Port Chester, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 197 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 197-15
Space required for occupancy
Operative Text
A. Requirements for dwelling units, other than one-room studio apartments. Except as otherwise set out in this § 197-15 , every dwelling unit shall have a kitchen or kitchenette and a bathroom and shall, in addition to the gross floor area contained within those rooms, have not less than 300 square feet of gross floor area of habitable space for one occupant and 200 additional square feet of habitable space for each additional occupant. B. One-room studio apartments. 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 of habitable space than that required in Subsection A above. C. Required space in sleeping rooms. In every dwelling unit, every room occupied for sleeping purposes by one occupant shall have a minimum gross floor area of at least 80 square feet. Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one occupant shall have a minimum gross floor area of 50 square feet per occupant thereof. In the case of children under six years of age, the requirement shall be 40 square feet per child for two or more children. Every room used for sleeping purposes shall have a minimum horizontal dimension of seven feet. Kitchens shall not be used for sleeping purposes. D. Required space in rooming units. Rooms let to one or more persons shall contain a minimum gross floor area for sleeping purposes of 90 square feet for a single occupant, and every such room occupied by more than one occupant shall contain a minimum gross floor area of 70 square feet per occupant thereof. E. Basement dwelling units. Dwelling units and rooming units located in a basement shall meet all the requirements of this Code, and the floors and outside walls shall be dampproof. F. Sleeping space in cellars. No space in any cellar shall be used for sleeping purposes.
Port Chester Code ch. 197 § 197-15 establishes minimum space requirements for residential occupancy. Standard dwelling units must have at least 300 square feet of habitable space for the first occupant, plus 200 square feet for each additional occupant, beyond the kitchen and bathroom areas. Sleeping rooms carry their own minimums—at least 80 square feet for a single sleeper, with scaled requirements for multiple occupants and young children—and cellars may not be used for sleeping at all. Studio-style one-room apartments and rooming units are subject to their own adjusted floor-area thresholds under the same section.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators of residential rental properties in Port Chester must ensure that each dwelling unit meets the habitable-space minimums set out in ch. 197 § 197-15 before placing any occupant. Compliant operators track the number of occupants per unit and verify that sleeping rooms meet the per-person square-footage floors, including the reduced 40-square-foot standard for children under six sharing a room. Basement units require dampproofing of floors and exterior walls, and no cellar space may be offered or used for sleeping under any circumstances.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Port Chester Code ch. 197 § 197-15, tenants have a right to occupy dwelling units and sleeping rooms that meet specific minimum square-footage standards based on the number of people living there. If a unit or sleeping room appears to fall below these thresholds—or if a landlord has designated cellar space for sleeping—tenants may raise this as a housing-code violation with the appropriate local code enforcement authority. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Westchester County housing law can help residents understand what documentation or complaint processes may be available to them.
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 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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Rules and statutes that cite this regulation