2020 New York State Mechanical Code

The 2020 Mechanical Code of New York State® (MCNYS®) establishes minimum requirements for mechanical systems using prescriptive and performance-related provisions. These requirements cover mechanical systems, appliances, appliance venting, duct and ventilation systems, combustion air provisions, hydronic systems, and solar systems. This code is founded on broad-based principles intended to establish provisions consistent with the scope of a mechanical code that adequately protects public health, safety, and welfare; provisions that do not unnecessarily increase construction costs; provisions that do not restrict the use of new materials, products, or methods of construction; and provisions that do not give preferential treatment to particular types or classes of materials, products, or methods of construction. These principles make possible the use of new materials and new mechanical designs. 

This 2020 edition was developed as a derivative work of the 2018 edition of the International Mechanical Code® (IMC®) published by the International Code Council® (ICC®).

The purpose of the code is to establish the minimum acceptable level of safety, and to protect life and property from the potential dangers associated with the installation and operation of mechanical systems. The code also protects the personnel that install, maintain, service, and replace the systems and appliances addressed by this code. 

The format of the 2020 MCNYS allows each chapter to be devoted to a particular subject, with the exception of Chapter 3, which contains general subject matters that are not extensive enough to warrant their own independent chapter.

The MCNYS contains 15 chapters, covering such topics as ventilation, exhaust systems, duct systems, combustion air, and chimneys and vents. It also addresses chimney connector pass-throughs in Appendix A.