New York City to tighten cooling tower inspections after Legionella outbreaks

New York City officials are planning to tighten regulations and increase inspections of building cooling towers following deadly outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease. Legislators are proposing stricter testing intervals, higher penalties for non-compliance, and additional staffing for water testing to prevent future occurrences.

Data from the New York City Health Department revealed that live Legionella bacteria were confirmed in 59 of the 183 cooling towers tested during a recent cluster on the Upper East Side. This represents nearly one in three sampled towers. The specific outbreak resulted in 92 diagnosed cases and seven deaths.

A separate outbreak in Central Harlem recorded 118 cases, 92 hospitalizations, and seven deaths. Combined, these two clusters accounted for 14 deaths in 2025. While all positive towers were cleaned and disinfected, no single tower has been publicly identified as the definitive source of the exposure.