N.Y. TCP Law § 112

§ 112. Service to be furnished upon application. A district steam\ncorporation, upon the application in writing of the owner or occupant of\nany building or premises, within one hundred feet of any street main\nlaid down by any such corporation, and payment by him of all money due\nfrom him to it such corporation shall supply steam as may be required\nfor heating such building or premises, notwithstanding there may be rent\nor compensation in arrears for steam supplied, or for meter, pipe or\nfittings furnished to a former occupant thereof, unless such owner or\noccupant shall have undertaken or agreed with the former occupant to pay\nor to exonerate him from the payment of such arrears, and shall refuse\nor neglect to pay the same. If, for the space of twenty days after such\napplication, and the deposit, if required, of a reasonable sum to cover\nthe cost of connection and two months' steam supply, the corporation\nshall refuse or neglect to supply steam as required, it shall forfeit to\nsuch applicant the sum of ten dollars and the further sum of five\ndollars for every day thereafter during which such refusal or neglect\nshall continue. No such corporation shall be required to lay a service\npipe for the purpose of supplying steam to any applicant when the ground\nin which such pipe is required to be laid is frozen, or otherwise\npresents serious obstacles to laying the same, nor unless the applicant,\nif required, shall deposit in advance with the corporation a sum of\nmoney sufficient to pay for two months' steam supply and the cost of the\nnecessary connections and of the erection of a meter and such other\nspecial apparatus as are required for use in connection with such steam\nsupply, and provide the space and right of way necessary for the\nerection, maintenance and use of such connections and apparatus, and\nsignify his assent in writing to the reasonable regulations of the\ncorporation with reference to the supply of steam to consumers. For the\npurposes of this section, a district steam corporation shall not include\na non-profit cooperative corporation organized under the cooperative\ncorporations law to make or produce and distribute steam solely for the\nuse of its members.\n