What you need to know about Local Law 126

Building owners and managers were recently confronted with a harsh reminder of the role that New York City's many required filings and inspections have on integrity and safety after the collapse of the 57 Ann St parking garage. One relevant requirement is called Local Law 126 (LL126), which requires the periodic inspection of parking garage structures to be filed with the city at minimum every 6 years.

First rolled out to select buildings in Manhattan in 2022, all buildings in New York City that have a parking structure will need to complete their first inspection to comply with LL126 within the next 4 years or sooner.

What is your inspection cycle? 

The deadline for your first LL126 filing is determined by your building’s community district:

• Manhattan Community Districts 1-7 are between January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023
• Manhattan Community Districts 8-12 and all Brooklyn Community Districts are between January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025
• Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island Community Districts are between January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2027

In the unfortunate example of 57 Ann St, the building was in Manhattan Community District 1, where the final deadline to comply with LL126 was this year.

What is considered a parking structure?

A parking structure that must comply with LL126 is:

• A building or a portion of a building used for parking or storing motor vehicles, including space inside or under a building;
• Open parking garages and enclosed parking garages as defined in the NYC Building Code.

A parking structure that is not considered part of LL126 is:

• An autobody/automotive repair shop, an automotive showroom, or an automotive service station; 
• A garage with occupancy of fewer than three cars;
• Unenclosed and unattached lots;
• Garages serving one- and two-family homes. 

What is being inspected?

‍A qualified parking structure inspector (QPSI) is an eligible professional engineer that will review the garage’s condition, conducting a structural assessment and noting any evidence of deterioration. Any unsafe conditions must be repaired within 90 days of filing a condition assessment report, and an amended report must be filed within two weeks of finalizing the work. 

For more information on Local Law 126 and parking structure safety, watch our webinar with the architecture and engineering firm O&S Associates.‍

How can I get a reminder of my deadline?

Super’s compliance monitoring service includes Local Law 126 as part of a building’s NYC compliance checklist. We cross-reference your building address’s Community District with the cycle for Local Law 126 (as well as other Local Laws and regulation, such as LL152 for periodic gas line inspections every 4 years) to automatically populate your calendar with your first inspection deadline, and a recurring reminder for the subsequent inspection every 6 years.

We’ll remind you when the deadline is approaching as well as if it is overdue and has not been marked as done.