Every January, landlords of New York City buildings with three or more apartments must send each tenant an annual safety notice asking whether young children live in the home. You fill it out, sign it, and return it to the landlord by February 15. The answers determine whether your apartment needs a lead paint inspection, window guards, or stove knob covers for the coming year.
What the Notice Is Asking
The form covers three separate child-safety requirements, each with its own age cutoff. Most landlords use a single combined notice from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) that handles lead paint and window guards on one page, with the stove knob cover question added separately or alongside.
For lead-based paint, the question is whether a child under the age of six lives in the apartment or regularly spends ten or more hours a week there. A “yes” obligates the landlord to inspect the unit at least once a year for peeling paint and other lead hazards under Local Law 1 of 2004.1American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 27-2056.4 – Owners Responsibility To Notify Occupants and To Investigate The requirement covers buildings built before 1960, and buildings built between 1960 and 1978 if the owner knows lead-based paint is present.2Housing Preservation & Development. Lead-Based Paint – HPD
For window guards, the question is whether a child aged ten or younger lives in the apartment. NYC Health Code Section 131.15 requires guards in every unit where such a child lives, and on windows in the building’s public hallways.3American Legal Publishing. Rules of the City of New York – Section 131.15 Window Guards Two details worth knowing: windows that open onto fire escapes are exempt, and any tenant can request window guards in writing even with no child in the home. The landlord cannot refuse.
For stove knob covers, the notice asks whether you want covers or permanent safety knobs on your gas stove. Under Local Law 117 of 2018, as amended by Local Law 44 of 2022, landlords must offer these devices in any unit where a child under six lives, provide them within 30 days of a request, and make them available to any tenant who asks regardless of whether children are present. You can also decline in writing.4Housing Preservation & Development. Stove Knob Covers – HPD
When It Should Arrive and How
Landlords must deliver the notice no earlier than January 1 and no later than January 16.1American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 27-2056.4 – Owners Responsibility To Notify Occupants and To Investigate Three delivery methods are allowed:
- First-class mail to the apartment address.
- Personal delivery, either handed to you or slid under your door.
- Included with the January rent bill, but only if that bill is delivered between December 15 and January 16.5NYC Health. Window Guards: Information for Building Owners
Every tenant in the building receives one, not just households the landlord thinks have children. The whole point of the form is to find out, so skipping units violates the law.
How to Fill It Out
The questions are short. Mark whether a child under six lives in the apartment or spends significant time there. Mark whether a child aged ten or younger lives in the apartment. Indicate whether you want or are declining stove knob covers. Write in the apartment number and address, then sign and date.6NYC Health. Protect Your Child From Lead Poisoning and Window Falls Annual Notice
The different age cutoffs catch people off guard. A household with an eight-year-old and no younger children still triggers the window guard requirement but not the lead paint investigation. A household with a four-year-old triggers both. Answer each question against the specific age it names rather than assuming one answer covers everything.
Even if no children live with you, fill it out and send it back. A completed form confirming that fact closes the loop for the year and keeps the landlord from needing to inspect.
The February 15 Deadline
Return the signed form to your landlord or building manager by February 15. The deadline is written into the city’s Administrative Code, not a courtesy date set by the landlord.7Justia. New York City Administrative Code 27-2056.4 – Owners Responsibility To Notify Occupants and To Investigate
If the landlord has not received your completed form by February 15, and does not already know whether a child of the applicable age lives in your unit, the law requires an inspection of the apartment between February 16 and March 1.7Justia. New York City Administrative Code 27-2056.4 – Owners Responsibility To Notify Occupants and To Investigate You will be given reasonable notice and the landlord must attempt entry at reasonable times. If you refuse entry or the landlord cannot reach you after multiple good-faith attempts during that two-week window, the landlord must write to DOHMH explaining the situation.5NYC Health. Window Guards: Information for Building Owners
Returning the form on time protects both sides. You get documentation that you reported your household honestly, and you avoid the inspection visit.
If You Never Got the Notice or the Landlord Did Nothing
If January and February pass with no notice from your landlord, or you reported children in the household and no window guards or lead inspection ever followed, file a complaint through 311. The complaint routes to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), which investigates maintenance problems and issues violations when landlords break the law.8NYC311. Apartment Maintenance Complaint Common complaints include peeling paint that could contain lead and missing or broken window guards.
HPD first contacts the building’s managing agent. If the condition is not corrected, a Code Enforcement inspector visits the apartment. During that visit the inspector also checks for lead-based paint hazards if a child under six is present and for window guards if a child under eleven is present.8NYC311. Apartment Maintenance Complaint
Where to Find the Form
The combined “Protect Your Child From Lead Poisoning and Window Falls Annual Notice” is a free PDF on the DOHMH website, with a Spanish-language version available.6NYC Health. Protect Your Child From Lead Poisoning and Window Falls Annual Notice HPD’s website hosts the stove knob cover notice and other owner resources.4Housing Preservation & Development. Stove Knob Covers – HPD
A Note for Landlords
If you own or manage a building with three or more residential units, send the notice to every tenant between January 1 and January 16 using one of the three permitted methods. Keep copies of what you sent, what came back, and any attempted-access records if a tenant does not respond. For stove knob covers, keep records of who accepted, who refused in writing, and which units received devices.4Housing Preservation & Development. Stove Knob Covers – HPD If a tenant does not return the form by February 15 and you don’t already know a qualifying child lives there, inspect the unit between February 16 and March 1, and if you cannot gain entry after reasonable attempts, notify DOHMH in writing. For window guard matters, that letter goes to the Window Falls Prevention Program at 125 Worth Street in Manhattan.5NYC Health. Window Guards: Information for Building Owners Using the official city forms rather than homemade versions ensures the required language is in writing and makes it harder for anyone to argue later that the question was unclear.