NYC Boiler Inspections: 889,703 Reports Show Defects and Late Filings Falling
The short answer
The share of New York City boiler inspection reports finding defects fell from 9.6 percent in 2020 to 6.7 percent in 2025, and the share carrying a late-filing fee fell from 10.6 percent in 2017 to 1.4 percent, according to 889,703 reports in the city’s DOB NOW: Safety boiler dataset. High-pressure boilers show defects at 11.5 percent against 7.8 percent for low-pressure boilers. The Bronx has the highest defect rate of the five boroughs.
What we measured and found
New York City requires an annual inspection of every low-pressure boiler and two inspections a year of every high-pressure boiler, with each report filed with the Department of Buildings within 14 days. The city publishes every filed report as open data. Aggregated, the 889,703 reports from 2017 to 2026 covering 116,572 boilers in 84,280 buildings form one of the largest public records of boiler condition available.
| Year | Inspection reports | With defects | Defect share | Late-filing fee | Late share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 45,472 | 4,468 | 9.8% | 4,838 | 10.6% |
| 2018 | 94,748 | 7,133 | 7.5% | 4,537 | 4.8% |
| 2019 | 96,963 | 8,020 | 8.3% | 2,315 | 2.4% |
| 2020 | 96,513 | 9,247 | 9.6% | 1,905 | 2.0% |
| 2021 | 95,090 | 7,780 | 8.2% | 1,940 | 2.0% |
| 2022 | 95,627 | 7,437 | 7.8% | 1,691 | 1.8% |
| 2023 | 99,886 | 7,484 | 7.5% | 1,445 | 1.4% |
| 2024 | 97,603 | 6,890 | 7.1% | 1,594 | 1.6% |
| 2025 | 98,584 | 6,558 | 6.7% | 1,399 | 1.4% |
| 2026 | 69,086 | 5,159 | 7.5% | 741 | 1.1% |
Source: NYC Department of Buildings, DOB NOW: Safety Boiler dataset (NYC Open Data 52dp-yji6), aggregated by inspection date year by The Plumbing Brief. 2017 is a partial year as the system launched; 2026 is year to date. 131 records without a valid date are excluded.
| Borough | Reports | Defect share | High-pressure reports | High-pressure defect share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | 280,494 | 7.2% | 4,682 | 8.8% |
| Bronx | 117,628 | 10.2% | 2,985 | 9.5% |
| Brooklyn | 286,996 | 7.8% | 6,465 | 11.6% |
| Queens | 186,067 | 7.5% | 4,846 | 13.9% |
| Staten Island | 18,387 | 8.0% | 1,212 | 16.1% |
Borough derived from the first digit of the building identification number (BIN).
Measured values, sourced
- Inspection reports in the dataset: 889,703; distinct boilers: 116,572; distinct buildings: 84,280. Source: NYC Open Data 52dp-yji6.
- Low-pressure boiler reports: 869,382, of which 67,855 found defects (7.8 percent). High-pressure: 20,190, of which 2,321 (11.5 percent). Source: NYC Open Data.
- Initial inspection reports: 864,005 (68,922 with defects); subsequent reports after correction: 22,960 (1,254 still with defects). Source: NYC Open Data.
- Defect share by year: 9.6 percent in 2020, 6.7 percent in 2025. Source: calculated from NYC Open Data.
- Late-filing share: 10.6 percent in 2017, 1.4 percent in 2025. Source: calculated from NYC Open Data.
- Highest borough defect share: Bronx 10.2 percent; Manhattan 7.2, Brooklyn 7.8, Queens 7.5, Staten Island 8.0. Source: calculated from NYC Open Data.
- Rules: low-pressure boilers require annual inspection; high-pressure boilers an internal and an external inspection about six months apart; reports are due within 14 days; late filings incur $50 a month per boiler up to $600; defects must be corrected within 90 days. Source: NYC DOB Boiler Compliance, 1 RCNY §103-05.
Derived measures
Late filing has nearly disappeared
Formula. Reports with a late-filing fee as a share of all reports, by year.
Calculation. 10.6 percent (2017), 2.4 (2019), 1.4 (2025).
Finding. Compliance with the 14-day filing rule improved sharply once the online system and its automatic penalties were established. Fewer than one report in 70 now draws a late fee.
Limitations. The fee fields record penalties assessed in the filing, not whether they were paid.
Defects found have fallen since 2020
Formula. Reports with defects as a share of reports, by year.
Calculation. 9.6 percent in 2020 to 6.7 percent in 2025.
Finding. Either boilers are in better condition, older units are being replaced, or inspections are recording fewer defects. The data cannot separate those, but the trend is steady across five years.
Limitations. Defect severity is not recorded in the public dataset; a minor defect and a dangerous one count the same.
Headline measurements
- 889,703 boiler inspection reports filed in NYC since 2017.
- Defects found in 6.7 percent of 2025 reports, down from 9.6 percent in 2020.
- High-pressure boilers: 11.5 percent defective; low-pressure 7.8 percent.
- Bronx boilers have the highest defect rate, 10.2 percent.
Download the data
Annual and borough aggregates from the DOB NOW: Safety Boiler dataset. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Attribution: The Plumbing Brief.
NYC boiler inspection reports, defects and late filings by year and borough (CSV) Boiler upkeep is just one piece of a building’s mechanical picture, so plumbers tracking compliance trends may also want to compare water use by building size and age and review plumbing permit volume trends. Plumbers budgeting for upkeep after an inspection may also want to check boiler repair cost by part before deciding whether to fix or replace aging units.
How this report was built
Methodology
Source. NYC Department of Buildings, DOB NOW: Safety Boiler dataset on NYC Open Data (ID 52dp-yji6), queried through the Socrata API on 4 October 2026. Aggregations by year of inspection date, pressure type, report type and borough (from the BIN) were run server-side.
Rules. Inspection and filing requirements from the DOB Boiler Compliance page and 1 RCNY §103-05.
Retrieval date. 4 October 2026.
Data limitations
- The dataset begins with the DOB NOW system in 2017; earlier paper filings are not included.
- Defect severity is not published.
- This report deliberately does not compare boiler makes or individual buildings; the public data does not adjust for boiler age, which drives defect rates.
- Reports with status ‘Pre-filing’ or incomplete submissions are included as filed.
Source quality ranking
Tier 1. NYC Department of Buildings open data; NYC Rules (1 RCNY §103-05).
Tier 2. None used. Tier 3. None used.
Briefing note
Defects were found in 6.7 percent of New York City boiler inspection reports filed in 2025, down from 9.6 percent in 2020, and the share of reports drawing a late-filing penalty fell from 10.6 percent in 2017 to 1.4 percent, according to an analysis by The Plumbing Brief of 889,703 reports in the Department of Buildings’ DOB NOW: Safety dataset. High-pressure boilers showed defects in 11.5 percent of reports against 7.8 percent for low-pressure boilers, and Bronx boilers had the highest defect rate of the five boroughs.
Story angles
- NYC boilers are passing inspection more often
- Late boiler filings fell from one in ten to one in seventy
- The Bronx has the city’s most defective boilers
- Inside 889,703 New York boiler inspections
Questions about the measurements
How often must NYC boilers be inspected? Low-pressure boilers annually; high-pressure boilers twice a year (internal and external), per NYC DOB rules.
How many NYC boiler inspections find defects? 6.7 percent of reports in 2025.
What is the penalty for filing a boiler inspection late? $50 a month per boiler from the day after the 14-day deadline, up to $600.
How many boilers are there in NYC? The inspection dataset covers 116,572 boilers in 84,280 buildings.
Which borough has the most boiler defects? The Bronx, at 10.2 percent of reports.
How to cite this report
The Plumbing Brief, “NYC Boiler Inspections: 889,703 Reports Show Defects and Late Filings Falling”, https://theplumbingbrief.com/nyc-boiler-inspections/, accessed [date].
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04.
