BILL NUMBER: S7131A
SPONSOR: MAY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law and the administrative code of the
city of New York, in relation to establishing standards for the design
and construction of all-gender bathrooms
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 378 of the executive law by adding a new subdi-
vision 21 establishing design and construction standards for all-gender
bathrooms
Section 2 amends chapter 4 of the plumbing code of the administrative
code of the city of New York by adding a new section 403.5 establishing
design and construction standards for all-gender bathrooms
Section 3 provides the effective date.
** The A-print updates the legislation with reference to industry stand-
ards. **
 
JUSTIFICATION:
New York State and New York City's outdated plumbing codes fail to
accommodate modern design standards for multi-stall all-gender bath-
rooms. The market has spoken and the demand for inclusive design is
here, and the plumbing code needs to be updated to meet the moment. The
current code requires architects and engineers to navigate an onerous
variance process, adding unnecessary time, cost, and uncertainty to
projects.
Multi-stall all-gender bathrooms are not without precedent. Forest Hills
Stadium has been using these facilities successfully since 2018, reduc-
ing need for additional wayfinding and meeting the needs of diverse
users, such as families and caretakers.
A wide variety of architecture clients, including private developers,
non-profit organizations, institutions, and agencies (ex: Parks Depart-
ment), seek inclusive design in their projects and require multi-stall
all- gender bathrooms that are safe and provide sufficient privacy. The
challenge is for an architect to incorporate multi-stall all-gender
bathrooms in their design, they need to engage in a lengthy variance
application and review process with the Department of Buildings (DOB),
often negatively impacting the project budget and schedule. This vari-
ance process serves as a deterrent and a risk to clients who aspire to
include all-gender bathrooms because, at the end, approval is subject to
the discretion of individual DOB reviewers. The uncertainty of approval,
along with the added costs and delays, often outweighs the interest in
the pursuit of incorporating these inclusive features.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Cost savings
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
90 days after becoming law

Statutes affected:
S7131: 378 executive law
S7131A: 378 executive law