This past December/January there was a series of fires in multi-unit apartment buildings in the Bronx that resulted in 15 deaths and 29 injuries. Part of the severity of these fires can be attributed to the lack of self-closing doors leading from the apartments to the corridors, which allowed the flames to spread faster through the building.
On Saturday, June 9th, 2018 Law 111 of 2018 was enacted. This law requires that all doors providing access to interior corridors or stairs in occupancy groups R-1 and R-2 shall be self-closing or equipped with a device that will ensure closing after having been opened. Such requirement is retroactive and must be complied with as of July 31, 2021. R-1 occupancies include hotels and other similar buildings. R-2 occupancies include apartments/multifamily homes and other similar buildings. This will be added to Article 315, chapter 3, of Title 28 of the Administrative Code, the article governing retroactive requirements, as §28-315.10.
In addition to requiring self-closing doors, the law requires that the owner of the building to keep and maintain such doors in good repair, failing to do so shall result in a class C immediately hazardous violation. Such requirements can be added to Article 11 of Subchapter 2 of the Housing Maintenance Code, the article governing Protective Devices and Fire Protection, as §27-2041.1
Click here for a copy of the text of LL 111 of 2018.