Cal. Civ. Code § 237
Stair construction
Operative Text
§ 237. Stair construction. 1. Every stair in a tenement erected after April twelfth, nineteen hundred one, shall be accessible on the entrance story from a street or street court, or from an inner court which connects directly with a street. 2. All such stairs shall have risers of eight inches or less and treads at least ten inches in clear width and three feet in clear length. 3. Winding stairs shall be unlawful except in a tenement provided with a passenger elevator. When winding stairs or radial steps are installed or used, the strings from which the risers radiate shall be curved on a circle of at least one foot diameter, the treads shall be at least four inches wide at the string, not including the nosing, and the angle formed by the face of each riser and the string shall not diverge more than forty degrees from a line normal to the string at the intersection of such riser. It shall be unlawful to construct new winding stairs. 4. Stairs constructed after April eighteenth, nineteen hundred twenty-nine, shall comply with the provisions of subdivisions two to six inclusive of section fifty-two.
New York Multiple Dwelling Law § 237 sets out structural requirements for stairs in tenements built after April 12, 1901. Stairs must be reachable from a street or qualifying court on the entry floor, and individual steps must meet specific riser height and tread dimension limits. Winding stairs are generally prohibited in newer construction, and any existing winding stairs or radial steps must conform to strict geometric constraints; stairs built after April 18, 1929 must also satisfy the additional standards found in § 52 of the same law.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers operating tenements subject to N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 237 generally ensure that all covered stairways are accessible from the building's entrance story via a street or qualifying court connection. Compliant operators maintain step dimensions within the prescribed limits—risers no taller than eight inches and treads at least ten inches deep and three feet wide—and do not install new winding stairs. For buildings with stairs constructed after April 18, 1929, operators also verify compliance with the additional requirements cross-referenced in § 52 of the Multiple Dwelling Law.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 237, tenants in covered tenements have an interest in stairs that meet the law's accessibility and dimensional standards, since noncompliant stair construction can constitute a building code violation. If a tenant believes stairs in their building do not conform to § 237—for example, due to inaccessible placement or improper step dimensions—they may consider reporting the condition to the New York City Department of Buildings or the relevant local housing authority, which has enforcement authority over such violations. Tenant-rights organizations can help residents understand how a § 237 violation might be raised in housing court proceedings or other available forums.
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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