Home/Bills/A 8954New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Assembly BillIntroduced

A 8954: Categorizes the assault of a code enforcement official or other individual responsible for building inspection performing their lawful duties under such position as a class D felony.

New York · Assembly · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified January 8, 2026

What A 8954 does, verified January 8, 2026

The proposed law aims to categorize the assault of a code enforcement official or other individuals responsible for building inspections as a class D felony. This means that intentionally causing physical harm to these officials will be considered a serious crime with severe penalties. The law also targets individuals who intentionally cause harm to process servers, as defined by the general business law, in retaliation for performing their duties. This includes actions such as releasing or failing to control animals that obstruct the process server's work. The law applies to individuals who cause physical harm to code enforcement officials or other individuals responsible for building inspections, while they are performing their duties under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, the Residential Code of New York State, the New York Property Maintenance Code, and…

Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: referred to codes (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about A 8954
What is the current status of A 8954?
As of January 8, 2026, A 8954 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "referred to codes".
Did A 8954 pass?
Not yet. A 8954 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
Who wrote A 8954, and where is it now?
A 8954 was authored by Asm. John McDonald. Its committee of record is Assembly Codes.
Recent actions2 total · showing 2
Jan. 07, 2026referred to codes
Jul. 18, 2025referred to codes
Latest bill textIntroduced version, July 18, 2025 · 411 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8954 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY July 18, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Codes AN ACT to amend the penal law, in relation to categorizing the assault of a code enforcement official or other individual responsible for building inspection as a class D felony The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 14 of section 120.05 of the penal law, as added 2 by chapter 268 of the laws of 2016, is amended and a new subdivision 15 3 is added to read as follows: 4 14. With intent to prevent or obstruct a process server, as defined in 5 section eighty-nine-t of the general business law, from performing a 6 lawful duty pursuant to article three of the civil practice law and 7 rules, or intentionally, as retaliation against such a process server 8 for the performance of the process server's duties pursuant to such 9 article, including by means of releasing or failing to control an animal 10 evincing the actor's intent that the animal prevent or obstruct the 11 lawful duty of the process server or as retaliation against the process 12 server, [he or she] such actor causes physical injury to such process 13 server[.]; or 14 15. With intent to cause physical injury, such person causes such 15 physical injury to a code enforcement official certified pursuant to 16 section three hundred seventy-six-a of the executive law, or any other 17 individual whose duties include the inspection of buildings or property 18 for compliance with the New York state uniform fire prevention and 19 building code, the residential code of New York state, the New York 20 property maintenance code, the multiple residence law, and/or any other 21 state or local codes, laws, rules and/or regulations relating to build- 22 ing and property safety, while such code enforcement official or other 23 individual is performing such code enforcement official's or other indi- 24 vidual's lawful duties under such position. 25 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of November next succeed- 26 ing the date on which it shall have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04928-01-5 
Text of A 8954 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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