If you are planning a new house, a new condo building or a deep renovation anywhere in the five boroughs, Local Law 154 decides what kind of fire you can build into it. The law is short, but it is easy to misread, and most of the confusion we hear in the showroom is about one question: does it apply to my project? Below we answer it from the law and Department of Buildings guidance, then turn to the electric and water vapor fireplaces that suit an all-electric building.
The short answer
NYC Local Law 154 of 2021 bars burning any fuel that emits 25 kilograms or more of carbon dioxide per million Btu in new buildings, which rules out natural gas and propane. It has applied to buildings under seven stories since January 1, 2024, and reaches buildings of seven stories or more for applications filed after July 1, 2027. It covers renovations only when DOB requires the job to be filed as a new building, not an ordinary gut renovation. In a covered building, plan on an electric or water vapor fireplace; in an existing building, a direct vent gas fireplace is still possible.
Key takeaways
- The test is the fuel, not the appliance: natural gas and propane both exceed the 25 kg CO2 per MMBtu limit.
- Applicability follows the filing date of the initial DOB application, not the construction start or move-in date.
- A typical gut renovation filed as an alteration is outside the law. A project filed as a new building, including one that keeps some existing elements, is inside it.
- The law and DOB guidance do not mention fireplaces by name, so a piped gas fireplace in a covered building should be treated as off the table unless DOB says otherwise.
- The Second Circuit upheld the law 3 to 0 on June 30, 2026. It has been enforced since 2024.
- Vent-free gas and new wood-burning fireplaces were already off limits in NYC, and co-op and condo rules can be stricter still.
In this guide
- Does Local Law 154 affect my project?
- What is NYC Local Law 154?
- When does Local Law 154 take effect?
- Does Local Law 154 apply to gut renovations?
- Can a new NYC building have a gas fireplace?
- What did the Second Circuit decide?
- NYC fireplace rules that already applied
- Local Law 154 across the five boroughs
- Our recommended models
- Which should you choose?
- Frequently asked questions
Does Local Law 154 affect my project?
Find the row closest to your project; the sections below explain why.
| Your project | Covered by LL154? | Fireplace direction |
|---|---|---|
| New one or two family home or townhouse, filed 2024 or later | Yes | Electric or water vapor |
| New building under 7 stories, filed 2024 or later | Yes | Electric or water vapor |
| New building of 7 or more stories | Yes, for applications filed after July 1, 2027 | Plan electric now if the filing date may slip |
| Tear down and rebuild, or an alteration DOB requires to be filed as a new building | Yes, even with existing gas service | Electric or water vapor |
| Gut renovation filed as an ordinary alteration | No | Direct vent gas still possible, subject to permits and your board |
| Existing apartment, co-op or condo | No | Electric is simplest; gas depends on the building |
What is NYC Local Law 154?
Local Law 154 of 2021 added section 24-177.1 to the city's Administrative Code. Its core sentence is plain: no person shall permit the combustion of any substance that emits 25 kilograms or more of carbon dioxide per million Btu of energy, measured by U.S. Energy Information Administration figures. A companion section, 28-506, applies that limit to new buildings.
In practice, federal emission factors put natural gas at roughly 53 kilograms per million Btu and propane at roughly 61 to 63, so both fail by a wide margin. DOB describes the result as a phase out of gas and oil for heating, hot water and appliances such as cooking ranges and clothes dryers. Applications that do not comply cannot be approved, and no related permit can be issued.
When does Local Law 154 take effect?
The dates are tied to when the initial construction application is submitted to DOB. DOB's FAQ adds that later revisions keep the original filing date, while a major redesign that has to be refiled as a separate application is judged by the new date.
| Building | Covered for applications filed |
|---|---|
| One and two family homes, and all buildings under 7 stories | From January 1, 2024 (service hot water excluded until 2027) |
| School Construction Authority projects | From December 31, 2024 |
| Affordable housing under 7 stories | From December 31, 2025 |
| All buildings of 7 stories or more, including hot water | After July 1, 2027 (DOB lists July 2, 2027) |
| Affordable housing of 7 stories or more | From December 31, 2027 |
Affordable housing here means a building where at least half the units are under a government affordability agreement or similar instrument.
From our install team
On taller projects, we ask about the filing date before we talk about models. A high-rise filed before the 2027 cutoff and a high-rise filed after it are two different fireplace conversations, and the date is easy to find once you ask the architect.
Does Local Law 154 apply to gut renovations?
Usually not, and this is the point most often overstated. DOB's LL154 page says the law covers a New Building application or an "Alt-CO New Building with Existing Elements to Remain," which DOB describes as an alteration that must be filed as a new building. Its FAQ says a service change in an existing building is fine as long as the work does not become that kind of filing. Ordinary alterations are not listed.
When does an alteration have to be filed as a new building? The governing rule is Administrative Code 28-101.4.5. DOB Buildings Bulletin 2016-012 explains that when work increases a building's floor surface area by more than 110 percent of what remains, the whole building must comply as if newly built. When any existing elements stay, that job is filed as an alteration that must meet new building requirements, rather than as a pure new building.
So "gut renovation" is not the legal test. A brownstone stripped to the studs and rebuilt inside its existing shell is normally filed as an alteration and falls outside LL154. A tear down, or a renovation that more than doubles the floor area, is treated as new construction and falls inside it. DOB's FAQ is explicit that a tear down and rebuild is covered even if the lot already has gas service. Your architect or expediter decides the filing type, so ask them directly.
Not sure what fits your space? Send us your architect's filing type and the wall you have in mind, and we will tell you which fireplaces are realistic. Book a free design consultation and we will help you narrow it down.
Can a new NYC building have a gas fireplace?
Plan on no. Neither the law nor DOB's guidance mentions fireplaces or decorative appliances by name. The prohibition is written around combustion itself, though, and the only carve out in section 24-177.1 is narrow: devices with no connection to the building's gas supply or fuel oil piping, used intermittently, and not used to supply the building with heat or hot water. A gas fireplace piped into a covered building does not fit that description in our reading.
The listed exceptions in section 28-506 cover uses like manufacturing, laboratories, laundromats, hospitals, crematoria, commercial kitchens and emergency or standby power. A residential fireplace is not on that list. If a design depends on gas, have the architect raise it with DOB before the drawings are final.
New York State's separate All-Electric Buildings Act, paused during its own appeal, may follow. Inside the five boroughs, Local Law 154 is the rule already in force.
What did the Second Circuit decide?
On June 30, 2026, a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled 3 to 0 in Association of Contracting Plumbers of the City of New York v. City of New York, decided alongside Mulhern Gas Co. v. Mosley, the challenge to the state law. The challengers argued that the federal Energy Policy and Conservation Act preempts local gas restrictions. The court disagreed, holding that the laws regulate the type of energy an appliance uses rather than how much energy it consumes.
The decision splits with the Ninth Circuit's 2024 ruling against Berkeley's gas ban. Rehearing was denied on August 26, 2026, and a Supreme Court petition remains possible. Local Law 154 was never paused during the litigation. It has been applied to new filings since January 2024.
Which NYC fireplace rules already applied?
Local Law 154 sits on top of two older limits that apply to every building in the city, new or old.
- Vent-free gas is not allowed in NYC. The NYC Fuel Gas Code does not permit unvented gas fireplaces, logs or room heaters, even though they are legal in much of the country. Our NYC fireplace code guide covers this in detail.
- No new wood-burning fireplaces. Local Law 38 of 2015, effective May 6, 2016, limits new solid fuel fireplaces to fuels the city's Air Pollution Control Code allows, which in practice ended new wood-burning installs. See are wood-burning fireplaces legal in NYC.
- Co-op and condo rules can be stricter. A board can refuse gas work, new penetrations or even hardwired electric units, regardless of what the code permits.
In an existing building, Local Law 154 does not apply. DOB's own FAQ confirms an existing building can even convert from oil to gas. A direct vent gas fireplace remains possible there, with a permit and a Licensed Master Plumber for the gas work. Our direct vent buying guide explains venting and clearances.
From our install team
In co-ops we often find the board's alteration agreement is the real gatekeeper. We suggest reading it before falling in love with a gas model, because a firm no on new gas lines settles the question faster than any code review.
How does Local Law 154 play out in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island?
The law is citywide; what differs by borough is the typical project. In Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, much of the new construction is one and two family homes and townhouses under seven stories. Those have been covered since January 2024, so a new house there is an all-electric house. In Manhattan and the larger Bronx and Brooklyn developments, the high-rise date matters most: towers filed after July 1, 2027 join the rule. Renovating an existing brownstone, row house or apartment usually stays outside it, and there the board tends to have the final word.
Our Maspeth showroom in Queens has electric and water vapor fireplaces running side by side, which is the quickest way to judge a flame in person.
Our recommended models
For covered buildings, we chose electric and water vapor fireplaces that hold up in a finished, design-forward room. For existing buildings, one direct vent gas model that installs well in city homes.
Built-In Electric Fireplaces Linear Electric Fireplaces Water Vapor Fireplaces Direct Vent Gas Fireplaces
From our install team
The one thing to settle early in an all-electric build is the circuit. Larger built-in and water vapor units often call for a dedicated circuit, and some water vapor models can be plumbed to a water line. Both are easy to add while the walls are open and costly to add later.
Which should you choose?
Choose electric if:
- Your building is covered by Local Law 154.
- You want the widest range of sizes, from a 36 inch firebox to a long linear.
- Your board limits gas work or new wall penetrations.
Choose water vapor if:
- The flame itself is the priority and you want it to read as real.
- You are building new and can plan power and water during framing.
- The fireplace is a design centerpiece rather than a heat source.
Choose direct vent gas if:
- The building already exists and the work is filed as an alteration.
- You have a vent path and a board that permits gas.
- You want real flame and meaningful heat.
For any new building in the five boroughs, we recommend designing around an electric or water vapor fireplace from the first set of drawings. For an existing home, confirm the filing type and the board's position first. If both allow gas, direct vent is still a fine choice; if not, the best electric fireplaces give up very little.
Frequently asked questions
Does Local Law 154 ban gas stoves and fireplaces in existing NYC homes?
No. Local Law 154 applies to new buildings and to alterations DOB requires to be filed as new buildings. It does not require anyone to remove existing gas equipment, and DOB says existing buildings can even convert from oil to gas.
Can I install a gas fireplace in my NYC gut renovation?
Often yes, if the job is filed as an ordinary alteration rather than as a new building. You still need a permit, a Licensed Master Plumber for the gas work, a vent path and your co-op or condo board's approval.
Is propane allowed in a new NYC building?
No. Propane emits roughly 61 to 63 kilograms of carbon dioxide per million Btu, well over the 25 kilogram limit, so it is treated the same as natural gas.
When does Local Law 154 apply to high-rise buildings?
Buildings of seven stories or more are covered for construction applications filed after July 1, 2027. Affordable housing of that height follows from December 31, 2027.
Was Local Law 154 overturned in court?
No. The Second Circuit upheld it 3 to 0 on June 30, 2026, and denied rehearing on August 26, 2026. A Supreme Court petition is possible, but the law has been enforced since January 2024.
What is the best fireplace for a new all-electric NYC building?
A built-in electric firebox or linear for broad choice and simple installation, or a water vapor fireplace when the most realistic flame matters most. Both need only power, and some water vapor models can also be plumbed to a water line.
Talk to a specialist
Design the right fireplace into your next NYC project
We have been designing, selling, installing and servicing fire features and outdoor kitchens for over 30 years across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey and South Florida. Bring your plans to a showroom and we will match the fireplace to the building, the filing and the room.
Book a free consultation Call 718-326-4328Showroom: 58-30 Maspeth Ave, Maspeth, Queens. Our Greenvale, Long Island showroom at 13 Glen Cove Road opens winter 2026. Plan your visit.
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Written by the NYC Fireplaces & Outdoor Kitchens team. Last reviewed October 2026. We sell, install and service the products discussed here.
Sources: NYC DOB, Local Law 154: Building Electrification, NYC DOB, LL154 FAQ, Local Law 154 of 2021 text, DOB LL154 service notice, DOB Buildings Bulletin 2016-012, EPA emission factors, Barclay Damon alert, July 2026, K&L Gates alert, July 2026, Climate Case Chart docket. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your project's status with your architect and the NYC Department of Buildings.