Yonkers, NY Building Safety: Childcare Center Rules (2026)

Section 59-296, in the Fire Code's firesafety article, splits requirements by facility type. Group homes (Subsection A) must have extinguishers installed in kitchens, boiler rooms, basements and hallways, may not use folding drop ladders or attached vertical ladders as a secondary means of egress, must keep a telephone with emergency instructions posted nearby for fire and police, and must instruct children and staff at regular intervals in building evacuation. Family day-care homes (Subsection B) can't use electrical heaters or other portable heating devices in any room accessible to children regardless of fuel type, need extinguishers in the kitchen, boiler room and hallways, must care for children only on floors with readily accessible alternate means of egress that are remote from each other, must have a written evacuation procedure, and must hold quarterly fire drills with a written record kept on file.

Day-care centers (Subsection C) carry the most specific extinguisher math: one Class A extinguisher for every 2,500 square feet of floor space, positioned within 100 feet of travel distance from any point; a Class B extinguisher of at least five-pound capacity, wall-mounted and dry chemical or CO2 type, in every kitchen; and a Class B extinguisher for the boiler room if the boiler room is part of the center. These sit on top of the separate zoning-side day-care rules in § 43-36E, which require a safe pickup/drop-off area away from parking, a 15-square-foot-per-child outdoor play area set back 10 feet with a landscaped buffer, and state licensing.