Mold and pests: Local Law 55 of 2018 and the bedbug report

New York City's Asthma-Free Housing Act (Local Law 55 of 2018): an owner's duty to inspect for and fix mold, mice, rats and roaches, how HPD classes mold by its size, licensed mold work, and the annual bedbug report.

Local Law 55 of 2018 (LL55), which HPD calls the Asthma-Free Housing Act, makes the owner of a New York City apartment building responsible for keeping homes free of mold, mice, rats and roaches — the things in a home that bring on asthma — and for fixing the leaks and holes that let them in. It took effect on January 19, 2019.

Mold and pests are among the commonest reasons tenants call HPD and among the commonest violations HPD writes. For an owner the law turns them from nuisances into duties with deadlines, inspections and penalties; for a buyer, a building's mold and pest violations are a quick read of how well it has been kept.

The law

The law calls mold and infestations of cockroaches, mice and rats indoor allergen hazards, and declares them conditions dangerous to health. It covers buildings of three or more homes; the Health Department can also act in any home, of any size, where a tenant has moderate or severe asthma and a doctor refers them. Co-op and condominium apartments their owners live in, and public housing, are outside the owner duties. Local Law 51 of 2019 removed the law's softer "reasonable efforts" wording, so the duty is to keep homes free of these hazards, not to try.

An owner must:

inspect every occupied apartment and the common areas at least once a year, and again when a tenant complains or asks, or when HPD writes a related violation;
fix the cause, not only the symptom: the leak, the water coming in, the gaps and holes pests travel through;
at turnover, before a new tenant moves in, clear all visible mold and pests and their causes, clean any carpets and furniture the owner provides, and certify this in writing to the tenant;
put a notice in every lease of the owner's and tenant's duties, with the Health Department's leaflet for tenants.

Pests and integrated pest management

The law requires integrated pest management — dealing with pests by removing what lets them live there rather than by spraying alone. For any infestation, the owner must clean out nests, droppings and debris with a HEPA vacuum or by washing; seal holes and cracks in walls, floors, baseboards, cabinets and around pipes; fit door sweeps so that doors to halls, basements and outside close to within a quarter of an inch; and repair leaking pipes and wet walls. Pesticides may not replace these steps, and any pesticide must be applied by a professional licensed by the State.

How HPD classes mold and pests

From an HPD inspection to a mold or pest violation closed.

Mold violations are classed by how much is visible in a room — a mold violation's class is its size. In an apartment, under 10 square feet is a Class A violation, with 90 days to correct; 10 to 29 square feet is Class B, with 30 days; and 30 square feet or more is Class C, immediately hazardous, with 21 days. Mold on tile or grout does not count. In common areas, 30 square feet in a room or on one hallway level, or 50 in all, is Class B; less is Class A. A violation not corrected moves up a class.

Pests, and pest violations: mice, rats or cockroaches anywhere in an apartment or a common area are Class C, with 21 days to correct; other pests, bedbugs among them, are Class B, with 30. HPD can extend a Class C deadline by up to 14 days for an owner who started promptly.

Correcting a violation without the required methods costs $500 a day, up to $10,000; a false certification that a violation was fixed, $2,000 to $10,000 and a criminal charge.

By BlockLot Intelligence's count of HPD's records, HPD wrote 38,204 mold violations and 64,097 pest violations in the last 12 months; 9.3% of the mold violations were the largest, Class C.

HPD mold and pest violations in the last 12 months

Violations HPD issued in the last 365 days for mold, by the class its area sets, and for each kind of pest. BlockLot Intelligence, computed October 10, 2026.

They come from complaints: in the same twelve months tenants reported 44,768 mold problems and 84,029 pest problems to HPD.

How long they take to close, by BlockLot Intelligence's count, measured on violations from inspections between October 10, 2024 and October 10, 2025: a pest violation that closes does so a median 102 days after the inspection — roughly the 70 days HPD allows after an owner certifies, plus the time to certify — but 41.8% of the roach violations are still open. Large mold takes longer: a median 172 days for 30 square feet or more, and 52.0% still open.

From HPD's inspection to the violation's closing

Lead-paint, mold and pest violations from inspections 12 to 24 months ago that have since closed: days from the inspection to the closing. The bar ends at the median; the pale band covers the middle half. BlockLot Intelligence, computed October 10, 2026.

Licensed mold work

In a building of ten or more homes, mold covering more than about ten square feet must be handled under Local Law 61 of 2018: the owner and the building's staff may not do the work themselves. A mold assessor and a separate mold remediator, both licensed by the State, do it; the remediator files the work plan with the Department of Environmental Protection at least two business days before starting, and the assessor files the clearance within seven days of finishing. Smaller buildings may do the work with their own staff, following the law's safe work practices: fix the moisture, seal off the area, clean or throw away what is moldy, and leave it dry and clean.

The annual bedbug report

Bedbugs are a pest but not an allergen, and they have a law of their own. Under Local Law 69 of 2017, every owner of a building of three or more homes files an annual bedbug report with HPD between December 1 and 31, covering the twelve months to October 31: how many homes had bedbugs, how many were treated, and how many were infested again — even when the answer is none. The owner then gives each tenant a copy with a new or renewed lease, or posts it in the building within 60 days of filing.

HPD's published filings for the year to October 2025 came from about 109,000 buildings — half of them filed in December, and much of the rest after the deadline. By BlockLot Intelligence's count, HPD wrote 73,385 Class A violations in 2025 for not filing the report.

Violations for not filing the annual bedbug report

HPD violations for not filing the building's annual bedbug report, by the calendar year HPD issued them. BlockLot Intelligence, computed October 10, 2026.

A worked example

A 170-home building on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, built in 1948 and owned by a company, received 166 mold and pest violations from HPD in the twelve months from October 2025: 49 for roaches, 39 for mice, 7 for rats, and 71 for mold — 6 of them Class C, 39 Class B and 26 Class A. By October 2026, 71 had closed. A count like that usually means the same leaks and gaps behind many apartments' walls, which is why the law asks for the cause to be fixed.

Where you see this in BlockLot

On a building's page, the Violations drawer lists every HPD violation with its class and HPD's description — the mold violations cite the mold section and give the area in square feet. The Compliance & distress signals card counts the building's open HPD complaints.

An HPD mold violation, with the area of mold HPD measured and the class it sets.
The source to repair, and less than 10 sq ft of mold
Under 10 sq ft in a room: Class A

Questions people ask

Which buildings does Local Law 55 cover? Buildings with three or more homes. The Health Department can also order a fix in any home where a tenant with asthma lives, on a doctor's referral.

How much mold makes a violation serious? In an apartment, 30 square feet or more in a room is Class C, with 21 days to fix; 10 to 29 is Class B, with 30 days; under 10 is Class A, with 90.

Who must remove mold? In a building of ten or more homes, mold over about ten square feet must be assessed and removed by separate State-licensed contractors, not the building's staff. In smaller buildings the owner's staff may do it, following the law's safe practices.

Are roaches and mice a serious violation? Yes. Mice, rats and roaches are Class C, immediately hazardous, with 21 days to correct. Bedbugs are Class B.

What is integrated pest management? Getting rid of pests by removing what lets them live there — cleaning out nests, sealing holes, fitting door sweeps and fixing leaks — with pesticides used only by a licensed professional.

When is the bedbug report due? Between December 1 and 31 each year, for the twelve months to October 31, even if the building had no bedbugs. Not filing earns a violation.

NYC Local Laws for building owners — What a New York City Local Law is, how one is made and numbered, and the Local Laws that put duties on building owners — energy and emissions, facades and gas piping, lead paint, mold and pests, storefronts, short-term rentals and broker fees.
Lead paint: Local Law 1 of 2004 and an owner's duties — New York City's lead paint law: which homes it covers, the annual notice, yearly inspections where a child under six lives, the 2025 XRF testing deadline, turnover work, HPD's lead violations and what they cost.
HPD violations: Class A, B, C and I — What HPD housing violations are, what Class A, B, C and I mean, how long an owner has to fix and certify each, how a violation is closed or dismissed, and what happens when a Class C is ignored.
HPD emergency repairs, repair charges and 7A administrators — How HPD's Emergency Repair Program fixes hazards an owner ignores and bills the owner, how repair charges become liens, and what a 7A administrator does.

Sources

By BlockLot. Reviewed October 9, 2026. Figures by BlockLot Intelligence, computed from public data on October 11, 2026. This page explains the rules in general; it is not legal or tax advice. For a decision about a specific property, check the official source or ask a professional. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.