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Islip Town, NY, Proposes Tougher Carbon Monoxide Law

In New York, Islip Town has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday on a proposal to adopt a stricter carbon monoxide detector policy for rental properties. 

The move comes after the town came under fire after residents of an illegal multifamily home in Brentwood went to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning a full year after the town had cited the property owner for illegal apartments and fire code violations.

Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan said the proposed carbon monoxide policy is intended to improve safety in legal rentals. The town in April took aim at illegal rentals with new penalties for landlords, including jail time of up to a year or a fine as high as $10,000 for third-time offenders.

Under state law, all homes with an attached garage or fuel burning appliance, such as a gas stove, fireplace, or a gas or fuel oil furnace, are required to have a carbon monoxide detector.

Islip's proposed code goes further, requiring every rental property with a fuel burning appliance to have a carbon monoxide alarm on the floor nearest to the appliance and other detectors within 15 feet of any bedroom. 

Most rental properties in the town would be affected, Islip spokeswoman Amy Basta said. Properties without an attached garage and with all electric appliances, including the heating system, would be exempt, she said.

There are 10,941 legal rental units in the town, Basta said.

Nolan said Islip would be the first town in the county to mandate carbon monoxide detectors as part of its rental permit application process, and the first on Long Island to require them within 15 feet of a bedroom. 

"This is going to save people's lives," he said.

The new rules will be enforced as part of the inspection required for a rental permit application. A violation would result in a fine of between $750 and $2,500, Nolan said.

Last December, Islip reprimanded a town fire marshal, who failed to check up on an illegal rental where a faulty furnace twice sent five Brentwood residents to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. In February, a different Islip investigator was suspended and charged with issuing summonses on the same house without actually inspecting it. He is on unpaid suspension pending a disciplinary hearing, said Robert Finnegan, the town's labor relations director.