Guide
Window guards
The January notice, and what actually satisfies it.
4 min read · First Ave Supply, 1587 First Avenue
Short answer. In New York City, the building owner must install window guards in any apartment where a child ten or under lives, and in the common area windows of that building. It is not optional, it is not on request, and the tenant cannot waive it. The only window exempt is one that opens onto a fire escape.
Every year the building sends the annual notice by January 16 and the tenant returns it saying whether a child ten or under lives there. If nobody returns it, the owner still has to check.
Who has to have them
| Situation | Guards required |
|---|---|
| Child 10 or under lives in the apartment | Yes, every window except fire escape windows |
| Tenant requests them, no child | Yes, on request |
| Common area windows in that building | Yes |
| Window opens onto a fire escape | No |
| Ground floor with no drop | Still check, the rule is about the window, not the floor |
Measuring
Measure the inside width of the window frame, jamb to jamb, at the sill. That is the number the guard is sized to. Guards come in adjustable ranges, so a 20 to 28 inch guard covers anything in that span.
Measure every window, not one window. Prewar buildings are notorious for four windows in one room at four different widths.
The part people get wrong
A window guard is not a screen and it is not a child gate. It bolts into the frame with one way screws so it cannot be removed without a tool. A guard that lifts out is not a guard.
Five inches is the rule. No opening in or around an installed guard may exceed five inches, top, bottom or sides. If you install a guard and there is a six inch gap above it, you have not complied.
Air conditioners do not exempt a window. A window with an AC unit in it still needs the opening around it secured.
What a building should keep on hand
Buildings that wait until a tenant returns the notice end up ordering in February at whatever price they can get. The ones that run smoothly keep a small stock of the two or three common widths in the basement and install the same week.
Guards are priced by the case for building accounts. Sign in and the price on this page is your price. If you do not have an account, it is about five minutes at 1587 First Avenue.
Also worth stocking
Stove knob covers. Same season, same notice cycle, same tenant asking, and the same trip to the basement.
Not sure what you need
Send the window widths or bring a photo with a tape measure across the frame. We size the whole apartment at the counter and you install once.
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