Citywide DOB · Local Law 97 of 2019 · High
First LL97 report card: 95 percent filed, penalties now being collected
DOB released its Local Law 97 year-one report on September 14. Of 29,031 buildings required to report for 2024, about 95 percent of properties filed. Among market-rate Article 320 filers, more than 9,950 met their emissions limits.
The overages: 470 properties exceeded their limits. About 32 percent of those were less than 10 percent over, and 197 were between 10 and 50 percent over. Alternative compliance tools barely registered: 79 properties used affordable housing fund offsets, 31 used solar, 10 used combined heat and power, and 6 used beneficial electrification credits.
Enforcement: DOB sent 1,014 failure-to-file notices. Of 664 cases referred to OATH, only 65 filed afterward, leaving 599 outstanding. Emissions penalties collected so far total about $270,000. Filing rates varied by borough: Manhattan 98 percent, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx 92 to 93 percent, and Staten Island 84 percent.
The next cliff is 2030, when limits tighten by roughly 40 percent. DOB officials said high fines are forcing action and that the goal this year is 100 percent filing.
Impact
Most buildings are under their 2024 to 2029 cap. Many will not be under the 2030 cap. If your business owns its building, or holds a long lease with a pass-through clause, ask for the building's 2030 gap estimate now. Retrofit lead times run two to three years, and that window opens next year.
Citywide SBS · Int. 0090-2026 · High
Storefront lease bill of rights gets its hearing
The Committee on Small Business heard four bills on September 16. The one with the most direct impact on rent is Int. 0090 from Council Member Gale Brewer, a Storefront Business Bill of Rights.
Int. 0090 would require a written lease for any storefront tenancy longer than one year, give tenants an option to extend for up to one year with a rent increase capped at 10 percent, require owners to disclose relevant information about the premises, and direct SBS to publish model storefront leases in multiple languages. Courts could award damages, attorneys' fees, and civil penalties.
Int. 0874 from Council Member Virginia Maloney would create a Legacy Business Registry and Preservation Fund for businesses operating in the city at least 20 years. Grants could go to the business or to a property owner who offers a legacy business a 10-year lease. The committee also heard Int. 0408, a pilot matching small businesses with social media creators, and Int. 0578, reforming the industrial business zone boundary commission. All four were laid over.
Impact
None of these bills is law. Tenants on a handshake or month-to-month arrangement should get a written lease now regardless, since Int. 0090's renewal protections would attach to written tenancies. Businesses open 20 years or more should ask their Council Member about a legacy nomination if Int. 0874 advances.
Citywide DCWP · Self-Storage Rule · Standard
Self-storage rule takes effect September 17
DCWP's rule for self-storage facilities and storage warehouses took effect September 17, implementing the licensing and fee disclosure laws that kicked in August 25.
The rule fills in the operational details of Local Laws 171 and 162 of 2025: how facilities disclose rates and fees, and the process required before a unit is restricted or its contents are sold. It follows the Extra Space settlement, which also required advance notice of price increases and auctions.
Impact
Facility operators should match their rental agreements, posted rates, and late-fee and auction notices to the rule text this month. Business tenants who store inventory should keep a copy of their agreement and every rate notice, since the disclosure requirements give you something concrete to point to in a dispute.
Brooklyn · Manhattan DSNY · Local Law 199 of 2019 · Critical
Phase 6 waste zone sign-up opens October 1
Brooklyn North and Upper Manhattan businesses have 17 days until the Phase 6 sign-up window opens on October 1. The window closes November 30, and full implementation is December 1.
Brooklyn North covers Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Upper Manhattan covers Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood. Together the two zones include roughly 8,000 to 10,000 commercial establishments.
Phase 5 showed how the final weeks go. Carters are swamped in the last ten days, and businesses that wait end up signing whatever is available. The businesses that did best in Midtown South and on Staten Island requested quotes in the first two weeks of the window.
Impact
Use the next two weeks to gather your last three months of hauling invoices, your weekly volume by stream (trash, recycling, organics), and your preferred pickup window. With that in hand, you can request and compare three quotes in the first week of October.
Editorial note
The Weekly Rundown is informational reporting, not legal advice. Fine ranges and deadlines are drawn from official NYC and NYS agency publications and established reporting as of the week covered. Laws change; verify the specific citation linked on each story before making a compliance decision. Quantitative impact estimates are modeled against a typical NYC small business and will vary by size, sector, and address.