Zoning › State preemptions › New York

NY Multiple Dwelling Law §26(3) — NYC Residential FAR Cap Lifted (Enabling) (NY)

Tracked preemption from the New York overlay bundle.

Overview

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Effective
2024-04-20
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:NY
Other New York preemptions
NY Freshwater Wetlands Act — 2022 Amendment Lower ThresholdNY Real Property Law Article 12-D — Statewide Short-Term Rental Registry FrameworkNYC City of Yes for Housing Opportunity — ADU Legalization (Local Laws 126 & 127 of 2024)NY Real Property Tax Law §485-x — Affordable Neighborhoods for New Yorkers (NYC Tax Abatement)NY Real Property Tax Law §467-m — NYC Office-to-Residential Conversion Tax IncentiveNY Real Property Tax Law §421-a Extender — NYC Vested-Project Completion ExtensionNYC Local Law 18 — Short-Term Rental Booking Platform Registration (Preserved)NY Executive Order 30 — Pro-Housing Community Funding Conditionality

Trigger predicate

When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.

AND
  • city.is_nyc == True
  • city.population ≥ 1000000

Preempted fields

1 field on the base district schema is rewritten when the trigger fires.

FieldOpValueNote
base_districts[category=res_mf].max_farfloor_at12.0Before April 2024 MDL §26(3) capped residential FAR at 12.0 citywide. Amendment removes the ceiling for NYC lots that meet preconditions (MIH, ULURP, not-historic, no JLWQA/Loft Law, anti-harassment cert, relocation assistance). Local zoning may go higher only subject to preconditions; NYC implements via R11 (15.0 FAR) and R12 (18.0 FAR) under City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.

Citation

Authority source
NY Multiple Dwelling Law §26(3), as amended by Part Q of Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2024 (FY 2025 Enacted Budget)
§ MDL §26(3)
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/MDW/26

Research notes

NYC-only ceiling lift. Not an affirmative zoning mandate — localities must still rezone via ULURP (e.g., R11/R12 under City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, adopted Dec 5, 2024). Preconditions for FAR > 12.0: permanent affordability via MIH, ULURP, site not in historic district, no JLWQA/Loft Law units, tenant anti-harassment certification, relocation assistance (1 month/year capped at 6 months). Alternative pathway: UDC/ESD general project plan with ≥25% affordable at 80% AMI weighted-average. federal_conflict_check=true because JFK/LGA Part 77 airspace surfaces govern height in parts of NYC.