New York City Council passed Introduction 905-A, the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), on 22 October 2026. As of 9:51 am Singapore time on 26 October, the Council record lists it as awaiting the mayor's signature, with no Local Law number.

The vote and its status

The Council's Legistar record shows 38 votes in favour, 9 against and 2 abstentions, with one member absent and one on medical leave. That matches press reports. The record shows "Enacted (Mayor's Desk for Signature)" with no enactment date. Section 3 of the bill says it "takes effect 1 year after it becomes law", so no date can be given until the mayor acts.

Which buildings it covers

The bill applies to class A multiple dwellings with four or more homes that meet one of six tests. These are at least a year in the city's Alternative Enforcement Program, selection as a distressed property for in rem foreclosure, an order to correct underlying conditions for at least a year, an average of three or more open hazardous or immediately hazardous violations per home, a refused certification of no harassment in the past year, or an HPD-managed affordability agreement in a building of no more than 100 homes. Owner-occupied buildings with five or fewer homes are excluded.

The 100-home cap applies only to the affordability test. The bill excludes income restrictions imposed under section 421-a from that test, but it does not name 485-x, and a 421-a building could still qualify under the distress tests. The Real Deal's report that 421a and 485x buildings are exempt goes further than the text. The Real Deal quoted Council Speaker Julie Menin putting the scope at about 2,100 buildings, a figure no Council or HPD page read gives.

How a sale would work

An owner must notify HPD and every certified nonprofit before taking any action to sell. A qualified entity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit certified by HPD, or a joint venture it controls. Nonprofits get 20 days to state interest and then 70 days to make an offer. The owner then has 10 days to answer. If the owner later accepts another buyer's offer within a year, the first nonprofit bidder may match it within 15 days. The bill lists 18 exclusions, including inheritance, family transfers and court sales, and HPD may waive the rules for undue financial hardship.

An owner who sells without notice faces a civil penalty of up to 15% of the sale price, and nonprofits may sue within two years of the deed being recorded. The text sets no test based on the nationality or residence of the owner or buyer. It turns on the building.

What happens next

Section 37 of the New York City Charter sets out what the mayor may do. The bill goes to the mayor once the Council clerk certifies it, and the Charter gives the mayor 30 days from that presentation, not from the Council vote. The Legistar record does not show the date the bill was presented. The Charter says that "If within thirty days after the local law shall have been presented to him or her, the mayor shall neither approve nor return the local law to the clerk with his or her objections, it shall be deemed to have been adopted in like manner as if the mayor had signed it." So the bill becomes law if the mayor signs it, and also if he does nothing within the 30 days.

If the mayor vetoes the bill, the Council has 30 days after his objections are presented at its next regular meeting to vote again. Section 37 says that "If after such reconsideration the votes of two-thirds of all the council members be cast in favor of repassing such local law, it shall be deemed adopted, notwithstanding the objections of the mayor." The Council has 51 seats, so an override needs 34 votes. The 22 October tally of 38 in favour is above that number, but an override would still need a fresh vote, and members could vote differently the second time.

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Sources

Sources read 26 October 2026.