N.Y. Multiple Residence Law § 9: Buildings converted or altered

§ 9. Buildings converted or altered. 1. On or after July first,

nineteen hundred fifty-two, no multiple dwelling shall be enlarged or

its lot diminished so that the yard or other unoccupied areas shall be

diminished in size or area below the minimum requirements of this

chapter.

2. A building not a dwelling, if converted on or after July first,

nineteen hundred fifty-two, to a multiple dwelling, shall thereupon

become subject to all the provisions of this chapter applicable to new

multiple dwellings of like class and kind. "Class" shall mean the use of

a multiple dwelling for either permanent or transient occupancy or both.

"Kind" shall mean the type of construction of a building, either

fireproof or non-fireproof.

3. No dwelling shall be altered or converted so as to be in violation

of any provision of this chapter relating to dwellings of like class and

kind, and, except as provided in subdivision four, a dwelling, altered

or converted to be occupied primarily for permanent-residence use, shall

comply with article three; and a dwelling converted or altered to be

occupied primarily for transient use shall comply with article four.

4. If any multiple dwelling three or more stories in height is altered

after July first, nineteen hundred fifty-three so as to increase its

height or bulk for living purposes or so as to increase the number of

living rooms by more than twenty per centum, such dwelling shall be made

to conform to the requirements of this chapter with respect to new

dwellings of like class and kind erected after such date.

5. It shall be unlawful to convert a frame dwelling to a multiple

residence, except that a frame dwelling not more than two stories and

attic in height and erected before July first, nineteen hundred

fifty-two, as a one-family or two-family residence may be converted to a

multiple dwelling for permanent occupancy by complying with article

three; and if such residence is converted to be occupied, as a rule, for

transient use, it shall comply with article four.