Newburgh, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 190 § 190-94
Efficiency apartments
Operative Text
A. Gross floor area. Every dwelling unit which is occupied by two or more occupants and which contains a room not intended primarily for cooking or sleeping but which is properly designed and equipped or especially furnished with either a kitchenette and bed furniture properly designed for daytime storage or other daytime uses to be maintained as a combination of regular living and efficiency sleeping may contain 100 square feet less gross floor area than required in § 190-93 of this chapter. B. Ceiling height. Every habitable room shall have a minimum ceiling height of seven feet over 50% of the floor area, and the floor area where the ceiling height is less than five feet shall not be considered as part of the floor area in computing the minimum floor area.
Section 190-94 of the Newburgh, N.Y., Code of Ordinances establishes special space standards for efficiency apartments. A dwelling unit occupied by two or more people that combines living and sleeping functions through a kitchenette and daytime-storage bed furniture is permitted to have 100 square feet less gross floor area than the standard requirement set out in § 190-93. Additionally, every habitable room must have a ceiling height of at least seven feet over at least half of the floor area, and any portion of the floor where the ceiling is below five feet tall does not count toward the minimum floor area calculation.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators managing multi-occupant efficiency units in Newburgh should be familiar with § 190-94, which allows a 100-square-foot reduction in required gross floor area only when the unit is properly designed and equipped with a kitchenette and daytime-storage bed furniture. Compliant operators ensure that every habitable room meets the seven-foot ceiling height threshold over at least 50% of the floor area and exclude any sub-five-foot ceiling areas from their floor area calculations when demonstrating code compliance. Keeping documentation of room dimensions and ceiling heights on file supports a clear record of conformance with § 190-94's requirements.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 190-94 of the Newburgh Code of Ordinances, tenants living in efficiency apartments have a right to habitable rooms that meet minimum ceiling height standards—at least seven feet over half the floor area—and to units that genuinely qualify for the reduced square footage allowance only when properly equipped as combination living-sleeping spaces. If a unit appears to fall short of these standards, tenants can contact the City of Newburgh's code enforcement or housing inspection office to request an inspection. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with local housing codes can also help residents understand how § 190-94 applies to their living conditions.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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Rules and statutes that cite this regulation