NYC Admin. Code § 27-425 Application.
§ 27-425 Application.
This section shall apply to the construction, alteration, and use of buildings or spaces for dry cleaning or dry dyeing operations.
Dry Cleaning Establishments
NYC Admin. Code tit. 27, ch. 1, subch. 7, art. 6
in effectNYC Admin. Code § 27-426 Classification.
§ 27-426 Classification.
Dry cleaning and dry dyeing establishments shall be classified as follows:
(a) High hazard. All establishments employing gasoline or other solvents having a flash point below 100° F (tag. closed-cup).
(b) Moderate hazard. All establishments employing solvents having a flash point between 100° F and 138.2° (tag. closed-cup).
(c) Low hazard. All establishments employing solvents with a flash point higher than 138.2° F (tag. closed-cup).
NYC Admin. Code § 27-427 Construction requirements.
§ 27-427 Construction requirements.
(a) High hazard. The construction or installation of high hazard dry cleaning establishments shall be prohibited.
(b) Moderate hazard. Moderate hazard dry cleaning establishments shall meet all of the requirements of this code applicable to industrial occupancy group D-1 buildings. The floor finish in moderate hazard dry cleaning establishments shall be noncombustible and impervious.
(c) Low hazard. Low hazard dry cleaning establishments shall meet all of the requirements of this code applicable to industrial occupancy group D-2 buildings.
(d) Equipment. All dry cleaning machines and equipment shall be of an approved type.
NYC Admin. Code § 27-428 Ventilation.
§ 27-428 Ventilation.
Mechanical ventilation systems in moderate hazard plants shall be adequate to effect ten complete air changes per hour. Low hazard dry cleaning establishments shall be provided with mechanical ventilation adequate to effect four complete air changes per hour. Ventilating systems shall be arranged in such manner as to prevent solvent vapors from being admitted to the combustion area of any device requiring an open flame. Sufficient make-up air shall be introduced into all parts of the establishment to equal the air exhausted by the dry cleaning units, dryers, and exhaust ventilating system. Such air shall not contain any flammable vapors. Openings or stacks discharging solvent vapor-air mixtures to the outdoors shall be located in accordance with the provisions of subchapter thirteen of this chapter.
NYC Admin. Code § 27-429 Coin-operated units.
§ 27-429 Coin-operated units.
In coin-operated establishments all dry cleaning units shall be installed in such a manner that the working or maintenance portion of the equipment shall be separated from the front of the units by solid noncombustible partitions. Coin-operated units shall be located within a diked area, all parts of which are impervious to the solvent used in such units. The diked section shall be a four inch curb above the floor. Provisions shall be made for the collection of solvent spillage into tanks of capacity sufficient to contain all of the solvent in the dry cleaning units served, and for return of the solvent to the cleaning units through a closed pipe system. Access doors to the space in back of the units shall be kept closed and locked. Solvent storage tanks and other sources of danger shall be so situated as to be inaccessible to the general public. In addition to the mechanical ventilation required for low hazard dry cleaning establishments, the following mechanical ventilation shall be provided:
(a) All dry cleaning units shall have facilities that create an inward flow of one hundred cubic feet of air per minute into the unit when the loading door is opened.
(b) Emergency ventilation of the space in back of the dry cleaning units shall be provided so that in emergencies a minimum of one air change per minute in the enclosed space will be provided. Emergency ventilation equipment shall be on a circuit that is separate from the general lighting and power circuits, and shall be taken off ahead of the main switchboard, or shall be connected to the emergency lighting power source when such source is provided.
(c) A scavenger duct system shall be provided in the space in back of the units at each unit, and shall be designed to pick up vapor surrounding the equipment near the floor and exhaust it at the rate of one hundred cubic feet per minute. Scavenger ducts shall not be less than five square inches in area.
NYC Admin. Code § 27-430 Sprinklers.
§ 27-430 Sprinklers.
Automatic sprinkler protection complying with the construction provisions of subchapter seventeen of this chapter as required for occupancy group D-1, shall be provided for moderate hazard dry cleaning establishments. In addition, in moderate hazard establishments each dry cleaning unit shall be provided with automatic extinguishing equipment, such as a carbon dioxide system, or a steam jet of not less than three-quarters of an inch at a pressure of fifteen psi.
NYC Admin. Code § 27-431 Separation of direct-fired dryers.
§ 27-431 Separation of direct-fired dryers.
In moderate hazard dry cleaning establishments, direct-fired dryers shall not be used. In low hazard dry cleaning establishments using nonflammable solvents only, direct fired dryers may be used, but such dryers shall not be located within twenty-five feet of a dry cleaning unit unless a noncombustible partition (which may be glazed), equipped with self-closing doors, is provided between the dry cleaning unit and the flame producing device. This partition may provide either complete or partial separation, provided that any partial separation shall be so arranged that the line of air travel around the partition from the cleaning units to the dryer is a minimum of twenty-five feet. Where a solid noncombustible partition is constructed extending to the ceiling and all portions of the enclosure are solid, except for self-closing access doors, and outdoor air for combustion and drying is supplied, the separation may be reduced to fifteen feet.
Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-49912Fetched: 10/24/2026