Board Resolution Checklist: Local Law 97 for Co-ops and Condos

Three people at a conference table reviewing printed board packets in a residential building meeting room

Last verified: August 22, 2026. By Will Tygart. Written for co-op and condo boards and the managing agents who serve them. Not legal advice — counsel and a Registered Design Professional (RDP) finalize language and pathway calls.

Co-op and condo Local Law 97 work usually dies in governance before it dies in engineering: unclear authority, unfunded mandates, a late RDP, and a pathway decision nobody minuted. This checklist is the meeting-ready spine. Pair it with the live co-op and condo LL97 playbook and the $268-per-ton calculator.

2026 filing clock (do not skip this)

NYC Accelerator and DOB still run the same three-step file: pay the fee in DOB NOW, share energy data in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, then submit in BEAM with an RDP. The annual report is due May 1, with a 60-day grace period through June 30. For 2026, buildings that need more time may apply in BEAM by June 30 for a $60 extension that runs through August 29, 2026. Missing the file is a different (and often worse) problem than being over cap.

Confirm your building is on DOB’s Covered Building List before you argue pathway folklore in the hallway.

Pre-meeting packet (managing agent / president)

  • Latest ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager property type(s) and gross floor area assumptions
  • Dual-period calculator printout (current period vs 2030)
  • Filing status: submitted / in grace / extension / not started
  • RDP engagement letter status and fee range
  • Reserve study excerpt (energy / capital)
  • Pathway status if anyone is talking Article 320 vs 321 — with evidence, not rumor
  • Vendor list: energy, facade, HVAC, filing consultant

Resolution themes to draft (counsel finalizes language)

1. Authority and roles

  • Designate a board officer and a managing-agent owner for LL97
  • Authorize spend up to a named dollar amount for RDP / filing without reopening the full board on every invoice (with reporting)
  • Require monthly compliance status in the board package through filing season

2. Filing-season actions

  • Authorize timely filing or the extension application under current DOB rules
  • Authorize portal fees and access (BBL/BIN; credentials held by the agent with board visibility)
  • Require confirmation that submission artifacts are stored in board records

3. Data quality

  • Direct the agent to reconcile utility data and Portfolio Manager anomalies before sign-off
  • Require a written explanation of any mixed-use factor weighting

4. Capital and 2030

  • Commission or update an energy master plan aimed at 2030 limits
  • Tie major HVAC / envelope projects to intensity outcomes
  • Schedule owner communications on future assessments if CapEx is material

5. Pathway and special situations

  • Document pathway analysis (rent-regulated share, Article 320 vs 321) with counsel and the RDP
  • Minute the decision and the evidence relied on

6. Vendors and continuity

  • Require vendors to provide documentation suitable for good-faith / audit files
  • Align the emergency vendor list with who shows up if systems fail mid-retrofit

Sample 30-minute agenda block

  1. Status (5) — filing clock
  2. Numbers (10) — calculator plus 2030 gap
  3. Decisions (10) — spend authority, RDP, extension yes/no
  4. Owner message (5) — what shareholders hear this month

Red flags

  • No RDP on the calendar inside filing season
  • “We’ll use last year’s PDF” without a data refresh
  • Capital talk with no intensity target
  • Pathway folklore without written analysis

After the vote

  • Store the resolution and exhibits in the board portal
  • Confirm the June 30 / extension owners on the calendar
  • Schedule a post-filing retrospective: what broke in data or vendors

Related on BCESG

Primary sources checked this pass: NYC Accelerator LL97 page (coverage, Article 320 vs 321, 2026 extension), NYC DOB LL97 greenhouse gas reductions page, and the live BCESG co-op playbook.

Related reading: Article 320 vs 321, LL84 as the LL97 prerequisite, and LL97 fines calculator. Sister hubs: Restoration Intel, Healthcare Facility Hub, Continuity Hub, Risk Coverage Hub, and Tygart Media.

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