In 2019, the New York City Council passed Local Laws 92 and 94 as part of the Climate Mobilization Act (CMA).

Now is an opportune time to explore this convergence and how these laws interact with each other. Developers and property owners may be considering whether to install solar PV systems or green roofs to meet their obligations under local law or to take advantage of the availability of federal tax credits. Meanwhile, the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) provides tax credits for qualifying renewable energy systems, including solar, provided that the projects come online after December 31, 2022, and that construction begins before January 1, 2025.

While these requirements became effective in 2019, given the pace of construction in New York City, many of the roofs covered by the law have only recently been, or will soon be, installed. New York City local law requires new roofs (with some exceptions) to install a solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generating and/or green roof system.

Instal IRA