The Short Answer
- Buildings with three or more apartments need a set of entrance signs, lobby notices and floor signs under the Housing Maintenance Code and the Fire Code.
- Three changes to plan for: the rent stabilized tenant notice (2026), the digital notice option (February 2026) and the natural gas detector notice (January 1, 2027).
- Entrance: street number, superintendent sign and HPD registration number. Lobby: detector, gas leak, garbage and, where it applies, rent stabilized notices. Every floor: floor numbers and fire safety signs.
- Use durable signs. Engraved or printed metal and plastic last longer than paper and are easier to read during an inspection.
What Changed for 2026 and 2027
Buildings with one or more rent stabilized apartments post a notice in the common area, in English and Spanish, with the address and HPD registration number (HMC 27-2104, Local Law 86 of 2025).
Since February 2, 2026, owners may show certain notices on a lit screen: bedbug, smoke and CO detector, garbage, heat sensor and service interruption notices. If one is digital, all of them must be.
From January 1, 2027, buildings with gas piping add natural gas detectors to the detector notice. Gas detector notice guide
Where Each Sign Goes
Entrance Signs
| Sign | What it shows | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Street number | Building number, readable from the sidewalk | HMC 27-2049 |
| Superintendent sign | Name, address, apartment and phone of the super or janitor. Update within 5 days of a change | HMC 27-2053 |
| Registration number sign | HPD registration (serial) number and street address | HMC 27-2107, 28 RCNY 25-81 |
Owners must register the building with HPD every year. When the registration number changes, the sign changes with it.
Lobby Notices
| Notice | Who needs it | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Inspection Visits frame | Holds the 6 x 9 in HPD card, 48 to 62 in above the floor, at or near the mailboxes | MDL 329 |
| Key to heating system notice | Name and location of the boiler room key holder. Also posted on the boiler room door | HMC 27-2033 |
| Suspected gas leak notice | What to do if you smell gas, with the gas company name and number, English and Spanish | HMC 27-2005 |
| Smoke and CO detector notice | Owner and tenant duties. One combined notice is allowed | HMC 27-2046.1 |
| Natural gas detector notice | Buildings with gas piping, from January 1, 2027 | LL 157 of 2016, LL 102 of 2025 |
| Rent stabilized tenant notice | Buildings with one or more rent stabilized units | HMC 27-2104 |
| Garbage collection notice | Buildings without 24-hour dumbwaiter service | HMC 27-2022 |
| Smoking policy | Posted, or given to every tenant each year | Admin Code 17-506.1 |
Floors, Stairs and Apartment Doors
| Sign | Where | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Floor number signs | Every floor | HMC 27-2048 |
| Fire and Emergency Preparedness Notice | Inside each apartment entrance door and in the lobby. Fireproof or non-fireproof version | Fire Code 401.6, 3 RCNY 401-06 |
| Close the Door notice | Hallway side of every stair door | 3 RCNY 401-06 |
The FDNY notice comes in two versions. A fireproof building tells tenants to stay in place if the fire is not in their apartment; a non-fireproof building tells them to leave. Posting the wrong version is a common mistake. Our FDNY fire safety signs page explains the difference.
Signs Needed Only in Some Cases
Posted 24 hours before a planned outage of heat, hot or cold water, gas or power that lasts 2 hours or more, in English and Spanish.
During DOB-permitted work in an occupied building, with the tenant protection plan notice.
The yearly bedbug filing, posted in a prominent spot or handed to each tenant.
Sizes and Materials
HPD asks for notices large enough to be read easily in public areas, and some notices set a minimum letter height, such as 3/16 in on the detector notices. These are the finishes most owners pick:
| Finish | Look | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Brushed aluminum | Silver metal with black print or engraving | Lobbies, entrance doors, long life |
| White plastic | Clean white with black text | Budget sets, interior halls |
| Engraved black plastic | White letters on black | Boiler room and super signs |
| Framed notice | Printed sheet under clear cover | Notices that change, such as garbage days |
| Matte vinyl decal | Thin decal on a lobby board | Notice boards and FDNY door notices |
Order the whole set at once and we can mount it on one board, as in the photo above. See every sign with sizes on our HPD signs page.
Send the address, the number of apartments and floors, and whether the building is fireproof or has rent stabilized units. We send the list and a proof.
HPD Sign Questions, Answered
What signs does HPD require in a NYC apartment building?
Street number, superintendent and registration number signs at the entrance; detector, gas leak, heating key and garbage notices in the lobby; an inspection visits frame; floor numbers; and FDNY fire safety and Close the Door notices.
What is new on the HPD sign list for 2027?
The natural gas detector notice from January 1, 2027, the rent stabilized tenant notice, and the option to show some notices on a digital screen since February 2026.
Where does the Certificate of Inspection Visits frame go?
At or near the mailboxes, 48 to 62 inches above the floor. It holds the 6 x 9 in card HPD inspectors sign.
Can HPD notices be digital?
Some can. Since February 2, 2026, bedbug, detector, garbage, heat sensor and service interruption notices may be shown on a screen, but if one is digital all of them must be. Entrance, floor and fire safety signs stay physical.
Does a two-family house need HPD signs?
Most posted signs apply to buildings with three or more apartments. Some notices, such as the gas leak procedure, are given to tenants in one- and two-family homes too.
Ask a Sign Maker
Not sure which HPD signs your building is missing? Send a photo of your lobby and entrance. A project manager answers by email within one business day.
Abie S. writes for Signs NYC. Signs NYC has designed, built and installed signs and awnings in New York City since 1995, with shops in Brooklyn and Linden, NJ. About us