NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As New York City enters the 2026 compliance cycle, The Cotocon Group is advising building owners, property managers, and boards to view the coming year as a full reset for building energy compliance. With overlapping deadlines under multiple local laws—and enforcement becoming more coordinated—early planning is critical to avoiding violations, penalties, and public compliance issues.

"2026 is one of those years where everything comes back into focus at once," said Jimmy Carchietta, Founder of The Cotocon Group. "Benchmarking, emissions reporting, energy grades, and audit cycles all converge. Buildings that plan ahead will have options. Buildings that wait will be reacting under pressure."

A Converging Set of Deadlines

Cotocon notes that many owners underestimate how closely connected New York City's building energy laws have become. A missed filing under one law can quickly trigger consequences under another, increasing both financial and administrative exposure. Delaying one component can compress timelines for everything else.

Key deadlines for 2026 include:

• March 31, 2026 – Extended filing deadline for Local Law 87 (Energy Audits & Retro-Commissioning) due for 2025
• May 1, 2026 – Annual filing deadline for Local Law 84 (Benchmarking) and Local Law 97 (Emissions Reporting)
• August 2026 – Initial enforcement window for buildings that miss the May 1 Local Law 84 deadline
• October 1, 2026 – Local Law 95 Energy Grades issued
• October 31, 2026 – Deadline to post Energy Grades at all public entrances
• November 2026 – Additional enforcement for buildings that missed both May and August Local Law 84 filings
• December 31, 2026 – Filing deadline for Local Law 87 due in 2026

"Local Law 84 may look like a single annual filing, but missing it can affect your Energy Grade, your public visibility, and even how your building is viewed under Local Law 97," Carchietta said. "These laws don't operate in isolation anymore."

Supporting Compliance With Better Visibility

To help clients stay organized across multiple laws and timelines, Cotocon also offers The Carbon Shield, a digital platform designed to provide ongoing visibility into compliance status and emissions performance. The platform supports Cotocon's advisory work by helping owners with compliance tracking, violation management, carbon emission monitoring and energy usage insights month after month, year after year.

"Technology doesn't replace compliance strategy," Carchietta noted. "It supports it. The real work happens in understanding the building, the data, and the path forward."

A Clear Message for 2026

Carchietta's message to building owners is straightforward: 2026 is not a year to be handled piece by piece. Treating compliance as a continuous process, rather than a last-minute task, reduces risk and creates room for informed decision-making.

"Every year we see buildings get into trouble not because they ignored the law, but because they ran out of time," Carchietta said. "The earlier the conversation starts, the better the outcome."

About The Cotocon Group

The Cotocon Group is a New York–based building compliance and advisory firm specializing in NYC Local Laws 84, 87, 88, 95, and 97. The firm works with building owners, property managers, co-ops, condos, and institutions to deliver technical analysis, filings, and long-term compliance planning.

Contact

media@thecotocongroup.com

Phone: (212) 889-6566
Website: https://www.thecotocongroup.com

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SOURCE The Cotocon Group