A Kitchen is a room for cooking and preparing food that is 80 square feet or more and a kitchenette is under 80 square feet according to the New York City Building Code. There are different code requirements for kitchens and kitchenettes.
New York City Building Codes identify 2 types of residential kitchens. One is a kitchen and the other is a kitchenette. Both are considered full kitchens by any other standard. The difference between kitchen and kitchenette according to the code is a kitchen is 80 square feet or more and requires a window whereas kitchenettes are under 80 square feet and require a window or mechanical ventilation.
Kitchen Code NYC
- If the kitchen is 80 square feet or more, it is a kitchen and not a kitchenette.
- Kitchens must have a window.
- A kitchen qualifies as a habitable space and therefore must comply with light and air requirements (see explanation below).
- The kitchen Does Not require a smoke soffit.
Kitchen
the photo below is of a kitchen in a Brooklyn Townhouse we renovated. This is a kitchen because it is over 80 square feet and has no smoke soffit, therefor it requires an operable window as you can see it has.
Kitchen NYC Code definition
What is a Kitchenette?
According to the New York City building code a kitchenette is a room or space for preparing food that is under 80 square feet.
Kitchenette Code NYC
- If a room for cooking and preparing food is under 80 Square feet, it is a kitchenette according to NYC building codes.
- Kitchenettes must have a window or mechanical exhaust whereas a full kitchen must have a window.
- A kitchenette does not qualify as a habitable space and therefore does not have to comply with light and air requirements.
- Kitchenettes do not require mechanical ventilation if it has a window (although mechanical ventilation is a good idea)
- The kitchenette requires a smoke soffit (see explanation below).
Kitchenette
The picture below is of a kitchenette in a Manhattan Apartment we renovated. It is under 80 square feet therefore it is a kitchenette and has a smoke soffit. Additionally it does not have a window therefore a mechanical exhaust is provided.
Kitchenette
NATURAL LIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR KITCHENS:
A Kitchen must have a window where the glass surface area is at least 10% of the kitchen floor area.
NATURAL VENTILATION REQUIREMENTS FOR KITCHENS:
A Kitchen must have an operable window where the clear open surface area is at least 5% of the kitchen floor area.
Kitchenette Codes VS Kitchen Codes NYC
As an architect I study building Codes and New York City regulations closely, but these are complicated and quite involved. In this article we reviewed some of the basic concepts with regards to Kitchenette vs Kitchen Codes. This post does not assume to cover every possible issue or condition, but provide a general overview of the topic.
Thank you for reading our blog post on Kitchen vs Kitchenette.
I hope this was helpful. Please leave questions and comments below. If you would like to speak with an architect you can contact us directly.
Source:
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
