NY Mult Dwell L § 217 (2021)
2021 New York Laws MDW - Multiple Dwelling Article 7 - Tenements Title 1 - Light and Air 217 - Lighting and Ventilation of Public Halls and Stairs.

§  217.  Lighting  and  ventilation of public halls and stairs. 1.  In   every tenement erected after April twelfth, nineteen hundred one,  which   exceeds  four stories in height or is occupied by three families or more   on any story, every public hall shall have at least one  window  opening   directly  upon  a street, yard or court. Such window shall be located at   the end of the  hall  and  at  right  angles  to  its  length,  with  an   additional window in each thirty feet of hall or fraction thereof beyond   the  first  sixty  feet from such end window if the tenement was erected   after April eighteenth, nineteen hundred twelve; or, if  the  window  is   not  thus  located  at  the end of the hall, there shall be at least one   window opening directly upon a street, yard or  court  in  every  twenty   feet  of  the  length of the hall or fraction thereof, measured from one   end of hall; but the  foregoing  provisions  shall  not  apply  to  that   portion of an entrance hall between the entrance and the first flight of   stairs  if the entrance door contains five square feet or more of glazed   surface.2. When the length of any recess or return off of  a  public  hall  in   such  a  tenement  does  not  exceed twice its width, no window shall be   required therein. But wherever the length of a recess or return  exceeds   twice  its  width there shall be an additional window or windows meeting   the requirements for a separate public hall.3. Except as provided in subdivision four, a  tenement  erected  after   April  twelfth,  nineteen  hundred one, which is four stories or less in   height and occupied by not more than two families  on  any  story  shall   either have windows in its public halls as above provided or a stairwell   twelve  inches or more in width extending from the entrance story to the   roof. In such a tenement, except as provided in subdivision four,  every   entrance  door shall contain five square feet or more of glazed surface,   and all doors leading from the  public  halls  shall  be  provided  with   translucent  glass panels five square feet or more in area for each door   and fixed transoms of translucent glass over each door.4. Neither such windows nor such a  stairwell  shall  be  required  in   cities  of  one  million  or  more  population in tenements which do not   exceed three stories in height or fifty-five feet in depth and which are   occupied by not more than one family on  any  story  and  in  which  the   stairs  descend  in  a straight and continuous run from the top story to   the entrance story with proper landings at each  story.  Such  tenements   shall  not  be  required  to  have glass panels or transoms in the doors   leading from the public halls.5. In every public hall that is provided with a window or windows in a   tenement erected after April twelfth, nineteen hundred one, at least one   such window shall be at least two feet six inches  wide  and  five  feet   high.6.  In  every  such  tenement  there shall be provided, at every floor   level, a window opening upon a street, yard,  court  or  space  above  a   setback  to  light and ventilate every stair. Every such required window   shall be of the size required by subdivision five, except that a  window   opening  upon  a  street need be only four feet high. On the top story a   ventilating skylight of the same dimensions shall be accepted in lieu of   a window for that story.7. In every such tenement there shall be in the  roof,  directly  over   each  stairwell,  a ventilating skylight provided with ridge ventilators   having an opening of at least forty  square  inches,  or  provided  with   fixed  or movable louvres. The roof of every such skylight shall have at   least twenty square feet of glazed surface. If  the  stairs  and  public   halls  are  not  provided at each story with windows opening directly to   the outer air, the skylights shall be provided  with  ridge  ventilators   and also with fixed or movable louvres or movable sashes. 8.  A  sash  door  shall  be deemed the equivalent of a window for the   purposes of this section if it contains the  amount  of  glazed  surface   prescribed for such windows.9.  In  all  old-law  tenements  the  public halls and stairs shall be   provided with such skylights, ventilators, windows in bulkheads or other   means of lighting and ventilation as may be deemed  practicable  by  the   department.10.   All   skylights  installed  in  old-law  tenements  after  April   eighteenth, nineteen hundred twenty-nine, shall be provided  with  ridge   ventilators  having  an opening of at least forty square inches and also   with fixed or movable louvres or with movable sashes. They shall  be  of   such  size as may be determined to be practicable by the department, and   the roofs of such skylights shall be glazed with  plain  glass  equipped   with suitable wire screen above and below.11.  Whenever  a  public  hall in any old-law tenement four stories or   more in height is not light enough in the daytime to permit a person  to   read  in  every  part thereof without the aid of artificial light, every   door at the end of such hall or opening therefrom into a room shall have   a wire glass panel or panels of an  aggregate  area  of  at  least  four   square  feet; or in lieu thereof such hall may be lighted by a window or   windows opening upon a street or upon a lawful  yard,  court  or  shaft,   with  the plane of each such window at right angles to the length of the   hall. In any such tenement  any  public  hall  or  stair  which  is  not   provided  with a window opening directly upon a street or yard and which   is not sufficiently lighted in the opinion of the  department  shall  be   provided by the owner with artificial light, which shall be kept burning   at all times.12.  Any part of a public hall that is shut off from any other part of   such hall by a door or doors shall be deemed a  separate  hall  for  the   purposes of this section.