NEW YORK CITY - Shut the front door!
All New York City businesses that have air conditioning systems running are now required to keep their doors shut, according to a new piece of legislation signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio Wednesday.
"We don't need to be cooling our sidewalks! By requiring businesses to simply close the door, this bill is a win on multiple fronts, and is a small, but important part of our efforts to fight climate change," the mayor said in a statement.
The bill changes a 2008 law that demanded all chain stores or stores larger than 4,000 square feet keep their doors closed when cooling systems are in operation. Under the new legislation, the size requirement is removed to include all city businesses.
The new law takes effect immediately.
In August, a DNAinfo New York survey of three major Manhattan commercial centers found at least 31 business locations that violated the 2008 law.
First-time violators of the new law will receive a written warning until July 1, 2016, while repeat violations will be punished with fines.
After that date, small-scale businesses that break the new law will be issued a $250 penalty for each open door or window. The penalty will rise to $500 for every door or window left open for subsequent violations.
Chain stores, defined as "five or more stores located within the city" that are "engaged in the same general field of business and conduct business under the same business name," will have to pay twice as much as small-scale businesses for repeat violations.
The new law does not apply to restaurants and bars serving customers seated at an outdoor sidewalk café, a representative from the mayor's office told DNAinfo.
The new law also does not apply to businesses keeping their doors open while running heating systems in the winter, the representative said.
