STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7206
IN SENATE
March 22, 2010
___________
Introduced by Sen. SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
AN ACT to amend the general business law and the executive law, in
relation to requiring unisex or family bathrooms in certain buildings
accessible to the public
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new article
2 12-C to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 12-C
4 NEW CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS
5 Section 219. Unisex restrooms.
6 § 219. Unisex restrooms. Any person or entity constructing a building
7 after September first, two thousand ten, that is larger than fifteen
8 thousand square feet, and that is used for commercial purposes, shall
9 ensure that such building be equipped with at least one restroom that is
10 designated as a unisex or family restroom. Such restroom shall also be
11 handicapped accessible and comply with all provisions of the Americans
12 with Disabilities Act.
13 § 2. Paragraphs d and e of subdivision 2 of section 377 of the execu-
14 tive law, as added by chapter 707 of the laws of 1981, are amended and a
15 new paragraph f is added to read as follows:
16 d. encourage, so far as may be practicable, the standardization of
17 construction practices, methods, equipment, material and techniques;
18 [and]
19 e. eliminate restrictive, obsolete, conflicting and unnecessary build-
20 ing regulations and requirements which tend to increase unnecessarily
21 construction costs or retard unnecessarily the use of new materials, or
22 provide unwarranted preferential treatment to types or classes of mate-
23 rial or products or methods of construction[.]; and
24 f. require that all commercial buildings larger than fifteen thousand
25 square feet that are constructed after September first, two thousand
26 ten, contain an appropriate number of unisex or family restrooms and
27 ensure that such restrooms are ADA compliant.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11144-03-0
S. 7206 2
1 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
2 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
3 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the timely
4 implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized to be
5 made and completed on or before such effective date.
