Outlet Covers in Public Areas

Effective September 3, 2015, Local Law 39 of 2015 requires standard 125 Volt 15-20 ampere electrical outlets that are present in the public areas of residential buildings with three or more units to have those electrical outlets protected by means of caps, covers or other safety devices over the receptacle openings. Electrical outlets in areas used exclusively for mechanical equipment or storage are exempt from this requirement.

If the electrical outlets installed are listed as tamper resistant in accordance with the New York City Electrical Code, covers or caps are not required. Tamper resistant outlets should be readily identifiable as they commonly have spring loaded inserts within the slots of the receptacle which must be depressed simultaneously to allow entry as would be typical when inserting a two- or three-pronged electrical appliance plug.

A Class A violation will be issued for failure to comply with this requirement. Once issued, the violation can be corrected by the installation of a cap, cover, safety device or by the replacement of the outlet itself with a tamper resistant electrical outlet.