STATE OF NEW YORK
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245
2013-2014 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 9, 2013
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Introduced by Sen. SAMPSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to
authorizing the installation of water usage sub-meters by owners of
multiple dwellings as defined herein
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 15 of the environmental conservation law is amended
2 by adding a new title 4 to read as follows:
3 TITLE 4
4 SUB-METERING
5 Section 15-0401. Legislative findings.
6 15-0403. Definitions.
7 15-0405. Installation of sub-meters required.
8 § 15-0401. Legislative findings.
9 The state legislature finds that in order to provide for the maximum
10 benefit from the state's water resources to the broadest range of
11 public, private users at a minimum cost and with the least adverse envi-
12 ronmental impact, it is necessary and in the public interest to manage
13 more effectively and efficiently the state's water supplies. To facili-
14 tate the conservation of water, to minimize waste, and to make specific
15 determinations of the amounts and locations of all users of water, sub-
16 metering of water users in multiple dwellings is necessary. Water
17 conservation is harder to achieve in multiple dwellings because tenants
18 are not aware of their water usage. Therefore to minimize waste an owner
19 of a multiple dwelling is encouraged to implement sub-metering for each
20 individual unit.
21 § 15-0403. Definitions.
22 1. "Sub-meter" shall mean a device which records or measures the water
23 usage for each individual unit within a residential multiple dwelling.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02187-01-3
S. 245 2
1 2. "Unit" shall mean a family apartment within a multiple dwelling.
2 3. "Multiple dwelling", for the purposes of this title, is a dwelling
3 which is either rented, leased, let or hired out, to be occupied, or is
4 occupied as a residence or home of three or more families living inde-
5 pendently of each other.
6 § 15-0405. Installation of sub-meters required.
7 1. Within one year after the effective date of this title, owners may
8 install sub-meters in all multiple dwellings at their own expense.
9 2. The option to install sub-meters as provided in this section shall
10 not apply to any real property while an action for foreclosure of a tax
11 lien pursuant to either title two or title three of article eleven of
12 the real property tax law is pending.
13 3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the legislative body of
14 any local government may duly enact or adopt local laws or ordinances
15 or, in the city of New York, the New York city water board created
16 pursuant to section one thousand forty-six of the public authorities
17 law, may promulgate regulations providing standards for the installation
18 of sub-meters and imposing higher or more restrictive standards for the
19 sub-metering of water within the jurisdiction of such local government
20 or water board than are generally applicable to such local government or
21 water board under the provisions of this section.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
23 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.
