N.Y.C. Admin. Code tit. 27, ch. 2 § 27-2007
Certain specific duties of tenants and others (New York City Housing Maintenance Code)
Operative Text
In addition to other duties imposed upon him or her by this code, no tenant, or any other person, shall: a. Remove or render inoperative any self-closing device on any door which is required by any provision of law to be self-closing, or cause or permit such door to be held open by any device; b. Use, or cause or permit to be installed, a lowered door or screen door in addition to or in place of any required self-closing door to a public hall; c. Place any encumbrance before or upon, or cause access to be obstructed to, any fire escape, or obstruct by a baby carriage or any encumbrance, the public halls or any required means of egress; d. Take down, alter, destroy, or in any way deface any sign required by this code to be displayed. e. Remove or render inoperative any shower head installed by the owner which meets the standards of subdivision P. 104.2 of section P. 104.0 of reference standard RS-16 of the appendix to chapter one of this title.
N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 27-2001 and 27-2007 establish specific prohibitions that apply to tenants and any other occupants of a building. The rule bars people from tampering with self-closing doors, blocking fire escapes or required exit paths, removing required signage, or disabling compliant shower heads installed by the owner. These restrictions exist alongside—not instead of—any other duties already imposed by the Housing Maintenance Code, and they apply regardless of whether the person is a tenant or simply someone present in the building.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 27-2001 and 27-2007, property owners and managers generally document the condition of self-closing doors, fire escape access points, required signage, and owner-installed shower heads at move-in and during routine inspections. Keeping dated records of these inspections helps demonstrate that compliant conditions existed before any tenant occupancy. When a violation of these tenant-duty provisions is discovered, operators typically notify the tenant in writing and restore the required condition promptly, since the building's overall compliance record remains the owner's responsibility.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
N.Y.C. Admin. Code §§ 27-2001 and 27-2007 place certain safety-related duties directly on tenants, meaning a tenant—not just the landlord—can be held responsible for actions such as propping open self-closing doors, blocking fire escapes or hallways, defacing required signs, or removing a compliant shower head. Tenants who believe a co-occupant or neighbor is violating these provisions may report the condition to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which enforces the Housing Maintenance Code. Tenant-rights organizations can help explain how these duties interact with any rights a tenant may have under the same code.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 14, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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