The latest fiscal year department update is the HPD Regulatory Agenda, outlining some of the priorities the agency hopes to address over the coming months.
While there’s a good amount of updates in the full agenda, we wanted to highlight three that stood out to us, especially compared to newer compliance regulations.
Lead Based Paint Focus
The tenth subject on HPD’s official regulatory agenda is “Lead Based Paint.” It makes a ton of sense, given the recent introduction of new lead-focused laws, the upcoming deadline for Local Law 31 XRF tests, and further requirements for friction surface remediation and record production.
That said, there’s no detailed information about what these new rules could be. The only thing we have to go on is “clarifications for programmatic changes” – specifically, to amend the rules to implement policy and legislative changes to the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act of 2003. It’s possible that we’ll see new clarifying rules for the lead laws recently passed (and linked above). We do expect movement here on or before June 30, 2025, based on the FY structure and the explicit date in the agenda timeline.
Digital Signage Options
The eleventh subject in HPD’s agenda may be the most interesting. Over the years, the amount of required signage at residential properties has grown exponentially – so much that HPD now has an official signage page, which doesn’t include required DOB signage (facades, energy efficiency, etc.) and may see more additions in the coming months. In fact, many comments on recent rules that include signage have noted how difficult it is to maintain the growing number of signs – especially for smaller spaces.
This potential change to digital signage could be a huge deal for a number of reasons:
- Management will be able to quickly implement changes in the case of new rules or additions (like potential new signage for the last subject in this article, natural gas detection devices)
- Management may be able to implement more customizable signage based on their location, preference, and/or needs
- Digital signage can be more resilient than paper notices, which can get easily damaged and lead to violations
We’re not sure exactly how this will play out yet – we’ll have to wait for specifics on which signs can be digital, what requirements are for digital displays, etc. Stay tuned – we’ll keep you updated when HPD releases more details on digital signage options.
Natural Gas Detection Device Installation
The final subject in the agenda, and one we’re tracking closely, is the new requirement for natural gas detection devices in residential units. As a reminder, Local Law 157 requires one or more devices in each dwelling for private dwellings, Class A multiple dwellings, and Class B multiple dwellings (with an alternate Class B option for zoned detecting systems).
Devices must be placed in specific locations, and the type of device has explicit requirements, as well. You can get the details in our full post, here.
HPD will likely release additional details on installation, maintenance, notices, and replacement of the devices. They may also clarify enforcement through potential violations. While the FY agenda has an “end date” of June 30, 2025, we expect these rules to come sooner – devices must be in place on or before May 1, 2025.
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