Mayor seeks smoking guidelines for apartments

Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced a bill yesterday that would require building owners with three or more units to provide guidelines for where smoking is permitted on their properties.

"It won't ban smoking in residential buildings, only ensure that New Yorkers can choose a smoke-free place to live," said Bloomberg, an ex-smoker who's championed anti-tobacco initiatives.

City officials said the disclosure forms are similar to notices that owners must provide about bedbugs and lead paint.

While Bloomberg stressed that he doesn't want to ban smoking in the home, smokers' rights advocates worry that forcing landlords to write up smoking rules could lead to a wholesale ban.

Brooklyn resident Audrey Silk, founder of Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, said building owners could decide to prohibit cigarettes outright.

"This is part of the incrementalism we've come to know from anti-smoking crusaders," Silk said.

Smoking is already banned in city bars and restaurants, as well as plazas and parks. The mayor's proposal, which will require City Council approval, would be self-enforcing among tenants.