N.Y.C. Admin. Code tit. 27, ch. 2 § 27-2056.17

Record keeping requirements (New York City Housing Maintenance Code)

In Force
Verified 10/27/2026 · Next check 11/3/2026
New York CityFederal Disclosure (Title X)

Operative Text

N.Y.C. Admin. Code tit. 27, ch. 2 § 27-2056.17
a. The owner of any multiple dwelling or dwelling that performs any work or provides any notices pursuant to this article shall retain all records relating to such work or notices for a period of no less than ten years from the completion date of such work or notification as provided in the rules of the department and this article. If the multiple dwelling is subject to the requirements of section 27-2056.4 or section 27-2056.8 , for each dwelling unit in such dwelling the owner shall keep a record of: (i) the date that such unit turned over whenever such turnover occurs; (ii) the name of each inspector, risk assessor or contractor who performed required investigations pursuant to subdivision a-1 of section 27-2056.4 ; (iii) all testing results performed pursuant to subdivision a-1 of section 27-2056.4 and any other lead based paint testing that has occurred in such unit; and (iv) whether the department has granted an exemption from the presumption established by section 27-2056.5 for any unit in the multiple dwelling. The owner shall make any such records required to be retained by this article available to the department upon the department's request, and shall transfer such records to the owner's successor in title.



b. To determine compliance with the requirements of this article, in addition to the audits required by section 27-2056.7 , the department shall audit the records required to be kept pursuant to this article, including pursuant to section 27-2056.4 and 27-2056.8 , for a minimum of 200 buildings each fiscal year. Such additional 200 buildings shall also be inspected for violations of section 27-2056.6 in accordance with subdivision b of section 27-2056.9 , and for violations of section 27-2056.8 in accordance with subdivision d-1 of section 27-2056.9 . Such additional 200 buildings shall be selected by the department, in consultation with the department of health and mental hygiene, using criteria set forth in the rules of the department that shall include, but need not be limited to:



(1) buildings with peeling lead-based paint violations issued as a result of positive x-ray fluorescence tests pursuant to section 27-2056.6 , considering the number of such violations and data on the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in certain geographic areas identified by the department of health and mental hygiene;



(2) buildings with violations that have been issued for other indicators of deteriorated subsurfaces including, but not limited to, mold and leaks, considering the number of such violations and data on the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in certain geographic areas identified by the department of health and mental hygiene; and



(3) buildings with violations that have been issued pursuant to section 27-2056.8 , considering the number of such violations and data on the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels in certain geographic areas identified by the department of health and mental hygiene.



b-1. When the department issues a violation pursuant to section 27-2056.6 for a dwelling unit where a child of applicable age resides, the department shall notify the owner of the multiple dwelling where the dwelling unit is located that the owner shall, within 45 days of the department’s notice, provide to the department records of the annual notice and, where appropriate, records of investigations conducted by such owner, for the immediately previous year. On and after August 1, 2025, the department shall require all records of any x-ray fluorescence analysis conducted pursuant to subdivision a-1 of section 27-2056.4 . The failure to furnish such records shall be a separate violation of this section. Nothing in this subdivision shall affect the validity of a certification of correction of a lead-based paint hazard violation issued pursuant to section 27-2056.6 .



c. The department shall issue a violation pursuant to subdivision c of section 27-2056.8 to any owner who fails, in response to a demand by the department and in accordance with rules of the department, to produce a record required to be retained by this article pertaining to compliance with the provisions of section 27-2056.8 if the department obtains information from the tenant or another source regarding the date upon which the current tenancy of such dwelling unit began. Such owner may rebut such information provided by the tenant or another source by submitting documents in accordance with rules of the department.



d. The department shall issue a violation pursuant to section 27-2056.4 to any owner who fails, in response to a demand by the department and in accordance with rules of the department, to produce within 45 days of such request such records as are required to be retained by this article pertaining to compliance with the provisions of section 27-2056.4 .



e. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of section 27-2115 , any owner who fails, in response to a demand by the department and in accordance with rules of the department, to produce a record required to be retained by this article within 45 days of such request, shall be liable for a class C immediately hazardous violation, and a civil penalty of not less than $1,000 and not more than $5,000.



f. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a violation issued to an owner of a multiple dwelling pursuant to section 27-2056.4 , 27-2056.7 , or 27-2056.17 which requires keeping or producing records for 10 years shall be dismissed as having been corrected if the owner submits: (i) a violation dismissal request form for such violation with the required consecutive 10 years of records, including such records for the year in which the owner is submitting the dismissal request; or (ii) the appropriate violation dismissal request form for such violation with documentation demonstrating that the owner has kept the required records for a period of at least 3 consecutive years, including such records for the year in which the owner is submitting the dismissal request, and upon notification from the department that such submitted documentation is sufficient, a payment of $1,000 for each year of the 10 years that the owner does not submit documentation.


(Am. L.L. 2019/070, 4/14/2019, eff. 10/11/2019; Am. L.L. 2020/031, 2/11/2020, eff. 8/9/2020; Am. L.L. 2020/028, 2/11/2020, eff. 2/11/2021; Am. L.L. 2023/122, 9/3/2023, eff. 9/1/2024; Am. L.L. 2023/127, 9/3/2023, eff. 9/3/2024)



Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Appendix A at L.L. 1999/038 and L.L. 2004/001 .
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 27-2056.17 establishes record-keeping obligations tied to lead-based paint work and notices in multiple dwellings. Owners must retain relevant records for at least ten years from the completion of work or notification, and those records must be made available to the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) upon request and transferred to any new owner upon sale. The provision also sets out an annual audit program under which HPD reviews records for a minimum of 200 buildings per fiscal year, prioritizing buildings with histories of lead-paint violations or elevated blood lead levels in surrounding areas.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 14, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under § 27-2056.17, compliant property owners maintain a comprehensive file for each dwelling unit that includes turnover dates, inspector and contractor names, all lead-based paint testing results, and any departmental exemptions from the lead-paint presumption. These records are kept for a minimum of ten years and are produced to HPD within 45 days of any departmental request; failure to do so can result in a Class C immediately hazardous violation and civil penalties ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. When a building changes hands, operators in good standing transfer the full record set to the incoming owner to preserve continuity of compliance documentation.

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

For Tenants

Section 27-2056.17 gives tenants an indirect but meaningful protection: HPD is required to audit lead-paint records for at least 200 buildings annually, with priority given to buildings that have existing lead violations or are located in areas with elevated blood lead levels. When HPD issues a lead-paint violation for a unit where a child of applicable age lives, the owner is required to provide annual notice records and, where appropriate, investigation records within 45 days. Tenants who believe an owner is failing to maintain or produce required records may file a complaint with HPD or consult a tenant-rights organization to understand how this provision may apply to their building.

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.

Effective Timeline

Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.

Related Rules

§ 574.635
§ 574.635 Lead-based paint.
§ 196
Prohibited acts relating to lead-based paint, glaze or other substance; punishment; embargo of personal property
§ 35.940
§ 35.940 Special requirements for insular areas.

Source Information

Snapshot SHA:
Fetched:Sep 30, 2026, 10:57 PM UTC