Cal. Civ. Code § 11
Old dwellings
Operative Text
§ 11. Old dwellings. Except as required in section nine and articles three and four, nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require any change in the construction, use, or occupancy of any old or other existing multiple dwelling occupied as such on July first, nineteen hundred fifty-two, which on such date is in compliance with the provisions of all statutes, local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations applicable thereto.
N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 11 establishes a baseline protection for older multiple dwellings that were already in existence and in full legal compliance as of July 1, 1952. Under this provision, such buildings are generally not required to undergo changes to their construction, use, or occupancy solely because of later requirements introduced elsewhere in the Multiple Residence Law—except where Sections 9, 3, or 4 of that law specifically demand otherwise. The rule effectively grandfathers compliant pre-1952 multiple dwellings from broad retrofitting obligations, while preserving the reach of certain enumerated articles.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators of multiple dwellings that were occupied and fully compliant with all applicable statutes, local laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations as of July 1, 1952, generally rely on N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 11 to avoid mandatory construction or occupancy changes that would otherwise be imposed by the broader chapter. Compliant operators typically document the building's historical status and its compliance posture as of that date, since the grandfathering protection is conditioned on that prior compliance. Importantly, § 11 does not shield a building from the specific obligations carved out in Section 9 and Articles Three and Four, so operators of older buildings remain attentive to those provisions.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 11 affects tenants in older buildings by limiting the extent to which landlords can be compelled to make structural or occupancy changes under the Multiple Residence Law—but only where the building was lawfully compliant on July 1, 1952, and only outside the requirements of Section 9 and Articles Three and Four. Tenants who believe their building does not actually qualify for this grandfathering protection, or that a landlord is improperly invoking § 11 to avoid obligations under those carved-out provisions, may raise that issue as a defense or claim in a housing proceeding. Tenant-rights organizations and local rent boards can be useful starting points for understanding how this provision interacts with other housing standards that may still apply to an older 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 September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.