LL97 Covered Buildings List FAQs

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What is a BBL?

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.

My building does not meet the LL97 square foot threshold - how do I remove it from the CBL?

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.

My building is a garden style apartment  and should not be subject to LL97 - how do I remove it from the CBL?

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.

Has the CBL format changed?

Yes. The 2025 LL97 CBL displayed all covered BBLs in New York City, but the 2026 LL97 CBL is split into the five boroughs to reduce file size. The 2025 LL97 CBL marked all of the compliance pathways that could apply to any of the buildings on a lot, without specifying which building, whereas the 2026 LL97 CBL marks compliance pathways only where they are shown to apply to a specific building (BIN). If there is no BIN-specific information showing a specific pathway applies to a building, then it is shown as being subject to Compliance Pathway 0 (Article 320, beginning 2024).

How should a building that meets the definition for multiple compliance pathways comply?

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:

  1. Article 320, beginning 2024: ‘Compliance Pathway 0’ (CP0)
  2. Article 320, beginning 2026: ‘Compliance Pathway 1’ (CP1)
  3. Article 320, beginning 2035: ‘Compliance Pathway 2’ (CP2)
  4. Article 321: ‘Compliance Pathway 3’ (CP3)
  5. City Buildings/NYCHA: ‘Compliance Pathway 4’ (CP4)

For example, if a building meets the definition of 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, consult the CBL Matrix..

How do I dispute my building’s compliance pathway, as listed on the LL97 CBL?

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.

There are multiple BINs on my building’s BBL. How should I comply?

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.

What do I do if I am waiting for a dispute to be resolved?

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 calendar year 2024, (reporting year 2025), 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. You will have until May 1, 2026 to submit the correct report relating to calendar year 2024 (reporting year 2025), in addition to any report required for calendar year 2025 (reporting year 2026).

My building contains units that are rent controlled or rent stabilized, and should be subject to Article 320 “CP1” or Article 321 “CP3”, what should I do?

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).

Houses of Worship

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: 

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

 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.

My building received the 421-a Tax Incentive and I believe that I should be subject to Article 321 “CP3”, what should I do?

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.

I had a CBL dispute approved in 2025. Why is this not reflected in the 2026 LL97 CBL?

Disputes approved after December 22, 2025 will not be reflected in the 2026 LL97 CBL. However, the 2026 LL97 CBL will be updated to include the outcome of these approved disputes.

The compliance pathway marked for my building in the 2026 LL97 CBL is different to the compliance pathway that the building complied with for calendar year 2024 (reporting year 2025). What should I do?

As DOB gets more accurate and more up to date information, compliance pathways for individual buildings will change. This does not mean that a report submitted in 2025, in line with what was on the 2025 LL97 CBL or a dispute, was incorrect. If the compliance pathway marked in the 2026 LL97 CBL is incorrect, submit a dispute as set out in the answer to the prior question ‘How do I dispute my building’s compliance pathway, as listed on the LL97 CBL?’.

What do I do if there are multiple BINs or BBLs associated with my building on the CBL?

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. 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).

How do I update the owner information on my building?

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.