The DOHMH just announced new cooling tower shutdown reporting requirements – and the first deadline is November 6, 2026.

Key Date	Initial Deadline: November 6, 2026
Who is impacted?	Owners and managers with registered cooling tower systems
Ongoing requirement	Report future startup or shutdown changes within five days

Reporting Requirements

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has announced a new reporting requirement for cooling tower systems registered in the NYC Cooling Tower Registration Portal. Building owners and operators must now report their cooling tower system startup and shutdown dates, with an initial compliance deadline of November 6, 2026.

The update gives the City a clearer picture of when cooling tower systems are operating and when required monitoring should be taking place. After the initial submission, any future startup or shutdown change must be reported within five days.

Steps To Comply

The qualified person or the individual registered as the system permission owner must log into the portal and complete the following process:

1. Log into the Portal, linked here
2. Open the Cooling Tower System Information Page
3. Select “Submit Startup or Shutdown date”
4. Enter the most recent startup date and the most recent shutdown date
5. If the dates are not known, use the closest reasonable approximation based on available records

Operating Periods

The reported dates establish the operating period for the cooling tower system. DOHMH identifies four operating-period categories:

Operating Period	When It Applies
Annual	The system operates throughout the year
Seasonal – Summer	The system operates mostly from May – October
Seasonal – Winter	The system operates mostly from November – April
On Demand	The system operates only when needed and not continuously

Why does this matter?

Cooling tower compliance is an important part of Legionella prevention in New York City. Clear startup and shutdown dates help establish when a system is operating and, in turn, when required testing and reporting obligations apply.

More specifically, DOHMH states that the startup and shutdown information is required under Section 8-06 of Chapter 8 of Title 24 of the Rules of the City of New York.

Don’t Forget Other Requirements

Including:

• Annual Certification, due November 1st and outlined in our post here
• 31-day sampling requirements while the system is in operation. Sample dates must be uploaded in the Portal

Action Items

• Review cooling towers associated with your buildings
  • You can view sampling records for your cooling towers here, in your SiteCompli account.
• Check your operating logs, service records, or other documentation for the most recent startup and shutdown dates
• Enter them into the Portal by 11/6
• Make sure you’ve got a process for this going forward
  • InCheck users can create Workflows to document and track requirements here – let your Customer Success Manager or support@sitecompli.com know if you need assistance!

For a full rundown of cooling tower requirements, visit the city’s website here.