Int. No. 765

By Council Members Dilan, Fidler, James, Mealy, Nelson and Palma

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to increasing the wattage of electric lighting fixtures in certain public parts of multiple dwellings.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

                     Section 1. Section 2038 of title 27 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:

                      §27-2038 Electric lighting fixtures in certain public parts of dwellings; fixtures and lights required. a. In every multiple dwelling and tenant-occupied two-family dwelling, the owner shall provide electric lighting fixtures for every public hall, stair, fire stair and fire tower on every floor, in accordance with the following requirements:

(1) If an incandescent lighting fixture is provided, it shall be capable of providing illumination of at least ten watts per [twenty-five] twenty square feet of floor area or fraction thereof. Each lighting fixture shall be provided with one or more lights of a total of not less than sixty watts. Where, under this requirement, the number of watts per fixture would exceed one hundred, one or more additional fixtures shall be provided and shall be located as may be prescribed by the department, except where the distance from the fixture to the farthest intersecting wall does not exceed [twenty] fifteen feet.

(2) If a fluorescent lighting fixture is provided, it shall be capable of providing illumination of at least four watts cool white fluorescent light per [twenty-five] twenty square feet of floor area or fraction thereof. Each lighting fixture shall be provided with one or more lights of a total of not less than twenty watts. Where, under this requirement, the number of watts per fixture would exceed forty, one or more additional fixtures shall be provided and shall be located as may be prescribed by the department, except where the distance from the fixture to the farthest intersecting wall does not exceed [twenty] fifteen feet.

(3) In every multiple dwelling hereafter erected, in addition to other lighting requirements, a sufficient number of incandescent or fluorescent fixtures shall be provided so that the distance between fixtures is not more than thirty feet and so that no wall is more than fifteen feet distant from a fixture.

b. The department may approve electric lighting for public halls, stairs, fire stairs and fire towers other than the incandescent and fluorescent lighting required in subdivision a of this section if such other method of electric lighting provides equivalent illumination, and meets the requirements of the electrical code.

c. Notwithstanding any other requirement of this section, the department may require fixtures to be so located, and additional fixtures to be installed, in order to assure that every part of every public hall, stair, fire stair or fire tower is adequately lighted.

§2. Section one of this local law shall take effect sixty days after enactment, and section two shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

JTB

01/23/08

LS#2964