Kitchen Range Hoods: NYC Compliance Requirements Explained

A well-designed kitchen range hood is essential for maintaining air quality, ensuring fire safety, and meeting local building codes. Whether you're renovating a multifamily building, designing a commercial kitchen, or outfitting a luxury condo, it's crucial to understand how range hoods function, what options exist, and how to stay compliant with NYC mechanical and fire codes.

What Does a Kitchen Range Hood Do?

A kitchen range hood—also known as a vent hood or exhaust hood—removes airborne contaminants generated during cooking, such as:

• Grease

• Smoke

• Heat

• Steam

• Combustion byproducts

There are two primary types:

• Ducted Hoods: Exhaust air outside the building.

• Ductless Hoods: Use filters to recirculate cleaned air back into the space.

In New York City, ducted range hoods are typically required for commercial kitchens and are strongly recommended for residential applications, where feasible. However, when a hood exhausts air to the exterior, a make-up air system is required to replace the air being removed. In some buildings—especially larger or newer developments—make-up air may already be provided as part of the building’s ventilation system. In many residential homes, however, no such system exists, and the make-up air system must be added as a separate component to ensure proper ventilation and compliance with code requirements.

Functional Considerations for Range Hood Design

When selecting or designing a range hood system, the following aspects should be evaluated:

• Airflow (CFM): The volume of air moved per minute. Higher CFM is needed for solid fuel cooking devices, heavy cooking loads, or large areas.

• Capture Area & Hood Size: The hood should cover the cooktop fully and extend slightly beyond the burners for maximum efficiency.

• Ductwork Design: Shorter, straight duct runs improve efficiency. NYC mechanical code prohibits flex duct use in most cases.

• Noise Level: Especially important in residential applications.

• Make-Up Air: In tightly sealed buildings, exhausted air must be replaced to prevent negative pressure.

• Fire Suppression Systems: In commercial kitchens a fire suppression system integrated with the range hood is required by code for Type I hoods, which are installed where cooking appliances produce grease or smoke as a result during operation. These systems are essential for safety and must comply with NYC Fire Code and NFPA 96 standards.

NYC Code Compliance for Kitchen Range Hoods

In NYC, range hood installations must comply with:

NYC Mechanical Code (Chapter 5 – Exhaust Systems)

• M505.1: Domestic kitchen hoods must discharge outdoors unless listed and labeled for recirculation.

• M505.3: Commercial cooking operations require Type I or Type II hoods, depending on cooking equipment used.

NYC Fire Code

• Type I hoods for commercial kitchens must include:

  • Grease filters

  • Automatic fire suppression systems

  • Routine cleaning and inspection (per NFPA 96)

NYC Energy Conservation Code

• Systems must include energy-efficient motors and controls where applicable.

• Make-up air systems must not result in unnecessary energy losses.

DOB Permit Requirements

• Installing or modifying a kitchen exhaust system often requires a Mechanical Work Permit and DOB filings by a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) or Registered Architect (RA).

• Commercial kitchen exhaust systems also require FDNY review, permitting, and approval.

Whether you're designing a commercial kitchen or upgrading a residential cooking space, the kitchen range hood plays a vital role in ventilation, safety, and code compliance. From selecting the right hood type to ensuring proper airflow, fire suppression, and make-up air, each decision impacts both performance and regulatory approval—especially under NYC’s strict building and fire codes. Proper coordination between design professionals, engineers, and contractors is key to a successful and compliant installation.

Need expert guidance on range hood design or NYC code compliance? BUILT Engineers specializes in mechanical system design and DOB/FDNY filings for residential and commercial projects throughout New York City.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and ensure your kitchen ventilation system is safe, efficient, and fully compliant.