Prohibits a property owner from enforcing or adopting a restriction that prohibits one or more religious items from being displayed or affixed on any entry door or entry doorframe of a dwelling.
S04466 would add a new section to the New York Civil Rights Law protecting the display of religious items on the entry or entry doorframe of a dwelling. It bars property owners and other controlling entities, such as landlords, condominium boards, homeowners’ associations, and cooperative housing corporations, from enforcing or adopting rules that prohibit residents from displaying or affixing one or more religious items at the entrance to their home.
The bill also sets limits on that protection. Restrictions may still be enforced if the display threatens public health or safety, violates federal, state, or local law, contains obscene or otherwise illegal content, or is unreasonably large or obtrusive. If maintenance, repairs, or similar work affects the display’s location, the resident may be required to temporarily remove or relocate it, but must be allowed to restore it afterward, with reasonable notice where practicable. The bill defines key terms such as dwelling, owner, controlling entity, resident, and religious item, and would take effect 30 days after becoming law.
The bill would amend the Civil Rights Law by creating a new statutory protection for religious displays on residential entryways, limiting the ability of private housing actors to use covenants, bylaws, lease terms, or similar restrictions to ban such items. It would affect landlords, managing agents, co-op boards, condo boards, and homeowners’ associations, while preserving enforcement of safety, legality, and size-based restrictions. The measure would likely reduce the enforceability of existing housing rules that conflict with the new right.
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill. It passed the Senate Codes Committee unanimously, 12-0, and later passed the Senate floor by a wide margin, 59-1. No committee transcript is available, but the vote totals indicate the bill was generally viewed favorably and not highly controversial in the Senate.
The main potential point of contention is the balance between religious-expression rights and property-management authority. Supporters appear to favor protecting residents’ ability to display sincerely held religious symbols at their homes, while opponents or skeptics may be concerned about limits on HOA, condo, co-op, or landlord rules governing appearance, uniformity, and building standards. The bill addresses some of those concerns by preserving restrictions tied to safety, legality, obscenity, and unreasonable size, as well as temporary removal during maintenance.