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Cooling Tower Registration and Maintenance

Guidance on Cooling Tower Operation and Shutdown

Learn tips on operation and shutdown procedures for cooling tower systems (CTS). Identify your system’s operating mode and address risks of Legionella growth:


In response to the 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease that was attributed to cooling towers, the City requires all building owners to register, maintain, and test their cooling towers, fluid coolers, and evaporative condensers.

Registration and Annual Certification

Building owners and property managers are required to register cooling towers, fluid coolers and evaporative condensers with the City in the NYC Cooling Tower Registration Portal.

Annual certification stating the cooling tower has been inspected, tested, cleaned and disinfected in compliance with NYC cooling tower regulations must be submitted to the portal by November 1 each year. Instructions on how to submit the certification, statement of non-operation or decommissioning are provided below.

Technical and Registration Assistance

You can get technical assistance with registering a cooling tower by emailing ctcompliance@health.nyc.gov or by creating an account on the NYC Cooling Tower Registration Portal and navigating to the Help FAQ tab.

Maintenance

Building owners and property managers must follow the cooling tower maintenance and testing regulations — Chapter 8 of the Rules of the City of New York (PDF), in compliance with Local Law 77 of 2015 (PDF).

Maintenance Program and Plan

As a building owner, you must retain a qualified person to develop and implement a Maintenance Program and Plan (MPP) for your cooling tower system. The MPP describes procedures for describing monitoring, cleaning, disinfection, and all other activities taken to prevent and control Legionella growth.

Learn more about the City’s MPP requirements.

Inspecting and Disinfecting

Building owners are required to ensure cooling tower maintenance and management activities are conducted appropriately. You must log and maintain all records regarding cooling tower system:

  • Routine maintenance
  • Compliance inspections
  • Observed deficiencies
  • Corrective actions
  • Water treatment
  • Test results
  • Cleaning
  • Disinfection

Learn more about inspecting and disinfecting cooling towers.

Compliance and Enforcement

The City conducts yearly inspections of cooling tower systems, Maintenance Program and Plans, and operational records. You can look up inspection results of cooling tower systems by building address or building identification number (BIN).

You can learn more about the city's cooling tower inspection process here:

If an inspection finds potential violations, building owners may receive summonses subject to fines.

Owners of Buildings Without Cooling Towers

Owners of buildings without cooling towers do not have to register.

You may check if your building has a registered cooling tower at NYC Open Data. To decommission a registered cooling tower, navigate to the NYC Cooling Tower Registration Portal and complete and upload a decommissioning form. For further assistance, contact ctcompliance@health.nyc.gov. Be sure your email includes your building's address and Building Identification Number (BIN), if known.

Additional Resources

More Information