For NYC landlords · Local Law 55 of 2018
Mold and pest investigations, every year, on file.
Every building with three or more units investigates every occupied unit and the common areas for mold, mice, rats and cockroaches at least once a year, gives a notice with every lease and certifies every turnover. One record per unit, with the contractor’s affidavit next to the work.
- Investigation reports per unit and the common areas
- Lease notices and turnover certifications dated
- 14 days free, no card
- 2AAnnual allergen investigationDone Mar 1 · no mold or pests · next by Mar 1, 2027Done
- 3BInvestigation found moldRemediate, then file the affidavit of work practicesFix
- 4CNew leaseAllergen lease notice with the DOHMH pamphletDue
- AllCommon areas investigationDone Mar 1 · report on fileDone
Sample data. Not real records.
Why the records matter
Rats are Class C, and the fines run by the day.
HPD classes mold by the square foot and pests by the kind: roaches, mice or rats anywhere are Class C, 21 days to correct. The penalties rose in December 2023, and a correction you cannot back with an affidavit is the costly one.
Civil penalty for a Class C violation in a building of five or fewer units, plus $50–150 a day; $150–1,200 plus $150–1,200 a day with six or more. Class A is $50–150 plus $25 a day, Class B $75–500 plus $25–125 a day.
NYC Admin Code §27-2115, as amended by Local Law 71 of 2023Up to $10,000, for mold or pest work done without the required work practices. A false certification of correction is $2,000–10,000 each, and a misdemeanor.
NYC Admin Code §27-2115(o)(4), (o)(5)Rat violations in fiscal 2025 after HPD retrained its inspectors. False-certification penalties that year came to $82,000.
HPD, indoor allergen hazards report, FY2025What the law asks
The records Local Law 55 expects you to keep.
Multiple dwellings, three or more units. Co-op and condo units occupied by the shareholder or owner, and NYCHA, are out. Nothing in the law sets a retention period, so keep every report, notice and affidavit with the unit.
Last verified Oct 13, 2026
- 01Annual investigationEvery occupied unit and the common areas, at least once a year, and again when you learn of a condition, a tenant complains or asks, or HPD issues a violation. HPD’s sample report: unit, purpose, findings, remedial action, who and when.
- 02Lease noticeIn every lease offered, new or renewal: HPD’s Appendix A notice with the DOHMH pamphlet, in English and the other languages HPD publishes them in. Keep a copy with the lease.
- 03Turnover certificationBefore a new tenant moves in: remediate all visible mold, pests and the defects behind them, clean owner-supplied carpet and furniture, and hand the tenant the signed certification (part 2 of the Appendix A notice).
- 04Pest work, the IPM wayHEPA-vacuum and wash nests and debris, seal holes and gaps, door sweeps to a quarter inch, fix the water sources. Pesticides only by a NYS DEC-licensed professional.
- 05Mold workFix the underlying defect, contain the area with plastic sheeting, mist, HEPA at the point of dust, clean with detergent, bag what cannot be cleaned, leave it dry and mold-free. Over 10 sq ft in a building of 10 or more units: a licensed assessor and a licensed remediator.
- 06Certification with an affidavitWithin 5 days of a violation’s deadline, the registered owner, officer or managing agent certifies the correction with an affidavit that the work practices were followed. HPD may ask for more documentation.
- 07What HPD asks to seeSince 2023 HPD’s Underlying Conditions orders require evidence of the annual investigation and the lease notice. The law sets no retention period and no produce-on-demand rule, so keep them for the life of the building.
Your year
The Local Law 55 year, and the clock after a violation.
- Every yearInvestigateEvery occupied unit and the common areas; one report per unit per calendar year, and again on a complaint, a condition you learn of, or a violation.
- Every leaseThe noticeNew lease or renewal: the Appendix A notice and the DOHMH pamphlet, a copy kept with the lease.
- Every turnoverRemediate, clean, certifyBefore the next tenant moves in: mold and pests gone, their causes fixed, carpet and furniture cleaned, the certification signed.
- 21 / 30 / 90 daysAfter an HPD violationClass C (roaches, mice or rats; 30+ sq ft of mold) 21 days, Class B 30 days, Class A 90 days. A postponement of up to 14 days is applied for within 5 days of the deadline; none for an upgraded Class C.
- Within 5 daysCertify the correctionOf the deadline, with the affidavit of work practices. An uncertified A becomes a B; an uncertified B becomes a C when HPD reinspects within 70 days.
How it works
Every unit, every deadline, every report. One file.
- 01
Add your buildings
Address, year built and every unit. Type them in or import a CSV from your spreadsheet.
- 02
See what each unit owes
The app works out what every unit needs under your city’s law, and when. You get a reminder before each deadline.
- 03
Log it on your phone
Notices, tenant replies, visits, clearances and certificates, each with its date and the report or photo.
- 04
Hand over one file
When HPD asks, download every record for a building as one PDF, in the order HPD asks for them.
Pricing
14 days free. Then a plan by your units.
No card to start. Four plans by the number of units you track; pay yearly and two months are free. Common areas and buildings you have sold are not counted. Unlimited people, records and photos on every plan.
Starter
Up to 10 units
$9/ month
or $90 a year
A house with a rented unit, a two- or three-family, a small building.
Building
Up to 40 units
$39/ month
or $390 a year
A few buildings, or one larger one.
Portfolio
Up to 120 units
$99/ month
or $990 a year
A portfolio across the city.
Manager
Up to 500 units
$349/ month
or $3490 a year
A management company.
Over 500 units: from $0.40 a unit a month, at least $349 a month, billed yearly on an invoice. Email [email protected].
FAQ
Straight answers.
Something else? Email [email protected]
Pre-1960 building? See Local Law 1 lead recordsIs mold on the bathroom tile a violation?
No. Visible mold on tile or grout is not a violation under Local Law 55. Mold elsewhere in a unit is classed by size: under 10 square feet per room is Class A (90 days), 10 to under 30 is Class B (30 days), 30 or more is Class C (21 days). In the common areas, 30 square feet per level or room, or 50 in all, is Class B.
Who may do the mold work?
Under 10 square feet, anyone following the work practices. Above that, New York State’s mold licensing (Labor Law Article 32) applies; owners, their agents and full-time employees are exempt in their own buildings, except in “covered buildings” under Administrative Code §24-154 (10 or more units, or a lot with 25,000 or more square feet of non-residential space), which need a licensed mold assessor and a separate licensed remediator, a notice to DEP 2 business days before the work and a post-remediation assessment within 7 days. Pesticides, in any building, are applied only by a DEC-licensed professional.
Which buildings does Local Law 55 cover?
Multiple dwellings, three or more units: the annual investigation, the lease notice and the turnover duties. Co-op and condo units occupied by the shareholder or the unit owner, and NYCHA buildings, are exempt. A lease clause waiving any of it is void; violating that rule is a misdemeanor plus a $500 civil penalty per violation.
Does ViolationProof inspect for mold or pests?
No. The investigation is yours or your super’s, and the remediation is the contractor’s. ViolationProof keeps the investigation reports, the lease notices, the turnover certifications and the contractors’ affidavits per unit, shows which units are due this year, and flags any mold or pest job whose papers are missing.
Start
Your buildings, investigated and on file.
Add your buildings and units, record the last investigation and the notices you already gave, and see what each unit owes under Local Law 55. 14 days free, no card; then from $9 a month.
Start free- 14 days free, no card
- Sign in with a code from your email, no password
- Your records stay yours: download the file any time, even on the free Archive plan
Units somewhere we don’t cover yet, or a question about your city’s law? Tell us where you are, and we write back.
Sources
- Local Law 55 of 2018 (text)
- Local Law 51 of 2019 (amendments)
- 28 RCNY Chapter 54, HPD’s indoor allergen hazard rules
- HPD: indoor allergen hazards (mold and pests)
- HPD: penalties and fees
- HPD, indoor allergen hazards report, FY2025
- HPD, sample investigative report
- HPD, lease notice and turnover certification (Appendix A)
- DOHMH, Local Law 55 fact sheet
- HPD, integrated pest management guide
- HPD, mold work practices for buildings of 10 or more units
- HPD, mold work practices for buildings under 10 units
This page summarizes NYC Local Law 55 of 2018 (Administrative Code §27-2017 to §27-2017.12, indoor allergen hazards) for owners. It is not legal advice. ViolationProof is not affiliated with NYC HPD or the U.S. EPA.