Cal. Civ. Code § 174
Size of rooms
Operative Text
§ 174. Size of rooms. Every living room shall contain five hundred fifty cubic feet or more of air, shall be at least six feet wide at its narrowest part and shall have a minimum height of seven feet if such room is in the basement, of seven feet at all points more than six feet from the front of such room if it is on the top story, and of eight feet if on any other story, except that whenever a basement conforms to the provisions of subdivision four of section one hundred seventy-seven the living rooms in such basement may have a minimum height of six feet eight inches from the finished floor to the bottom of any beams projecting below the level of the finished basement ceiling and of seven feet to the ceiling between such beams.
Under N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 174, every living room in a multiple dwelling must meet minimum dimensional standards: at least 550 cubic feet of air volume, a width of no less than six feet at its narrowest point, and a ceiling height that varies by floor level—eight feet on most stories, seven feet in basements and in the sloped portions of top-story rooms, with a limited exception allowing slightly lower clearances (six feet eight inches to beam bottoms, seven feet to the ceiling between beams) in basements that satisfy a related code provision. These requirements set a floor on how small or low a habitable room may legally be. The rule applies regardless of how a room is marketed or labeled in a lease.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators of multiple dwellings subject to N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 174 generally verify that every living room meets the applicable cubic-footage, width, and ceiling-height thresholds before a unit is offered for occupancy. Compliant operators document room dimensions—particularly in basement and top-story units, where the height standards differ from the standard eight-foot requirement—and revisit those measurements if any renovation work alters ceiling or floor levels. When a basement unit is intended to include living rooms with the reduced six-foot-eight-inch beam clearance, operators typically confirm that the basement also satisfies the related conditions set out in § 177(4).
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Tenants living in multiple dwellings in New York have a right to rooms that meet the dimensional minimums established by N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 174, including the air-volume, width, and ceiling-height requirements applicable to their floor level. If a living room appears to fall short of these standards, tenants can document the conditions and report them to the local housing or building department, which has authority to inspect and cite violations. Tenant-rights organizations and legal aid offices familiar with the Multiple Dwelling Law can help tenants understand what enforcement options—such as raising a housing-code violation in a housing court proceeding—may be available.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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