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New York City Overview
The New York City Charter
NEW YORK CITY CHARTER
Preamble
Introductory
Chapter 1: Mayor
Chapter 2: Council
Chapter 2-A: Districting Commission
Chapter 3: Board of Estimate [Repealed]
Chapter 4: Borough Presidents.
Chapter 5: Comptroller.
Chapter 6: Expense Budget
Chapter 7: Tax Appeals
Chapter 8: City Planning
Chapter 9: Capital Projects and Budget
Chapter 10: Budget Process
Chapter 11: Independent Budget Office
Chapter 12: Obligations of the City
Chapter 13: Procurement
Chapter 13-A: Office of Economic and Financial Opportunity [Repealed]
Chapter 13-B: Office of Labor Services [Repealed]
Chapter 14: Franchises, Revocable Consents and Concessions
Chapter 15: Property of the City
Chapter 16: Heads of Mayoral Agencies
Chapter 17: Law Department
Chapter 18: Police Department
Chapter 18-A: Civilian Complaint Review Board
Chapter 18-B: Independent Police Investigation and Audit Board
Chapter 18-C: Public Safety
Chapter 18-D: Sale, Purchase and Possession of Weapons
Chapter 19: Fire Department
Chapter 19-A: Emergency Management Department
Chapter 20: Education
Chapter 21: Department of Parks and Recreation
Chapter 21-A: New York City Sports Commission
Chapter 22: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Chapter 23: Office of Animal Welfare
Chapter 24: Department of Social Services
Chapter 24-A: Department of Homeless Services
Chapter 24-B: Administration for Children's Services
Chapter 25: Department of Correction
Chapter 26: Department of Buildings
Chapter 27: Board of Standards and Appeals
Chapter 28: Department of Juvenile Justice [Repealed]
Chapter 29: Department of Ports and Trade [Repealed]
Chapter 30: Department of Youth and Community Development
Chapter 31: Department of Sanitation
Chapter 34: Department of Investigation
Chapter 35: Department of Citywide Administrative Services
Chapter 36: Equal Employment Practices Commission
Chapter 37: Art Commission
Chapter 38: Financial Information Services Agency
Chapter 39: Office of Payroll Administration
Chapter 40: New York City Human Rights Commission
Chapter 45: City Administrative Procedure Act
Chapter 45-A: Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings
Chapter 46: Elections and Voter Assistance
Chapter 46-A: Voting by Lawful Permanent Residents and Persons Authorized to Work in the United States
Chapter 47: Public Access to Meetings and Information
Chapter 48: Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications
Chapter 49: Officers and Employees
Chapter 50: Term Limits
Chapter 50-A: Qualification for Elected Office
Chapter 51: Transitory Provisions
Chapter 52: General Provisions
Chapter 54: Collective Bargaining
Chapter 55: Department of Design and Construction
Chapter 56: Department of Small Business Services
Chapter 57: Department of Environmental Protection
Chapter 58: Department of Finance
Chapter 59: Department of General Services [Repealed]
Chapter 61: Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Chapter 63: Business Integrity Commission
Chapter 64: Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
Chapter 65: New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission
Chapter 66: Department for the Aging
Chapter 67: Department of Cultural Affairs
Chapter 68: Conflicts of Interest
Chapter 69: Community Districts and Coterminality of Services
Chapter 70: City Government In the Community
Chapter 71: Department of Transportation
Chapter 72: Department of Records and Information Services
Chapter 73: Department of Employment [Repealed]
Chapter 74: Landmarks Preservation Commission
Chapter 75: Department of Veterans' Services
Chapter 76: Civic Engagement Commission
Chapter 77: Office of Ethnic and Community Media
Chapter 78: Equity
Chapter 79: Community Hiring and Workforce Development
The New York City Administrative Code
The Rules of the City of New York
THE RULES OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Title 1: Department of Buildings
Title 2: Board of Standards and Appeals
Title 3: Fire Department
Title 6: Department of Consumer and Worker Protection
Title 9: Procurement Policy Board Rules
Title 12: Franchise and Concession Review Committee
Title 15: Department of Environmental Protection
Title 16: Department of Sanitation
Title 17: Business Integrity Commission
Title 19: Department of Finance
Title 20: Tax Appeals Tribunal
Title 21: Tax Commission
Title 22: Banking Commission
Title 24: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Title 25: Department of Mental Health and Retardation [Repealed]
Title 28: Housing Preservation and Development
Title 29: Loft Board
Title 30: Rent Guidelines Board
Title 31: Mayor's Office of Homelessness and Single Room Occupancy
Title 34: Department of Transportation
Title 35: Taxi and Limousine Commission
Title 38: Police Department
Title 38-A: Civilian Complaint Review Board
Title 39: Department of Correction
Title 40: Board of Correction
Title 41: Department of Juvenile Justice
Title 42: Department of Probation
Title 43: Mayor
Title 44: Comptroller
Title 45: Borough Presidents
Title 46: Law Department
Title 47: Commission on Human Rights
Title 48: Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH)
Title 49: Department of Records and Information Services
Title 50: Community Assistance Unit
Title 51: City Clerk
Title 52: Campaign Finance Board*
Title 53: Conflicts of Interest Board
Title 55: Department of Citywide Administrative Services
Title 56: Department of Parks and Recreation
Title 57: Art Commission
Title 58: Department of Cultural Affairs
Title 60: Civil Service Commission
Title 61: Office of Collective Bargaining
Title 62: City Planning
Title 63: Landmarks Preservation Commission
Title 66: Department of Small Business Services
Title 67: Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications
Title 68: Human Resources Administration
Title 69: Department of Aging
Title 70: In Rem Foreclosure Release Board
Title 71: Voter Assistance Commission
Title 72: Office of Emergency Management
Title 73: Civic Engagement Commission
Title 74: Community Hiring
Chapter 52: General Provisions
Section 1150. Definitions.
For the purposes of this charter:
   1.   The term "city" shall mean the city of New York, and unless the context otherwise requires, shall include the several boroughs.
   2.   The term "agency" shall mean a city, county, borough, or other office, position, administration, department, division, bureau, board or commission, or a corporation, institution or agency of government, the expenses of which are paid in whole or in part from the city treasury.
   3.   The term "law" or "laws" shall include the constitution, this charter, any statute, the administrative code, any local law, and any ordinance, rule or regulation having the force of law.
   4.   The term "statute" shall mean an act of the legislature.
   5.   The term "maintenance" shall include minor repairs, and in case of doubt the mayor or an officer designated by him shall decide whether a repair is a minor repair.
   6.   The term "intercepting sewer" shall mean a sewer the principal purpose of which is the interception from other sewers and conveyance of sewage to treatment plants. In case of doubt the council shall decide whether a sewer is an intercepting sewer.
   7.   a.   The term "wharf property" shall mean wharves, piers, docks and bulkheads and structures thereon and slips and basins, the land beneath any of the foregoing, and all rights, privileges and easements appurtenant thereto and land under water in the port of New York, and such upland or made land adjacent thereto as was vested in the department of docks on January first, nineteen hundred thirty-eight or thereafter was or may be assigned to it or its successor agencies.
      b.   "Water front property" shall mean all property fronting on all the tidal waters in the port and city of New York and extending inshore to the property line of the first adverse owner and shall include such land under water extending outshore to the pierhead line or the property line, whichever extends furthest outshore.
      c.   "Water front commerce" shall mean the activity on water front property which encompasses the receipt of cargo or goods at the wharves, piers, docks or bulkheads from ships and their delivery to points inland or the receipt of such cargo or goods at such wharves, piers, docks or bulkheads from points inland for shipment by ships and shall include the temporary storage of such cargo or goods in the sheds or warehouses on such property pending their delivery or shipment.
      d.   "Furtherance of navigation" shall mean the activity on water front property which involves ship building, ship repairing, boating, dry dock facilities and similar uses.
   8.   The term "the port of New York" shall include all the waters of the North river, the East river and the Harlem river and all the tidal waters embraced within or adjacent to or opposite to the shores of the city.
   9.   The terms "three-fourths vote" and "two-thirds vote" when they apply to the council shall mean respectively three-fourths and two-thirds of all the members of the council are entitled to cast.
   10.   The term "administrative code" shall mean the administrative code of the city.
   11.   The term "budget" shall mean the expense budget unless the context otherwise requires.
   12.   Except as in this charter otherwise provided, the term "real property" shall include real estate, lands, tenements and hereditaments, corporeal or incorporeal.
   13.   The term "domestic partner" shall mean persons who have a registered domestic partnership pursuant to section 3-240 of the administrative code, a domestic partnership registered in accordance with executive order number 123, dated August 7, 1989, or a domestic partnership registered in accordance with executive order number 48, dated January 7, 1993.
Editor's note: For related unconsolidated provisions, see Administrative Code Appendix A at L.L. 1998/027.
Section 1151. Effect of this charter on existing law.
   a.   All laws and parts of laws relating to or affecting the city of New York or the municipalities consolidated therein in force when this charter as amended shall take effect are hereby repealed and superseded to the extent that the same are inconsistent with the provisions of this charter and no further.
   b.   All other laws and parts of laws shall continue in force until repealed, amended, modified or superseded.
   c.   Insofar as the provisions of this charter are the same in terms or in substance and effect as provisions of law in force when this charter shall take effect, relating to or affecting the city of New York, the provisions of this charter are intended to be not a new enactment but a continuation of such provisions of law, and this charter shall be so construed and applied.
Section 1151-a. Effect of preamble.
The purpose of the preamble is to serve as a unifying statement of values and a vision for an equitable city. It is intended to set forth values to inform and guide the actions of city agencies and officers in carrying out the mandates created and delegated to them by the charter.
City agencies and officers empowered by this charter or other applicable law to perform planning, programmatic reviews, and audits are (1) authorized and required to consider and be guided by the values set out in the preamble within the scope and subject matter of such planning; and (2) authorized and required to examine the extent to which such values have been fulfilled through the policies and programs of city agencies and officers subject to such programmatic reviews and audits. The preamble, together with this section, is not intended to create a direct or indirect right of action to enforce its terms or the terms of any other provision of law.
(L.L. 2022/121, 12/2/2022, eff. 12/2/2022)
Section 1151-b. Effect of chapter 78.
Nothing in chapter 78 shall be construed to prevent any agency from complying with existing federal or state law or regulation. In addition, chapter 78 is not intended to create a direct or indirect right of action to enforce its terms.
(L.L. 2022/121, 12/2/2022, eff. 12/2/2022)
Section 1151-c. Effect of true cost of living.
The true cost of living measurement established in subdivision c of section 16 would be reported in addition to standards that are used to measure poverty or set eligibility for public benefits. It is not intended to create a direct or indirect right of action to enforce its terms or the terms of any other provision of law.
(L.L. 2022/121, 12/2/2022, eff. 12/2/2022)
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