LL97 Covered Buildings List FAQs

A BBL (borough, block and lot) is a 10-digit identifier provided to the Department of Buildings (DOB) by the Department of Finance (DOF), to identify the tax lots containing buildings that meet the square footage threshold of LL97. A BBL can include one building or multiple buildings. Note that LL97 compliance requirements must be demonstrated at the building level (as designated by a Building Identification Number, or BIN) rather than BBL level.

If you believe your building is erroneously listed on the LL97 CBL due to the square footage of your building, contact the NYC Department of Finance at sustainablebuildings@finance.nyc.gov. Please include the following in the email:

• borough, block, and lot number of the building
• contact information: name, email address and/or telephone number
• explanation of your dispute and RDP certification if applicable

Once you receive confirmation related to your dispute from the NYC Department of Finance you can submit a “01. Covered Buildings List (CBL) Disputes” ticket on BEAM. For more information on submitting CBL Disputes please see the CBL Disputes User Guide.

If you believe your building is a “garden style apartment” as described in exception #2 of the definition “covered building” in § 28-320.1 of the NYC Administrative Code or exception #1 of the definition of “covered building” in § 28-321.1 of the NYC Administrative Code, you may submit a “01. Covered Buildings List (CBL) Disputes” ticket on BEAM. Please include the following in the email:

Documentation signed and stamped by a registered design professional (RDP) including all of the following information:

• Documentation demonstrating the covered building is three stories or less.
• NYC Department of Finance (DOF) tax records classifying the covered building as residential Property Type.
• Proof of the occupancy group on the Certificate of Occupancy (CO).
• Provide a statement that no central HVAC or hot-water systems in the covered building serve more than 25,000 (2322.5 m2) gross square feet.
• Provide a date stamped picture of the building, within the past year, with a geo-tag.
• A single letter may cover multiple lots, blocks, or BBLs, as long as they are contiguous and under the same ownership in DOF records.

A single letter may cover multiple lots, blocks, or BBLs, as long as they are contiguous and under the same ownership in DOF records.

For more information on submitting CBL Disputes please see the LL97 CBL Disputes User Guide.

Yes. Previously, DOB provided different Covered Buildings (CBLs) for each of the LL97 compliance pathways. The current LL97 CBL combines all compliance pathways identified for a BBL into a single document. It is still true that for BBLs with multiple buildings, the CBL does not distinguish which building/BIN is subject to a particular compliance pathway. Compliance pathway(s) must be confirmed in LL97 compliance reports at the BIN level.

Multiple compliance pathways may apply to a BBL because:

1. There are multiple buildings on the BBL.
   LL97 requires compliance at the level of an individual building (as designated by a Building Identification Number, or BIN), even though the identifying information in the CBLs are tax lots (as designated by a Borough-Block-and-Lot number, or BBL). If there are multiple buildings on a BBL, such buildings may be subject to different compliance paths. Each building must demonstrate compliance with the compliance path that is appropriate for that building, regardless of the appropriate compliance path for other buildings on the same lot.
2. A building qualifies for multiple compliance paths.
   If one building qualifies for multiple compliance paths, such building is required to demonstrate compliance with the highest tiered compliance path, as identified by the CBL Matrix. The tiers are listed below from lowest to highest:

• • All Article 320 properties “CP0”
  • 2026 Rent Regulated “CP1”
  • 2035 Income Restricted “CP2”
  • Article 321 “CP3”
  • City Buildings/NYCHA “CP4”

For example, if a building is classified as BOTH CP0 and CP2, the higher tier is CP2 and the building should demonstrate compliance with CP2. Where there is uncertainty regarding a building’s compliance pathway due to the affordability status of the dwelling units in such building, consult the CBL Matrix.

The "Covered Buildings List (CBL) Disputes" ticket may be used to dispute the inclusion or exclusion of a building on the LL97 CBL. Please consult the CBL Dispute User Guide prior to submitting your dispute.

As of March 10, 2025, all CBL disputes must be submitted via the LL97 reporting platform, BEAM (Building Energy Analysis Manger). Your dispute will not be processed unless you submit it on BEAM.

All existing CBL disputes submitted by email prior to March 10, 2025, will be resolved by email. You do not need to submit an additional CBL dispute ticket on BEAM if you submitted a CBL dispute by email before this date..

There may be multiple BINs on the BBL because there are multiple buildings on the BBL

LL97 compliance, including the submission of reports and assessment of any penalties, is at the level of an individual building (as designated by a Building Identification Number, or BIN). A BBL (borough, block and lot) can include one building or multiple buildings.

Each individual building has its own compliance pathway, specific to the legal status of that building. The CBL Matrix sets out DOB’s preliminary data for the different compliance pathways indicated for a BBL that a building may be subject to. However, the CBL does not distinguish which building/BIN is subject to a particular compliance pathway. Each building must submit a compliance report in accordance with the compliance pathway that applies to the specific building, regardless of the compliance pathway that another building on the same BBL may be subject to.

There may be historical or obsolete BINs on the BBL

Generally, the LL97 Reporting Portal (BEAM) has been set up using the building information that appears on the LL97 CBL. The BBL has been provided by DOF, and the BINs are every BIN associated with that BBL that appears on BIS, including potentially historical or obsolete BINs. DOB needs building owners (and/or their service providers) to submit a CBL dispute ticket in BEAM if the BBL and/or the BIN used to identify a building on the CBL should be updated.

NOTE: Where a single building has multiple BINs, filing should be submitted for one BIN only – there is no need to file multiple times for each BIN. Additionally, a single building should not be filed as a campus. Any obsolete BINs listed on the LL97 CBL should be identified in the CBL dispute ticket and not used as the BIN for reporting, unless it is the only BIN listed for that building on the CBL (in this case, the BIN will be updated for future reporting years).

CBL disputes correcting the BIN/BBL or the number of BINs/BBLs associated with your property will be incorporated after this year’s reports are submitted. Here is how to enter (BIN(s) and BBL(s)) in ESPM for this first reporting year:

• If you have a single building with multiple BINs on the LL97 CBL and at least one BIN is active:
  • Report on one active BIN (and disregard all other BIN(s)
• If you have a single building with no active BIN(s) on the LL97 CBL
  • Report using one BIN listed on the LL97 CBL (and disregard that the BIN is obsolete)

Upon acceptance of your CBL dispute, the updated BIN and/or BBL will need to be incorporated into your building’s ESPM property profile before importing any ESPM data into BEAM. Your ESPM data will only upload to BEAM if the BBL/BIN associated with your building in ESPM are the same as the BBL/BIN in BEAM, and the BBL/BIN in BEAM will be the information on the LL97 CBL until your CBL dispute is approved.

If you have an active CBL Dispute regarding your compliance pathway, you should submit your report based on the compliance pathway you believe is correct, as asserted in your dispute. For reporting year 2024, no penalty will be issued for failure to report if you’ve submitted a report based on the above and your CBL Dispute is denied.

If you believe that one or more unit, but less than 35% of the dwelling units, or that more than 35% of the dwelling units in your building are rent regulated, and this is not reflected on the CBL, submit a "Covered Buildings List (CBL) Dispute" ticket may be used. Please consult the CBL Dispute User Guide prior to submitting your dispute.

The following supporting documentation must be uploaded on your CBL Dispute Ticket:

• DHCR Certified Annual Registration Summary from the current or previous calendar year, showing number of units under rent regulation. Owners can request records here: orarecords@hcr.ny.gov
• If the number of rent controlled units determines the building’s compliance pathway, please supply a signed letter from a lawyer, confirming that of the dwelling units in the building:
  • 1 or more units but less than 35% of the dwelling units are rent regulated (rent controlled or rent stabilized). OR
  • over 35% of the dwelling units in the building are rent regulated (rent controlled or rent stabilized). that of the dwelling units in the building over 35% are rent regulated (rent controlled or rent stabilized).

LL97 defines “house of worship” as a building whose main use or dominant occupancy is classified as occupancy group A-3 of 2022 NYC BC or equivalent to A-3 from prior codes, i.e., religious house of worship. This means that greater than 50% of the building is used as assembly space for religious worship purposes. Such buildings are subject to Article 321 “CP3.” DOB requires these building owners to self-identify as follows:

Building with no “CP3” noted in LL97 CBL & Building with “CP3” and other Compliance Pathway numbers are noted in LL97 CBL: 

• Submit Ticket 01. Covered Buildings List (CBL) Disputes in BEAM first to identify the building is a House of Worship subject to Article 321 by completing ‘House of Worship Verification Form’, and ‘House of Worship Use Verification Sheet’ with correct BBL/BIN information. Please note the review and determination of this CBL Dispute may take weeks depending on the quality of the submission in the ticket.
• Building owners may opt to submit Ticket 05. LL97 Compliance Report (Article 321) along with the CBL Dispute Ticket – please note, however, the determination of the CBL Dispute may result in that the building is not qualified as a House of Worship.

 Building with “CP3” alone is noted in LL97 CBL:

• The building is already identified as a House of Worship subject to Article 321. Building owners are required to submit  Ticket 05. LL97 Compliance Report (Article 321) to demonstrate compliance with LL97.

 Building that received a House of Wordship Verification from the Department:

For buildings that have already submitted ‘House of Worship Verification Form’, and ‘House of Worship Use Verification Sheet’ to GHGemissions@buildings.nyc.gov and received an email from the Department with the subject noting “Verified – House of Worship”, building owners are required to submit  Ticket 05. LL97 Compliance Report (Article 321) to demonstrate compliance with LL97.

The 421-a Tax Incentive alone is not enough to determine a building’s compliance path under LL97. While in receipt of 421-A tax benefits, the rental units in a building will likely be rent stabilized, but following expiry of the tax benefits these units may be de-stabilized and the building may no longer be subject to Article 321. A building must participate in one of the programs listed on the CBL Matrix to qualify for an alternative compliance path under the law.

If there are multiple BINs or BBLs associated with a single building, DOB will need the building owner to confirm the preferred active BIN/BBL to be used going forward. This can be done by submitting a “01. Covered Buildings List (CBL) Disputes” ticket on the LL97 Reporting Portal, BEAM, using the building’s primary BBL, address, and BIN in the initial three questions. In response to ‘What is your dispute,’ the owner should select ‘Remove from CBL’, and then option 11. In response to ‘Please select why your building should be removed from the CBL’, the owner should select ‘There are multiple BINs associated with my building on the CBL.’ Then the building owner should specify the appropriate BIN/BBL, which BIN/BBL to remove from the CBL, and if removing a BIN, in the explanation text box specify the BBL that the BIN to be removed is on. Such building owner should submit their LL97 report under the BIN/BBL that best represents the building (the appropriate BIN and BBL) Note: LL97 compliance, including the submission of reports and assessment of any penalties, is at the level of an individual building (as designated by a Building Identification Number, or BIN).

If you need to update the owner information on your building – for example, where a co-op shareholder is receiving communications as if that individual is the owner of entire co-op, you can share contact information for the appropriate person with DOB at BEAM_LL97@buildings.nyc.gov. You may also update the owner information on your building when submitting the first LL97 compliance report in 2025, the first reporting year for LL97.