Provides standards for the number of water closets in certain areas of public assembly and increases the required number of water closets for women

9 Co-sponsors

• Eric Adams
• Martin Malavé Dilan
• Thomas K. Duane
• Ruth Hassell-Thompson
• Liz Krueger
• George Onorato
• Suzi Oppenheimer
• Bill Perkins
• Eric T. Schneiderman

Title of bill

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to standards for the number of water closets in certain places of public assembly and increases the number of water closets for women

Purpose

To require twice as many sanitary facilities for women as for men in buildings used for public assembly.

Summary of provisions

Creates a new section 378-a of the Executive law to require that restrooms in arenas, stadiums, auditoriums, meeting halls, theaters, public dance halls, or buildings where alcohol is sold and consumed, must provide twice as many water closets for women as for men if: the aforementioned public space is newly constructed; the aforementioned public space has undergone renovations where the cost of such alterations in any 12 month period exceeds 30% of the value of the building or space, or; an existing building or space has been altered to now become a public space as listed above.

Provides that arenas, stadiums, auditoriums, meeting halls, theaters, public dance halls or buildings where alcohol is sold and consumed that do not meet the conditions outlined above, shall by January 1, 2011, re-designate existing bathrooms if doing so would produce a ratio that approximates the 2: 1 requirement.

Provides that urinals may be provided in bathrooms in lieu of water closets but the number shall not exceed 50% of the number of sanitary facilities in such bathrooms.

Legislative history

2005-06: A.12049/S.1351 2007-08: A.4705/S.2485

Justification

According to studies by Dr. Sandra Rawls on patterns of behavior in the use of bathrooms, it frequently takes women twice as long to use the bathroom as it does men. The absence of sufficient women's bathrooms in places of public assembly, and the resultant hues for women's bathrooms, is one of the most blatant, demeaning, and visible forms of gender discrimination. The 2003 International Building Code requires approximately twice as many water closets for women as for men in places of public assembly. Numerous jurisdictions, including California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, have enacted laws requiring more rest rooms for women.

This bill recognizes the different rest room needs of men and women and is in keeping with changes in the International Building Code.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.