A 7205: Requires storage warehouse operators to maintain lock boxes for storage of official documents in each rental unit; prohibits storage warehouse operators from retaining or disposing of the contents of such lock boxes in the event of non-payment of unit rental fees.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7205 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 21, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CHANDLER-WATERMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection AN ACT to amend the general business law and the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring storage warehouse oper- ators to maintain lock boxes for storage of official documents in each rental unit The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 2 607-b to read as follows: 3 § 607-b. Storage of official documents. 1. In addition to any other 4 provision of this article, every warehouseperson shall maintain within 5 each storage unit, at no extra charge, a separate lock box for the 6 customer renting such storage unit to store official government docu- 7 ments issued by the United States or by another country or territory, 8 including but not limited to birth certificates, marriage certificates, 9 passports, visas and immigration documents, separately from other items 10 in the storage unit. A warehouseperson shall not retain or dispose of 11 the contents of such lock box regardless of non-payment of unit rental 12 fees. No warehouseperson may include documents stored in the lock box 13 in the auction of the contents of the storage unit in the event of non- 14 payment of unit rental fees. 15 2. It shall constitute an unlawful detention of goods for a ware- 16 houseperson to refuse to surrender documents stored in a lock box as 17 provided in subdivision one of this section to the renter of such stor- 18 age unit. 19 § 2. Section 20-477 of the administrative code of the city of New York 20 is amended to read as follows: 21 § 20-477 Duties of warehouse operator. a. Every storage warehouse 22 operator shall comply with the provisions of this subchapter and regu- 23 lations promulgated by the commissioner setting forth requirements for EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08347-01-5 
 A. 7205 2 1 estimates and any other rules and regulations promulgated to implement 2 and enforce this subchapter. 3 b. (1) Every storage warehouse shall maintain within each storage 4 unit, at no extra charge, a separate lock box for the customer renting 5 such storage unit to store official documents issued by the United 6 States or by another country or territory, including but not limited to 7 birth certificates, marriage certificates, passports, visas and immi- 8 gration documents, separately from other items in the storage unit. A 9 storage warehouse shall not retain or dispose of the contents of such 10 lock box regardless of non-payment of unit rental fees. No storage 11 warehouse may include documents stored in the lock box in the auction of 12 the contents of the storage unit in the event of non-payment of unit 13 rental fees. 14 (2) It shall constitute an unlawful detention of goods for a stor- 15 age warehouse to refuse to surrender documents stored in a lock box as 16 provided in paragraph one of this subdivision to the renter of such 17 storage unit. 18 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.