Cal. Civ. Code § 35

Entrance doors and lights

In Force
Verified 9/13/2026 · Next check 9/20/2026
effective 9/22/2014New YorkHabitability & Repair

Operative Text

Cal. Civ. Code § 35
  § 35. Entrance doors and lights.  In every multiple dwelling erected
after April eighteenth, nineteen hundred twenty-nine, every door giving
access to an entrance hall from outside the dwelling shall contain at
least five square feet of glazed surface. The width of every such door
shall be at least seventy-five per centum of the required clear width of
such entrance hall as provided in section fifty, except that when a
series of such entrance doors is provided their aggregate clear width
shall not be less than seventy-five per centum of the required width of
the entrance hall and the clear width of each of the doors separately
shall be at least two feet six inches.  Such a door opening upon a
street or a court extending to a street may be of wood. Such a door
opening upon a yard or upon a court not extending to a street shall be
fireproof.
  The owner of every multiple dwelling shall install and maintain a
light or lights at or near the outside of the front entrance-way of the
building which shall in the aggregate provide not less than fifty watts
incandescent illumination for a building with a frontage up to
twenty-two feet and one hundred watts incandescent illumination for a
building with a frontage in excess of twenty-two feet, or equivalent
illumination and shall be kept burning from sunset every day to sunrise
on the day following. In the case of a multiple dwelling with a frontage
in excess of twenty-two feet, the front entrance doors of which have a
combined width in excess of five feet, there shall be at least two
lights, one at each side of the entrance way, with an aggregate
illumination of one hundred fifty watts or equivalent illumination. In
enforcing this provision the department shall permit owners to determine
for themselves the actual location, design and nature of the
installation of such light or lights to meet practical, aesthetic and
other considerations, so long as the minimum level of illumination is
maintained.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

New York Multiple Dwelling Law § 35 sets physical and lighting standards for entrance doors and exterior lighting in multiple dwellings built after April 18, 1929. Entrance doors from outside must include at least five square feet of glazed surface and meet minimum width requirements relative to the entrance hall, with fireproofing required for doors opening onto yards or non-street-facing courts. Separately, building owners must keep exterior front-entrance lighting burning from sunset to sunrise every night, with minimum illumination levels scaled to the building's frontage width—ranging from 50-watt equivalent for narrower buildings up to 150-watt equivalent for wider buildings with broader entrance doors.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 13, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 35, compliant operators of post-1929 multiple dwellings ensure that exterior entrance doors meet the glazing and width specifications tied to the entrance hall dimensions, and that doors opening onto yards or non-street courts are fireproof. For lighting, compliant owners install and maintain exterior front-entrance fixtures that meet the wattage or equivalent-illumination thresholds appropriate to their building's frontage, keeping those lights burning every night from sunset to sunrise. The statute gives owners flexibility in choosing the actual location, design, and type of lighting installation, provided the required minimum illumination level is continuously maintained.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 35 establishes rights for occupants of qualifying multiple dwellings to properly glazed and appropriately fire-rated entrance doors, as well as adequately lit front entranceways every night from sunset to sunrise. If a building's entrance doors appear to lack the required glazed surface or fire-rating, or if exterior lighting is absent or insufficient, tenants can document the condition and report it to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development or the relevant local housing enforcement agency. Tenant-rights organizations can help residents understand how § 35 violations may be raised in housing court proceedings or pursued through formal complaint channels.

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.

Effective Timeline

Current
Sep 22, 2014
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Related Rules

§ 8.60.130
Severability
§ 15.12.010
Definitions
§ 15.12.240
Temporary housing

Source Information

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