Building Safety in New York (2026)

Babylon pre-1978 housing subject to federal EPA RRP Rule and NY Title 10 NYCRR Part 67 Lead Poisoning Prevention…

Islip landlords must comply with NY Public Health Law Article 13, Title X (Lead Poisoning Prevention) and federal EPA…

NYC enforces aggressive lead paint rules under Local Law 1 of 2004 (the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act) and…

Pre-1978 housing in Orange County NY is subject to the federal EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule requiring…

Landlords of Buffalo rental properties built before 1978 must certify, as part of rental dwelling unit registration…

Rochester presumes all paint on pre-1980 residential buildings, and on the exterior of pre-1980 nonresidential…

Schenectady has no standalone city lead-paint ordinance. Its older rental housing falls under New York's Lead Rental…

Syracuse presumes all paint in residential buildings built before January 1, 1978 is lead-based and requires those…

Westchester County's housing code requires existing lead-poisoning paint conditions in dwellings to be eliminated under…

Owners of Amherst rental properties built before 1978 must certify awareness of lead paint risks and federal disclosure…

All elevators and conveyances in Buffalo buildings must be inspected annually by a licensed inspector, with an annual…

Yonkers requires the Department of Housing and Buildings to inspect every passenger elevator and escalator at least…

Albany requires every elevator, escalator, dumbwaiter, and lift in the city to be inspected semiannually by a licensed…

Amherst's Property Maintenance Code requires elevators, dumbwaiters, and escalators to be kept free of physical and…

Multiple dwellings in Clarkstown must keep elevators, dumbwaiters and escalators free of fire and physical hazards…

Greenburgh requires every elevator and other conveyance in town to be inspected semiannually by a permitted conveyance…

Town of Hempstead Chapter 89 requires every building owner with a passenger or freight elevator to register it and file…

Mount Vernon's Housing Code makes owners keep elevators, dumbwaiters and escalators in multiple dwellings free of…

Every elevator in New Rochelle needs an annual inspection by a Building Official-approved inspector, with passenger…

New York City requires every elevator to pass Category 1 safety tests every six months and a periodic inspection every…

Town Code Article IIA of Chapter 28 requires the owner or agent of any building with an elevator to furnish the…

Multiple dwellings in the City of Oneida, Madison County, New York must keep elevators, dumbwaiters and moving stairs…

Owners of buildings with elevators in Oyster Bay must file a certified inspection report with the Division of Building…

Rochester requires every elevator, escalator and other conveyance to pass a licensed inspection at least every six…

Elevators, dumbwaiters and escalators in Schenectady multiple dwellings must be kept free of physical and fire hazards…

Smithtown requires owners of any building other than a one- or two-family home to have passenger elevators inspected…

Syracuse's Property Conservation Code requires every elevator, dumbwaiter and moving stairway to be inspected and…

Glen Cove's Housing Standards ordinance requires every elevator and escalator in a residential building to be kept in…

Suffolk County requires anyone erecting, dismantling, repairing, or modifying a supported scaffold over 20 feet to hold…

Glen Cove requires guardrails on any construction scaffold more than 20 feet above the ground. City Code § 111-17 also…

New Rochelle caps how much material can sit on a scaffold or sidewalk shed during construction. City Code § 111-26 bars…

New York City requires a Department of Buildings permit before installing or using most construction scaffolds, with…

Any construction, alteration, repair or demolition job in Yonkers that requires scaffolding under the state code must…

Greenburgh has required automatic fire sprinklers in one- and two-family homes since October 13, 1982. Town Code…

Any new building in New Rochelle built after Chapter 279 took effect in 1995 must have an approved, operational…

New York City requires automatic sprinklers throughout new Group R (residential) buildings under the Building Code, but…

Yonkers requires automatic sprinkler systems throughout every hotel, dormitory, lodging house and rooming house, plus…

Albany's Housing Code requires sprinkler equipment already installed in a multiple dwelling to stay in proper operating…

The Town of Babylon requires new or heavily renovated buildings in its Multiple Residence, business and industrial…

A new building in Brookhaven, house or otherwise, needs an automatic fire sprinkler system once it exceeds 12,000…

Buffalo requires approved automatic sprinkler systems in basements exceeding 2,500 square feet used for manufacturing…

Clarkstown does not mandate sprinklers in one- and two-family homes, but where a sprinkler system is installed under a…

The Town of Colonie requires a permit from the Building Department before anyone installs or alters a sprinkler system…

Glen Cove requires sprinklers wherever a building uses wood truss floor or ceiling assemblies with steel plate…

Huntington's Fire Prevention Code requires automatic sprinkler systems in basements larger than 5,000 square feet used…

Islip requires a Division of Fire Prevention permit before installing any fire protection system, and bars anyone from…

Mount Vernon requires sprinkler equipment in every multiple dwelling to stay in proper operating condition at all…

Oyster Bay requires any multiple dwelling with sprinklers to keep them fully operational at all times, valves locked…

In Schenectady's multiple dwellings, any required sprinkler system must be kept in proper operating condition at all…

Hempstead does not require a blanket sprinkler system in every dwelling. Instead, § 88-12I lets a pre-1952 multiple…

Brookhaven requires a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board before any day-care center can…

Rochester requires a special permit before any day-care center can open, with the Planning Commission reviewing each…

Smithtown requires a Board of Appeals special exception for any day-care center or nursery school, with siting rules…

Albany's zoning code defines a day-care center as care for three or more people over three hours daily, requiring New…

New Rochelle caps day-care centers at 15,000 square feet, requires a Planning Board special permit with an approved…

New York City's Building Code requires day care facilities in Group E occupancies caring for more than 10 children to…

North Hempstead requires child care and nursery school facilities to fence outdoor play areas on all sides, keep them…

Beyond state licensing, Oyster Bay's zoning code imposes site-safety standards on day care, play care and nursery…

Group homes, family day-care homes and day-care centers in Yonkers each answer to a distinct fire-safety checklist…

Albany requires every rental dwelling unit to have a single-cylinder dead-bolt lock with at least a one-inch throw…

Greenburgh Code § 330-13(L) requires every fire exit in a licensed cabaret to have panic hardware, and bars any other…

In Town of Hempstead nursing, rest, convalescent and old-age homes, every required exit door must carry panic hardware…

Town Code § 6A-20B(10) requires every exterior door, door assembly and its hardware to be maintained in good condition…

Mount Vernon requires apartment buildings with six or more units to have automatic self-closing, self-locking entrance…

NYC building code sets exact hardware for apartment building doors: heavy-duty locks on entrance doors, dead bolts with…

Rochester's Property Code requires the main entrance of a multiple dwelling with individual unit buzzers to stay…

Every entrance in a Syracuse one- or two-family dwelling must have a suitable locking device under the Property…

New York City caps the floor area for community-facility buildings in R1 and R2 districts at the same maximum allowed…

The Town of Oyster Bay caps how much floor area a new or expanded house can carry, scaling the limit to lot size…

The Town of Babylon withholds building permits for new commercial, industrial, office and multiple-residence projects…

Commercial and mixed-use construction or major renovation of 4,000 square feet or more in Huntington must achieve a…

Commercial and Town-sponsored projects with 4,000 or more square feet of conditioned space must earn a LEED Certified…

New construction and major renovations in Mount Vernon's MX-1 Commercial Corridor District must pursue LEED Gold or…

Nassau County's Green Building Standards Law requires county capital projects over 5,000 square feet and $1 million in…

New Rochelle enforces the NYStretch Energy Code as part of its Building Code, administered by the Building Official who…

City capital projects of $2 million or more must meet LEED-gold-equivalent green building standards under the Charter's…

New one-, two- and multifamily dwellings in Oyster Bay must meet the New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes Program…

Rockland County's Governmental Green Building Act (Ch. 220, Art. II) requires every county-owned major facility project…

Schenectady has no separate green building law; instead Chapter 137 makes the City itself the enforcer of the State…

Smithtown has no separate green building code; it instead adopts the New York State Energy Conservation and…

Syracuse requires city-owned construction projects to meet LEED Silver certification. Covered public projects entering…

Yonkers requires large new construction and renovation projects on city-owned or city-purpose property, plus certain…

Albany rewards LEED Platinum or Gold new construction with extra impervious lot coverage and, in most zones, one…

Clarkstown does not mandate green building, but a Neighborhood Shopping District developer who certifies to LEED can…

Suffolk County exempts LEED-certified construction from county property tax increases for up to ten years, with…

Glen Cove rewards LEED Gold certified construction with real zoning bonuses: a 25% cut to the minimum lot area per…

Islip has no mandatory green building code, but a 2013 zoning amendment lets developers in the Residence CA District…

Albany requires approved carbon monoxide detectors in every residential building with more than one unit, placed within…

Rental units in the Town of Babylon must have a carbon monoxide detector on every sleeping level and in the boiler area…

Every dwelling, structure or accessory structure in Brookhaven with a carbon monoxide source must have CO alarms on…

Every Buffalo short-term rental must have carbon monoxide and smoke detectors installed to the New York State Uniform…

Clarkstown's Housing Standards chapter requires carbon monoxide detectors in residential buildings under Section 704 of…

Glen Cove's Housing Standards require every residential building in existence on or before January 1, 2003 to have a…

Greenburgh requires every building built after Chapter 100's effective date to have carbon monoxide detectors placed…

Every rental dwelling in the Town of Hempstead with a fuel-burning appliance must have a working carbon monoxide alarm…

Huntington requires carbon monoxide detectors in every residential and residentially used dwelling unit. Section 124-47…

Every rental dwelling in the Town of Islip that has a fuel-burning appliance must have working carbon monoxide alarms…

Mount Vernon requires a carbon monoxide detector in every short-term rental dwelling unit that has a fuel-burning…

NYC Administrative Code § 27-981.2 requires an operational carbon monoxide detecting device in every dwelling unit with…

Every licensed place of assembly and place of public assembly in North Hempstead, from banquet halls to churches to…

Before the City of Oneida issues a short-term rental operating permit, Code Enforcement must physically verify that the…

Orange County's Sanitary Code bans unvented flame space heaters in rentals unless the owner installs a carbon monoxide…

Chapter 224 requires carbon monoxide detectors and alarms in every one- and two-family home, mobile home, hotel, motel…

Suffolk County requires a carbon monoxide detector whenever a new home heating system is installed in an existing one…

Yonkers City Code § 56-170 requires every residential or mixed-occupancy building with one or more residential units to…

Most deck construction in NYC requires a building permit from DOB. Decks attached to buildings or elevated above grade…

In Albany, no structure may be built or altered until the Commissioner of Buildings approves the plans and a permit is…

Amherst Code § 83-5-1 requires a separate building permit or quick permit from the Commissioner of Building before…

A deck 18 inches or lower that meets the Town of Babylon's accessory-structure standards needs no building permit…

Town Code § 16-3A requires a building permit for any work that must conform to the Uniform Code or Energy Code…

Broome County requires a building permit before any construction, alteration, relocation or demolition work covered by…

In Buffalo, no one may erect, alter, reconstruct, move, or demolish any building or structure without first obtaining a…

Cheektowaga requires a permit from the Inspector before any construction, alteration, demolition or occupancy change…

Clarkstown requires a building permit from the Code Enforcement Officer for any construction, enlargement, alteration…

Before you build, enlarge, alter, move, or demolish any structure in the Town of Colonie, you need a building permit…

Glen Cove requires a separate building permit from the Building Department Administrator for nearly every construction…

No one may erect, construct, enlarge, alter, remove, demolish, convert or change the occupancy of a building or…

Greenburgh requires a Building Permit from the Building Inspector for any work covered by the Uniform Code, Energy Code…

In unincorporated Hempstead, no one is permitted to erect, alter, enlarge, demolish, remove or convert a building or…

In the Town of Huntington, no one may construct, install, alter, repair, move, or demolish a building or structure…

Code of the Town of Islip § 68-420.2 sets a sliding permit trigger for roofless decks and patios: no permit is needed…

Mount Vernon requires a building permit before any construction, enlargement, alteration, demolition or solid-fuel…

New Rochelle requires a building permit before any construction, alteration, demolition, excavation or change of use…

North Hempstead requires a building permit before any construction, alteration, demolition, elevator installation, or…

The City of Oneida, Madison County, New York requires a building permit under Code § 33-3 before starting construction…

The Town of Oyster Bay requires a building permit from the Division of Building before you excavate, construct, alter…

Ramapo requires a building permit for construction, reconstruction, moving, demolition, structural alteration or any…

In Rochester, no one may start the construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, relocation, or demolition of any…

Rockland County does not issue building permits countywide. Under Code Chapter 23, the county's Office of Buildings and…

Saratoga Springs requires a building permit before any construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal…

Schenectady requires a building permit before any construction, enlargement, alteration, improvement, removal…

Smithtown requires a separate building permit from the Chief Building Inspector before almost any construction…

In Syracuse you must obtain a construction permit from the Central Permit Office before starting most residential or…

Ulster County requires a building permit before work covered by the Uniform Code or Energy Code, including…

Before any construction, alteration, repair, installation, or demolition in Yonkers, the owner, lessee, or their…

Suffolk County's own building-permit law under Chapter 344 applies only to buildings the county itself owns. For a home…

Ulster County requires anyone doing electrical work for the public to hold a County Master Electrician or contractor…

Albany requires an electrical permit from the Administrator before any electrical wiring or equipment installation…

Amherst Code § 83-5-4 requires a separate electrical permit or quick permit from the Commissioner of Building before…

Town of Babylon requires all wiring for light, heat, power, or signals over 50 volts to meet the 1965 National…

Town Code § 16A-2 requires all electrical systems and wiring installations in the Town of Brookhaven to conform to the…

Buffalo requires a permit from the Commissioner before any electrical work is installed, changed, or added, and every…

Cheektowaga requires every electrical installation, alteration or repair of wiring for light, heat or power to conform…

In the unincorporated Town of Clarkstown, outside the villages, all electrical wiring work requires an application for…

All electrical work in the Town of Colonie outside the Villages of Colonie and Menands must follow the National…

Glen Cove requires an inspection by an authorized electrical inspection agency before any electrical wiring…

All electrical wiring installed, altered or repaired in the Town of Greece for light, heat, power or signal systems…

Greenburgh requires a Building Inspector permit before anyone installs, extends or alters electric wiring or devices…

The Town of Hempstead requires a master electrician's license before anyone may install or wire electrical apparatus…

Huntington requires all electrical wiring work in the unincorporated town to follow the National Electrical Code, be…

Islip Town Code bars anyone from wiring or altering an electric light, heat or power installation of 50 volts or more…

New Rochelle requires a permit from the Building Official before starting electrical work that must conform to the…

New York City makes it unlawful to install, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical system without a…

North Hempstead requires all electrical wiring and equipment to be installed by, or under the supervision of, a…

The City of Oneida, Madison County, New York requires electrical installations to conform to the New York State Fire…

All new wiring in the Town must meet the latest National Electrical Code and be installed by a licensed master…

Every electrical job in Putnam County must be filed as an electrical permit application with the County Office of…

In the unincorporated Town of Ramapo, electrical wiring for light, heat or power cannot be energized until a licensed…

Rochester requires a building permit for electrical work rated above 50 volts, and for lower-voltage work covered by…

Rockland County adopts the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) as 'the Code' and requires anyone who does electrical…

Before anyone installs, alters, or repairs electrical wiring for light, heat, or power in Saratoga Springs, an…

Schenectady adopts the National Electrical Code as its own Electrical Code and bars installing any electrical wiring or…

Smithtown requires a Building Department permit before any electrical wiring is installed or altered, and all work must…

Suffolk County requires anyone doing electrical work for hire countywide to hold a county contractor's license, unless…

Syracuse requires every electrical installation in the city, from wiring to apparatus for light, heat or power, to…

Westchester County, not individual towns, licenses master electricians and electrical inspectors county-wide; no one…

Yonkers requires a Department permit before installing, altering or adding to any electrical wiring, devices or…

Only a plumber licensed by Albany's Examining Board of Plumbers may perform plumbing work in the city. The Commissioner…

Town of Islip bars anyone from installing, altering or repairing plumbing or heating systems without a Town-issued…

Amherst Code § 83-5-2 requires a separate plumbing permit or quick permit from the Commissioner of Building before any…

All new plumbing or drainage work in the Town of Babylon requires a permit from the Building Division before…

Fixed plumbing work in the Town of Brookhaven needs a building permit before anyone picks up a wrench. Town Code § 16-3…

Buffalo requires a Commissioner-issued permit before any plumbing work begins, under City Code § 326-15, and only a…

Cheektowaga adopts the Plumbing Code of New York State and requires anyone installing or altering plumbing to hold a…

Clarkstown has no separate plumbing code: the Town Board formally accepted the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention…

Glen Cove requires a written permit from the Chief Building Inspector before any plumbing or drainage work begins, and…

In the Town of Greece, no plumbing work may begin until the plumber pulls a permit, and the Building Inspector will not…

No plumbing, drainage or sewage disposal work may begin in unincorporated Hempstead without a permit from the…

Huntington requires a Town-issued plumbing permit before anyone installs, repairs, services or modifies a plumbing…

New Rochelle requires every plumber to hold a Westchester County certificate of qualification registered with the…

New York City requires a Department of Buildings permit before any plumbing work, and only a licensed master plumber…

All plumbing and drainage work in North Hempstead must be performed by, or under the supervision of, a master or…

Town Code § 180-22 requires a plumbing permit from the Division of Building before any new plumbing, drainage or sewage…

Ramapo will not inspect any plumbing, heating or air-conditioning work that requires a permit unless the work is…

No plumbing work regulated by the Building Code or the state Uniform Code may be performed in Rochester without a…

Any plumbing work in Schenectady needs a permit from the Plumbing Inspector before work starts, issued only to a…

Smithtown requires a separate plumbing permit alongside any building permit, with a detailed drawing of every fixture…

Suffolk County requires all plumbing work performed in the county to conform to the plumbing code adopted by the local…

Syracuse does not write its own plumbing code from scratch: the common council incorporates the Local Rules for…

Westchester County requires a county-wide master plumber's license, not a town-issued credential, before anyone may…

Yonkers City Code § 57-10 bars any plumbing, drainage or gas work from starting until the Bureau's Director approves an…

Albany requires annual fire-safety and property-maintenance inspections for every building with a public assembly…

Amherst requires every stage of permitted construction work to pass a Commissioner of Building inspection before it can…

Plumbing and drainage work in the Town of Babylon goes through two required checks, a roughing-in inspection before…

Town Code § 16-3D requires the Chief Building Inspector or a Building and Zoning Inspector to inspect permitted…

Broome County requires every permitted construction project to pass staged inspections before work is enclosed…

No new or altered building in Buffalo can be occupied until the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services issues a…

Cheektowaga inspects permitted work throughout construction and again at completion before issuing a certificate of…

Clarkstown keeps construction work exposed and accessible until the Code Enforcement Officer inspects and accepts it at…

Town Code § 62-18 lists every stage of construction the Building Department Manager must inspect before work can…

Glen Cove permit holders must call for inspection at four fixed construction stages: excavation and footings…

Greenburgh's Building Inspector must sign off on ten separate construction milestones before work can be covered up…

Before issuing a certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion, or certificate of approval of plumbing or…

Permit holders in Huntington must give the town 24 hours' advance notice before starting work, and a certificate of…

Islip inspects permitted construction at each stage before it's covered up. § 68-27 requires review of building…

Mount Vernon requires construction work to stay exposed until a Code Enforcement Officer, Building Inspector or Fire…

New Rochelle requires staged inspections at every phase of permitted construction, from soil and forms through framing…

New York City's Construction Codes require four categories of Department of Buildings inspection on any permitted job…

Before North Hempstead issues a certificate of occupancy, certificate of completion, or plumbing approval, the Building…

The City of Oneida, Madison County, New York requires construction work to stay accessible and exposed under Code §…

Rochester requires every building permit holder to pass a set sequence of Code Enforcement Official inspections before…

Inside the Village of Spring Valley, Code § 23-6 keeps permitted work exposed until the county's Office of Buildings…

Once Schenectady issues a building permit, work must stay exposed and accessible for inspection at each construction…

Smithtown requires a building permit before construction begins, and the Chief Building Inspector examines every site…

Syracuse's Division of Code Enforcement may inspect any premises during reasonable business hours, or in an emergency…

Yonkers requires every permitted construction project to pass mandatory inspections at each stage of work, from…