Boilers in New York City: DOB inspections, rebates and contractors

Quick answer: New York City is one of the few US cities where boilers are the norm: EIA survey data puts steam or hot water boilers as the main heating in 35% of New York State homes, against 8% nationally. Boilers in one- to five-family homes are exempt from the city’s annual boiler inspection, but any boiler work must be done by a Licensed Master Plumber or Licensed Oil Burner Installer. A standard-efficiency boiler replacement typically costs $2,200–$7,000 nationally (HomeGuide, checked September 2026).

If you own a brownstone, a two-family house in Queens or a co-op with its own heating plant, you are likely dealing with a boiler, often a steam one. This guide covers what is different in New York City: the Department of Buildings (DOB) boiler rules, who may work on a boiler, the heat season, and what Con Edison and National Grid offer.

Why boilers are common here

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes state-level figures from its 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey. They show how unusual New York is:

Main heating equipment	New York State	United States
Steam or hot water boiler	35% of homes	8% of homes
Furnace (warm air)	44%	60%
Central heat pump	3%	13%

The figures are statewide; EIA does not publish them for the city. If you are not sure whether your radiators run on steam or hot water, read steam vs hot water radiator systems before you ask for quotes, because the replacement is priced differently.

NYC boiler inspections: what the DOB requires

The annual inspection rule, often referred to as Local Law 62 of 1991, is run by the DOB Boiler Unit. According to the DOB’s Guide to Boilers, every boiler in the city must be inspected each year, with these exceptions among others:

Boiler	Annual DOB inspection?
Low-pressure boiler in a residential building with five dwellings or fewer	No
Boiler heating a single dwelling unit (in any building type)	No
Boiler rated at 100,000 BTU input or less	No
Low-pressure boiler in a residential building with six or more dwellings, or any SRO building	Yes, every calendar year
Low-pressure boiler in a mixed-use or commercial building	Yes
High-pressure boiler	Yes: an internal and an external inspection, roughly six months apart, by an authorised insurance company

The inspection cycle runs from 1 January to 31 December. The guide says the initial inspection report must be filed within 45 days of the inspection and lists a $30 filing fee, with a late penalty of $50 a month and a $1,000 full penalty for failing to file; defects found must be corrected and certified within 180 days. Filing is now done in DOB NOW: Safety. The fee table in the guide dates from the switch to DOB NOW, so confirm current amounts with your inspector.

Even if your home is exempt, a new boiler (or one with more than half its sections or components replaced, including the burner) must pass a DOB First Test Inspection before use; without sign-off it is treated as unregistered and can draw an OATH/ECB violation.

Who may work on a boiler in NYC

The DOB says boiler work permits are issued only to a Licensed Master Plumber (LMP) or a Licensed Oil Burner Installer (LOBI), and only those licensees or the employees they supervise may work on the piping. Even work that needs no permit, such as ordinary repairs, must be done by an LMP or LOBI. The DOB also requires LMPs and LOBIs to have a place of business in the city, not a home office, and an LMP must show the licence number on trucks, business cards and adverts.

Heat season and landlord duties

If you rent, the boiler is your landlord’s responsibility. HPD, the city housing department, sets the rules:

Rule	What HPD requires
Heat season	1 October to 31 May
Daytime, 6am to 10pm	At least 68°F inside when it is below 55°F outside
Night, 10pm to 6am	At least 62°F inside, whatever the outside temperature
Hot water	All year, at a constant minimum of 120°F

See also boiler problems in a rented home for the general principles.

Heating oil in older buildings

No. 6 heating oil is already banned, and Local Law 32 of 2023 bans No. 4 oil in all remaining buildings from 1 July 2027 (RAND Engineering & Architecture). If you are replacing any oil boiler, compare gas, oil and a heat pump. Our oil boiler replacement guide covers the trade-offs.

Con Edison and National Grid rebates

Con Edison pays heat pump incentives under the NYS Clean Heat programme, deducted from the contractor’s invoice. You must use a Con Edison participating contractor.

Con Edison air-source heat pump offer	Single-family home	Apartment
Remove or disable old heating, Weatherized Tier	$10,000	$5,000
Remove or disable old heating, standard rate	$7,000	$3,500
Same, Disadvantaged Community (Weatherized / standard)	$11,000 / $8,000	$5,500 / $4,000
Keep old heating with integrated controls	$2,500 ($4,500 in a Disadvantaged Community)	$1,000 ($2,000)

Con Edison caps incentives at 70% of project cost, or 85% in a Disadvantaged Community. The Weatherized Tier needs a properly insulated and air-sealed home.

National Grid supplies gas in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. Its New York energy efficiency pages currently say that its Total Home Comfort programme is not accepting new applications and that its in-store Midstream rebates are no longer available. Older National Grid gas boiler rebate forms still circulate online, so check before you count on one. The federal Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, which paid up to $2,000 towards a qualifying heat pump, applied to installations through 31 December 2025 (ENERGY STAR). Some older cost guides and contractor pages still mention it, so do not count it in a 2026 budget.

Typical boiler prices

We have not found a reliable New York City-only price survey for boiler replacement. HomeGuide puts a standard-efficiency boiler replacement at $2,200–$7,000 and a high-efficiency one at $4,000–$10,000, with a gas boiler replacement typically $4,000–$9,000 and an oil boiler replacement $3,300–$7,200 (standard efficiency). A boiler inspection is typically $70–$125 and an average repair $150–$700. All figures were checked in September 2026 and are national; see our US boiler costs guide for the full table. Get at least two written quotes for the same specification.

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How to choose a boiler contractor in NYC

Check the licence. Ask for the LMP or LOBI licence number and check it on the DOB’s licence and registration search. For an oil boiler, an LOBI is the relevant licence; for gas, an LMP.
Ask who files with the DOB. A replacement needs a permit and a First Test Inspection. The contractor should arrange both and give you the sign-off.
Steam needs steam experience. Ask how many steam boilers they have replaced.
For a heat pump, make sure the firm is a Con Edison participating contractor, or the Clean Heat incentive will not apply.

Our guide to comparing boiler quotes like for like has a checklist of questions to ask.

Boiler and heating firms in New York City

These businesses appear in public business listings for New York City, and each has its own website describing boiler or heating work. We have not checked their work, prices, licences or insurance, and they have not paid to appear. Check the licence yourself before you book.