Compliance Reminder: Provide Annual Stove Knob Cover Notices

Stove knob covers are an important fire prevention tool. The covers make stove knobs on gas-powered stoves inaccessible to children. Local Law 117, which became effective in December 2018, requires that an owner of multiple dwellings provide stove knob covers for gas-powered stoves where the owner knows, or reasonably should know, that a child under 6 years of age resides. Owners are also required to provide stove knob covers in a unit without a child under age 6 if the tenant requests them.

Annual Notice Requirements

In addition to providing the covers, the owner must send tenants an annual notice. The law doesn't set a specific date by which the annual notice must be distributed. Instead, the law details information that must be included in the annual notice. The notice must inform tenants that:

• Stove knob covers will be made available within 30 days of distributing the annual notice;
• The owner must provide stove knob covers to any household that requests them, regardless of whether a child resides in the unit; and
• Tenants can forgo stove knob covers through written refusal to the landlord. If a tenant doesn’t submit written refusal to the owner, the owner is still obligated to provide stove knob covers to any household where the owner knows, or reasonably should know, that a child under age 6 resides.

For a Model Notice: Annual Notice Regarding Installation of Stove Knob Covers, you can visit www.apartmentlawinsider.com/sites/apartmentlawinsider.com/files/ALI_2018_12B_MNotice_StoveKnobs.pdf.

Other Obligations

Owners are obligated to keep documented proof of any notification of refusal for stove knob covers, notification from dwelling units that requested stove knob covers, and documented proof that the owner attempted to provide stove knob covers to a household where the owner knows, or reasonably should know, that a child under age 6 resides. Owners aren’t required to submit notices to HPD.

Violations

Failure to provide documented proof on the availability of stove knob covers upon request from HPD will result in a Class B hazardous violation. Exceptions will be granted to owners that provide documented proof that they’ve already fulfilled two requests for replacement stove knob covers within the previous year or that there are no available stove knob covers that are compatible with the knobs on their dwelling units’ stoves.