New York school floor plan law
What New York requires of school floor plans and maps: what goes in them, who gets them, and how they're kept private.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 26, 2026
Does New York require school floor plans?
Yes. Education Law § 2801-a requires each building-level emergency response plan to include floor plans, blueprints, schematics or other maps of the school interior and grounds, plus road maps of the surrounding area. Every school district, BOCES, county vocational education and extension board, and the New York City chancellor must adopt building-level emergency response plans. Each building-level plan and its amendments must be filed with the local law enforcement agency and the State Police within 30 days of adoption. A second law, Education Law § 408-b, requires the authorities for every public and private school building to give the most current plans and specifications for each building to the local fire and law enforcement officials.
Who is covered?
The building-level plan duty names school districts, BOCES, county vocational education and extension boards, and the New York City chancellor. Charter schools must meet the same health and safety requirements as other public schools. The State Education Department (NYSED) says that makes charter schools subject to the school safety plan statute and regulation. The § 408-b building-plans duty covers private (nonpublic) schools as well as public schools. NYSED guidance says § 408-b requires every public and nonpublic school to send building plans to its local fire and law enforcement officials.
What must the maps show?
By state regulation (8 NYCRR § 155.17), maps in the building-level plan must be clearly labeled and readily understandable to first responders.
| Map | The regulation says it must show | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Floor plans | School name and address, a symbol key, a north compass, and lettered or numbered entrances and exits | § 155.17(c)(2)(iii)(a) |
| Floor plans | Water, gas and electrical shutoffs, fire alarm panels, sprinkler control valves, fire department key boxes if any, and emergency and security equipment | § 155.17(c)(2)(iii)(a) |
| Area maps | School name and address, a symbol key, a north compass, and labeled buildings, outbuildings, fields and parking lots | § 155.17(c)(2)(iii)(b) |
| Area maps | Fire lanes, fire apparatus access roads, evacuation routes, street names and emergency response areas | § 155.17(c)(2)(iii)(b) |
NYSED says these map-labeling amendments took effect July 31, 2024, and must be in 2025-26 school safety plans. NYSED guidance says floor plans must not be hand drawn. NYSED guidance says § 408-b "plans and specifications" means blueprints, schematics or floor plans, not necessarily construction documents. The statute says regulations under § 408-b must allow simplified plans showing access and passage ways for older schools without original plans, or where a school can justify a hardship.
Who receives the maps, and how?
The § 2801-a filing duty names only the local law enforcement agency and the State Police; it does not name fire, EMS or 911. Schools file building-level plans with the State Police electronically through NYSED's SED Monitoring application. NYSED guidance says uploading floor plans and maps through the portal satisfies the State Police filing, and that schools must also share copies with local law enforcement. The portal accepts floor plans and area maps only as PDF files. For § 408-b plans, NYSED guidance tells schools to ask their local fire and law enforcement agencies how they want to receive them.
What are the deadlines?
By regulation, school safety plans are adopted by September 1 of each school year. By regulation, building-level plans go to local law enforcement and the State Police within 30 days of adoption, and no later than October 1 each year. If a district fails to file its building-level plan, the commissioner may withhold public money until it complies.
How often must the maps be updated?
Building-level plans must be reviewed at least once a year and updated as needed. NYSED guidance says maps and floor plans must be updated whenever the building or emergency response protocols change. NYSED has said the proposed 2024 regulation does not explicitly require an annual walkthrough to check that maps are current. NYSED guidance says revised § 408-b plans go to fire and law enforcement when a reconstruction project changes the building's layout.
Are school maps confidential?
The building-level plan, including its floor plans and maps, must be kept confidential and shared only with authorized department or school staff and law enforcement officers. Building-level plans are exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Law and any other law.
Does the state fund school mapping?
The enacted 2026-27 Aid to Localities budget was signed June 9, 2026 as Chapter 53 of 2026. Its text has no appropriation naming school mapping, floor plans or site maps; its school-safety line funds the New York State Center for School Safety.
What bills have been introduced?
S2588 / A902 would add site mapping for emergency response to school safety plans and fund it. It would require site maps in a printable format, oriented true north, overlaid with gridded x/y coordinates and verified for accuracy. It would require an initial and an annual walkthrough of all school buildings and grounds to verify the maps. It would require maps to work with the software of the law enforcement agencies that serve the school. It would define site mapping as electronic or digital information that helps law enforcement or first responders. It would have the commissioner set a yearly special cost allowance for site mapping under building aid. Both versions were re-referred to their Education committees on January 7, 2026, with no later action. A10120 / S9039 would create a competitive emergency mapping grant for districts and BOCES to upgrade their plan maps, with priority for high-need districts. A10120 was referred to Assembly Education on February 2, 2026; S9039 was committed to Senate Finance on March 17, 2026 and was not enacted. A9250A / S7999A lists maps of the school buildings among items to consider placing in school master key boxes. A9250 was amended and recommitted to Assembly Education on January 8, 2026, and S7999A to Senate Education on January 27, 2026.
How can QuickSecure help?
QuickSecure builds your campus floor plans in Nexus from your building drawings. They show every room by name, every door and exit, and where your AEDs, fire extinguishers and fire alarms are.
Administrators can open the plans in the dashboard at any time.
In a Lockdown, Nexus shows on the floor plan which rooms are secured.
Dispatch sends the building, address and room to 911 through RapidSOS.
This is not a statement that any product satisfies New York's requirements; that reading belongs to your district and its counsel.