Local Law 152 requires periodic gas piping inspections for most multi-family residential and mixed-use buildings in New York City. Buildings that miss their inspection filing deadline face DOB violations and fines that accumulate daily until the report is filed.
If you own or manage a multi-family building in Brooklyn, Queens, or anywhere in the five boroughs, here is what you need to know.
What does Local Law 152 require?
Local Law 152 requires a licensed master plumber to physically inspect all exposed gas piping within a building — from the utility meter through the distribution system to each appliance connection. The inspection covers:
- All exposed gas piping, fittings, unions, and flexible connectors
- Drip legs and sediment traps
- Shutoff valves and their accessibility
- Pipe supports and hangers
- Any evidence of corrosion, damage, or improper installation
The inspecting plumber must file a report with the NYC Department of Buildings confirming the inspection was completed and documenting any conditions found.
Who does it apply to?
Local Law 152 applies to buildings with gas service that are classified as Class B multiple dwellings (six or more units) and most commercial buildings with gas service. Owner-occupied one- and two-family homes are generally exempt.
If you are unsure whether your building is covered, the DOB’s Building Information System (BIS) lists the occupancy classification for every NYC address.
How often do inspections need to happen?
Inspections are required every four years. The city assigns inspection windows based on community board district — not all buildings are due in the same year. Your building’s current cycle and next filing deadline can be looked up through the DOB.
Missing the window does not mean you skip it — it means you are out of compliance and accruing violations until the report is filed.
What happens if deficiencies are found?
If the inspection identifies conditions that do not meet current code — corroded fittings, unsupported risers, failed drip legs, deteriorated flexible connectors — those conditions must be remediated before the inspection report can be filed with a clean result. The same plumber who performed the inspection typically handles the remediation, since they have already mapped the full distribution system.
In older Brooklyn and Queens buildings — pre-war construction from the 1890s through the 1940s — original black-iron gas distribution is common. At 80 to 130 years old, this piping warrants careful inspection. Common findings include corroded threaded joints, missing drip legs, and riser sections with inadequate support. None of these are automatic failures requiring full pipe replacement, but they do need to be corrected before the DOB report is filed.
What does the inspection involve on the day?
The inspection requires access to all areas of the building where gas piping runs — basement, boiler room, risers, and in some cases individual apartment connections. For multi-family buildings this means coordinating tenant access ahead of time, which We Pipe helps facilitate with advance notice documentation.
A typical inspection in a four- to six-story Brooklyn walk-up takes several hours. The master plumber documents all findings, and if remediation is needed, that work is scheduled and completed before the filing deadline.
How We Pipe handles Local Law 152
We perform the full LL152 scope for buildings in Brooklyn, Queens, and the surrounding boroughs:
- Full inspection by a licensed master plumber
- Documentation of all findings
- Remediation of any deficiencies identified
- Filing of the required report with the NYC Department of Buildings
We track the filing deadline throughout the process and do not consider the job complete until the DOB report is filed and confirmed.
If you manage multiple buildings, we can coordinate inspection scheduling across your portfolio to keep all properties current on the same service calendar.
Send us your building address and we’ll confirm your community board district, your current inspection window, and what the inspection scope looks like for your specific building.