Law Commons^™

Potential Tensions Between New York’S Climate Change Laws And Historic Preservation Laws, Michael B. Gerrard, Edward Mctiernan

Faculty Scholarship

For many years, designated historic buildings have been exempt from most energy conservation codes. However, with increased attention to the perils of climate change, some cities – including New York – are adopting strong laws on building energy use that do not have this exemption. Historic preservation laws that have not caught up, and some fire codes, may pose obstacles to the installation of rooftop solar and some other methods to reduce building energy consumption.