted in 2016, requires an inspection of gas piping in most multifamily buildings every four years by a city-licensed master plumber (or a qualified person working for one).

Inspections began in 2020 and the second round is underway. Plumbers have generally charged $600 per inspection, but at least there was no DOB filing fee.

Soon, however, there will be, the letter from JTG warned.

But I was skeptical of its claim that “after Feb. 22, 2026, filing fees of up to $480 will apply for extensions, corrections, and no gas filings. This will slow down scheduling & increase costs for everyone.”

Then came the pitch: “Avoid these new costs by completing your inspection before the rule change takes effect in February. We recommend that you complete your inspection and filing before the Dec. 31 due date to prevent fees and penalties.”

From the letter, I couldn’t tell what the fee for my building would be and whether the deadline to avoid it is Feb. 22 or Dec. 31.

I wrote to JPG, which replied, but I was still confused. So I emailed the DOB press office. Here are the facts:

New rules for Local Law 152 took effect Jan. 3, 2026. Fourteen people commented at the October hearing for the proposed rules — hats off to these folks! — but DOB didn’t make any changes.

The new fee for certification of the gas piping inspection will be $35. Requesting an extension or submitting a corrected filing will also set you back $35.

What about the February deadline? There is none. DOB will start collecting fees this summer, probably after posting a service notice here.

And the $480 filing fee that JPG put in boldface and italics but failed to explain? That’s for buildings without active gas service but with gas piping that could be used in the future. Not too many of those.

If your property was built all-electric, congratulations … but you’re not off the hook. Local Law 152 still obliges you to certify that your building has no gas piping.

A story in The Real Deal about your all-electric coolness does not suffice. You still need to hire a master plumber and pay $375 for the filing fee. The good news is that you only have to do it once.