Public Single Occupant Bathrooms Required to Be Gender Neutral

As of Jan. 1, every building in the city that has a single-occupant bathroom that’s publicly accessible is required to remove gender-specific signage from single occupant bathrooms and indicate they may be used by all sexes. Larger, multiple stall single-sex bathrooms are not be affected by the new law.

Local Law 79 came about from legislation sponsored by Councilman Daniel Dromm. It passed the City Council with a vote of 47-2 in June. In a statement, Councilmember Dromm said, "Most New Yorkers take their unfettered access to bathrooms for granted. Yet, every single day, transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals must grapple with the fact that their choices may lead to harassment or worse."