Stovetop Knob Cover Law Goes into Effect on Dec. 6

Effective Dec. 6, 2018, per Local Law 117, the owner of a multiple dwelling must provide stove knob covers for gas-powered stoves where the owner knows or reasonably should know that a child under 6 years of age resides. Owners must also provide stove knob covers in a unit without a child under age 6 if the tenant requests them.

Local Law 117 came about in response to the 2017 Bronx fire that killed 13 people, making it the city’s deadliest fire in more than a quarter century. The fire was started by a 3-year-old boy playing with a stove and spread after the frantic mother fled the building with her family without shutting her door.

In addition to providing the covers, the owner is required to provide tenants with an annual notice. Like our Model Notice: Annual Notice Regarding Installation of Stove Knob Covers, your notice must inform tenants that:

• Stove knob covers will be made available within 30 days of distributing the annual notice;
• The owner must provide stove knob covers to any household that requests them, regardless of whether a child resides in the unit; and
• Tenants can forgo stove knob covers through written refusal to the landlord. If a tenant doesn’t submit written refusal to the owner, the owner is still obligated to provide stove knob covers to any household where the owner knows or reasonably should know that a child under age 6 resides.

It’s the owner’s obligation to keep documented proof of any notification of refusal for stove knob covers, notification from dwelling units that requested stove knob covers, and documented proof that the owner attempted to provide stove knob covers to a household where the owner knows or reasonably should know that a child under age 6 resides.

Failure to provide documented proof on the availability of stove knob covers upon request from HPD will result in a class B hazardous violation. Exceptions will be granted to owners that provide documented proof that they have already fulfilled two requests for replacement stove knob covers within the previous year or that there are no available stove knob covers that are compatible with the knobs on their dwelling units’ stoves.