DOB Rule 3616-07
DOB Rule 3616-07: NFPA 855, adapted for NYC.
Plain-English summary of DOB Rule 3616-07 for NYC indoor ESS requirements and how Kamenet aligns detection, BMS integration, and audit evidence to the rule.
01Monitorthermal + off-gas
02Recordaudit chain + binder
03RouteFDNY / DOB packet
Why this exists
Why this exists.
NFPA 855 is the national standard for Energy Storage System safety, but NYC is denser, taller, and puts lithium-battery charging closer to residential space than most cities.
DOB Rule 3616-07 adapts the national framework to NYC conditions, including fire detection, suppression, separation, ventilation, and residential lot-load limits.
The rule went into force on Oct 26, 2025 alongside DOB Rule 1 RCNY 101-19.
Plain-English requirement
What it requires
- Fire detection is required in every covered indoor Energy Storage System installation.
- Indoor ESS rooms require NFPA 15 sprinkler protection.
- Fire separation and dedicated ventilation apply per the rule classifications.
- Residential lots are capped at 80 kWh.
- The 1 kWh / 600 kWh thresholds apply to indoor stationary Energy Storage Systems (BESS, behind-the-meter storage, telecom UPS, solar-paired storage) — NOT to e-bike or powered-mobility charging rooms. Charging-room buyers lead with FC §309.3, not 3616-07.
- Integration with fire detection and suppression systems is mandated for covered ESS installations.
The deadline
In force as of Oct 26, 2025.
New indoor ESS installations after that date must comply.
How Kamenet aligns
How Kamenet aligns.
- Thermal scene monitoring and off-gas anomaly detection provide the room's continuous detection layer, complementary to smoke detectors and sprinkler heads.
- Automated emergency shutdown can integrate with the building's fire-suppression and HVAC systems over BACnet/IP* and Modbus TCP* where that BMS path exists (* in development).
- The local relay remains the building-network-independent fallback for the same deterministic shutdown semantics.
- Compliance export can capture room kWh load, sprinkler configuration, ventilation classification, and lot-load total against the rule's residential cap.
- The audit trail records detection events, approvals, external actions, and export history for later review.
Designation state
Current wording.
Aligned to DOB Rule 3616-07.