On July 25, 2025 C.E., New York made history that no other U.S. state had yet made. The State Fire Prevention and Building Code Council approved rules requiring that new homes and commercial buildings run on electricity — not natural gas or heating oil. New York’s gas ban in new construction is now the law of the land across the entire state, from Brooklyn to Buffalo.
At a glance
- New York gas ban: Starting December 31, 2025 C.E., all new buildings under seven stories or 100,000 square feet must use all-electric systems, including heat pumps and induction stoves.
- Cost savings: Research by the New Buildings Institute found that building all-electric can cut construction costs by roughly $8,000 compared to installing gas infrastructure, with homeowners saving around $5,000 in utility bills over 30 years.
- Health impact: A Columbia University study linked building-related fossil fuel use in New York to nearly 2,000 premature deaths and more than $21 billion in health costs in 2017 C.E. alone.
Where the law came from
The new code flows from the 2023 C.E. All-Electric Buildings Act, embedded within New York’s broader Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act — one of the most ambitious state-level climate laws in U.S. history. That law required the building sector to decarbonize as part of a wider statewide effort.
New York City had already passed its own gas ban in 2021 C.E. through Local Law 154. The new statewide code extends that approach to every corner of the state — rural counties, small towns, and suburbs included. Cities like Berkeley, San Francisco, and Seattle pursued similar policies at the local level, but New York is the first to make it state law.
Buildings account for nearly one-third of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions. This policy takes direct aim at that number.
The court fight — and what it settled
The path to approval was contested. The New York State Builders Association and allied industry groups filed a lawsuit arguing the rules would raise construction costs and strain the electric grid. They also raised a federal preemption argument, pointing to a 2023 C.E. ruling that struck down Berkeley’s citywide gas ban on similar grounds.
On July 23, 2025 C.E., a federal district court sided with New York. The ruling held that states retain authority to regulate building codes in pursuit of climate and public health goals.
That decision matters beyond New York’s borders. It signals that the Berkeley precedent isn’t a ceiling — that states have genuine legal room to move on building decarbonization, and that courts may uphold them when they do.
Who stands to benefit most
Gas stoves release nitrogen dioxide indoors, raising the risk of asthma and other respiratory conditions — particularly in children. The Columbia research showed this wasn’t a marginal problem: fossil fuel use in buildings was costing lives at scale.
That burden has not fallen evenly. As Times Union reporting noted, communities of color and low-income neighborhoods absorb a disproportionate share of air pollution from fossil fuel infrastructure. The new code is framed in part as an environmental justice measure — an effort to improve health outcomes in places where they have historically been worst.
The harder work now involves grid modernization, expanded renewable generation, and keeping implementation affordable for working-class households and small developers. Critics have raised legitimate concerns about near-term costs and whether the electric grid can absorb the added demand. Those remain real, open questions.
What happens next
Larger buildings — those over seven stories or 100,000 square feet — must comply with the all-electric requirement by 2029 C.E. Exemptions exist for certain facilities including restaurants, hospitals, crematoriums, and some industrial and laboratory uses. Even exempt buildings must be constructed “electrification-ready” to allow for future retrofits, according to Phillips Lytle Law Firm analysis.
Still, the signal New York has sent is clear. No other U.S. state has gone this far. The policy establishes that statewide electrification of new construction is legally viable, financially defensible, and politically achievable — a combination that may matter as much as the buildings themselves.
Read more
For more on this story, see: Canary Media
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Marie-Louise Eta becomes the first female head coach in men’s top-flight European football
- Ghana establishes a new marine protected area at Cape Three Points
- The Good News for Humankind archive on clean energy
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