Local Law 88 Lighting Audit Checklist: What to Record in Every Room
A Local Law 88 lighting audit needs more than a building-wide fixture count. The team reviewing the upgrade also needs to understand how each space is used, what controls are installed and which details still need verification.
For distributors, ESCOs and retrofit teams, collecting that information during the first walkthrough makes the estimate easier to build and reduces follow-up visits. This checklist explains what to record, how to organize sensor information and how to hand the audit to the person preparing the scope.
What Should a Local Law 88 Lighting Audit Include?
Create a separate record for each room or clearly identified space. Capture these seven groups of information:
Location: building, floor, tenant and room ID.
Space use: office, classroom, corridor, storage or another actual use.
Dimensions: floor area and ceiling height.
Fixtures: type, quantity, lamps and total input wattage.
Existing controls: device type, quantity, coverage and observed operation.
Proposed work: fixture changes, controls to add and unresolved questions.
Evidence: room, fixture, nameplate and control photos.
Add operating hours and their source when the audit will support savings calculations. These are practical collection fields, not a prescribed DOB filing form.
What Local Law 88 Requires for Lighting
NYC Department of Buildings guidance on Local Law 88 covers lighting power allowances and controls, along with separate electrical submetering requirements.
Covered properties generally include buildings exceeding 25,000 gross square feet, plus certain groups of buildings exceeding 100,000 square feet on one tax lot or under one condominium board. Exceptions apply, including to lighting within R-2 and R-3 dwelling units. Confirm coverage before defining the survey scope.
For lighting, replacing fluorescent lamps with LEDs does not by itself establish compliance. The applicable lighting power and control requirements also need review. Existing systems may qualify for exceptions, so an audit should identify what can remain as well as what may need upgrading.
This guide addresses the lighting survey. It does not cover the separate submetering assessment.
Why Organize the Audit by Room and Control Zone?
A schedule showing “120 troffers” leaves the estimator guessing where they are, how they operate and whether the same recommendation fits every location.
Room records preserve those differences. A perimeter office may have daylight exposure; an internal storage room may have intermittent occupancy. Even identical fixtures can belong to different switching groups.
The NYC energy code’s lighting provisions distinguish space types for control requirements and the space-by-space lighting power method. Keep room boundaries and control zones identifiable so the reviewing professional can apply the appropriate approach.
Local Law 88 Lighting Audit Fields to Record
Room Name, Floor and Actual Use
Use a repeatable identifier such as “03-Conference-A.” Include the tenant or suite where relevant, and use that identifier in photos and notes.
Describe how the space is actually used. If a room labeled “office” now stores supplies, record that difference. Mark locked or inaccessible rooms explicitly rather than treating an incomplete floor as fully surveyed.
Square Footage and Ceiling Height
Record floor area in square feet and ceiling height in feet. Note whether dimensions came from drawings, measurements or an estimate.
Area supports lighting power calculations. Ceiling height helps with fixture selection, sensor coverage and installation access. Also note obstructions, partitions and nearby windows where they may affect the proposed work.
Fixture Types, Quantities and Input Wattage
Create a separate line for each fixture type or distinct control group. Record fixture quantity, lamps per fixture, lamp type, ballast or driver details where available, and total input watts per fixture.
Keep lamp watts separate from fixture input watts. Ballast and driver characteristics can affect system input. For selectable-wattage products, record the setting and available rating information. Note the source of every assumed wattage so it can be checked later.
For example, 12 fixtures at an assumed 60 input watts total 720 watts. Across an 800-square-foot room, that is 0.90 W/sq ft.
Existing Sensors and Other Lighting Controls
“Sensor present” is not enough. Record the device type, model if readable, quantity, location and the fixtures or zone it serves.
Distinguish observed operation from an assumption. Did the lights turn on automatically? Was manual activation required? Was shutoff observed, or was the visit too short to verify it?
A useful note is: “One ceiling sensor serves fixture groups A and B; automatic-on observed; shutoff delay unverified.” This gives the reviewer something specific to check.
Proposed Controls and Quantities
Keep existing equipment separate from proposed additions. Describe whether the scope involves retaining, replacing, relocating or adding controls.
Count physical devices and identify the fixtures they serve. One sensor controlling two fixture groups should not become two sensors because the export contains two fixture lines.
Proposed quantities need coverage and layout review. A long corridor, partitioned office or room with shelving may need a different arrangement from an unobstructed room of similar size.
Photos and Open Questions
Capture a room overview, fixture close-up, readable nameplate and existing sensor or switch. Add window and obstruction photos where they help explain the scope.
Use descriptive references such as “03-Conference-A_sensor-01.” Record uncertainties while on site: missing labels, unknown schedules, inaccessible fixtures or controls that could not be tested. Assign each item a follow-up rather than filling gaps with a default.
Lighting Controls Terms Worth Getting Right
Controls terminology is useful only when it explains what the equipment does. Record the operating mode as well as the device name:
Term | What to record during the audit |
Occupancy sensor | Detects presence and controls lighting. Record whether it uses automatic-on, partial-on or manual-on operation. |
Vacancy control | Manual-on operation with automatic shutoff after vacancy. Confirm how the installed device is configured. |
Daylight-responsive control | Adjusts electric lighting in response to available daylight. Record the affected fixtures and zone. |
Automatic shutoff | A function provided through occupancy detection, scheduling or another control arrangement. Record the method and any override. |
Keep these functions distinguishable in the audit and proposed scope, even when one device provides several of them.
Check Support Spaces Before Leaving the Floor
Include stairwells, corridors, restrooms, storage rooms, mechanical rooms and service areas in the walkthrough plan. Record inaccessible spaces and arrange a return visit where needed.
Identify exit signs and emergency lighting separately. Do not assume all corridor lighting must remain continuously on, or that all of it can switch off. DOB’s energy code FAQs distinguish lighting required for egress illumination from other corridor lighting when discussing control exemptions.
Worked Example: Five Spaces on an Office Floor
This fictional example shows a compact audit summary. Proposed controls are preliminary discussion items, not code requirements or approved designs.
Space | Area | Existing lighting | Existing controls | Follow-up or proposed scope |
Open office 301 | 1,200 sq ft | 20 troffers | Two switch groups | Review occupancy coverage and perimeter daylight zone |
Conference 302 | 300 sq ft | Six panels | One ceiling sensor | Confirm operating mode, timeout and fixture compatibility |
Storage 303 | 120 sq ft | Two strip fixtures | Manual switch | Review one proposed vacancy sensor and shelf obstructions |
Corridor 3A | 450 sq ft | Ten downlights | Scheduled control | Identify emergency fixtures and verify schedule |
Restroom 304 | 180 sq ft | Four ceiling fixtures | One wall sensor | Check coverage behind partitions before retaining it |
The storage-room proposal now has a visible control item to price. The conference room has a verification task instead of an automatic replacement assumption.
In the detailed fixture schedule, use one line per fixture group. Repeat the room ID as needed, but avoid summing repeated room areas or shared sensor counts.
Download the Room Lighting Audit Checklist
Use the accompanying Excel checklist to record room details, fixture lines, existing and proposed controls, photo references and unresolved items. Copy the worksheet for each room or control zone, and add rows where needed.
The worksheet is a field collection aid. It is not a DOB submission form or an automatic LumaQuote import template.
How LumaQuote Helps Turn Lighting Audit Data Into a Proposal
Once the walkthrough is complete, the next task is turning room records into a scope the estimator can price. Fixture counts, sensor notes and photos need to stay connected as the project moves from the field to the office.
LumaQuote’s lighting audit software for New York brings that information into one audit-to-proposal workflow. Record space types, square footage, ceiling heights, existing fixtures and controls, with photos captured during the iPad walkthrough. Offline capture lets the survey continue in areas without a connection.
On desktop, build the proposed fixture and controls scope, add quantities and installation costs, and enter estimated rebates. Keeping existing controls separate from proposed additions helps make the work being priced easier to review. Explore the lighting audit and proposal features for the full workflow.
For teams using their own spreadsheets or reporting tools, the full CSV export carries audit and proposal fields into the next stage. That includes room information, fixture lines, existing controls, proposed controls and project notes.
The customer-facing output brings the scope, pricing and savings assumptions together. View a sample lighting retrofit proposal to see how the project can be presented, or bring one representative room to a demo and walk through your own process.
Local Law 88 Lighting Audit FAQs
Who Certifies and Files an LL88 Lighting Report?
Compliance reports are submitted through NYC’s BEAM platform. Lighting compliance must be certified by a registered design professional or licensed master or special electrician. An audit worksheet or software proposal supports the work but does not replace that certification.
What Happens If the LL88 Deadline Was Missed?
The original upgrade deadline was January 1, 2025. DOB states that buildings submitting a compliance plan by December 31, 2025 had until May 1, 2026 to submit a compliant report. Its LL88 FAQs identify an annual $1,500 penalty for failing to file the lighting report. Review the building’s filing history with the responsible professional.
Do Tenant Spaces Need to Be Surveyed?
Potentially, yes. Assess the lighting scope throughout the covered building, including applicable tenant areas. Do not use the separate 5,000-square-foot submetering threshold as a general exemption from lighting requirements. Record access limitations and have exclusions confirmed.
Does Every LL88 Upgrade Have to Meet the 2025 NYC Energy Code?
Not automatically. DOB’s code applicability guidance generally applies the 2025 NYCECC to applications filed on or after March 30, 2026. Earlier filings, installation dates and applicable exceptions need review. Record those dates instead of assuming the same code edition applies to every project.
