N.Y. Civil Service Law § 54: Age and educational requirements

§ 54. Age and educational requirements. 1. Notwithstanding any

provision of law to the contrary, except as herein provided, neither the

state civil service department nor the state civil service commission,

nor any municipal civil service commission shall prohibit, prevent,

disqualify, or discriminate against, any person who is physically and

mentally qualified, from participating in a civil service examination or

from qualifying for a position in the classified civil service, or

penalize any such person in a final rating by reason of his or her age;

and any such rule, requirement, resolution, regulation or penalization

shall be void. Nothing herein contained, however, shall prevent the

adoption of reasonable minimum or maximum age requirements for open

competitive examinations for positions where it is determined by the

department and approved by the commission that such age requirements

would be reasonable minimum qualification for such position. Minimum age

requirements shall in no case prohibit an applicant who is within twelve

months of the minimum age requirement from taking any competitive

examination. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prohibit the

disqualification, on account of age, of any applicant for a position who

has reached the mandatory retirement age applicable by law to such

position.

2. Minimum education requirements shall in no case prohibit an

applicant who is within twelve months of obtaining the minimum education

requirements from taking any competitive examination.