Fire Up Your Grills – New York Is NOT Banning Them!

New Yorkers were in a frenzy this week as a viral story found itself being passed around social media. The story claimed that New York State would soon be banning both gas and charcoal grills.

With New York’s reputation for putting restrictions on so many things, it’s easy to understand why residents were up in arms. However, the information was erroneous, and yet this is a story that keeps finding itself back in circulation.

The whole hubbub started because New York Governor Hochul approved a bill in 2023 to ban gas-powered appliances in new construction by 2026. However, this law will not apply to existing buildings which means that both homeowners and renters who already have gas stoves and appliances.

Before the ink was even dry on the paperwork, rumors began to circulate about it and various bits of misinformation started to spread like wildfire. One of the biggest rumors was that Governor Hochul would ban all gas grills, forcing homeowners to switch to electric appliances to reduce energy consumption which sent people into a complete frenzy.

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However, our sister station, WIBX, reached out to Governor Hochul's office to get a confirmation on these rumors and was responded to almost instantly by Katy Zielinski, who is the deputy communications director of energy and environment for the governor. Zielinski confirmed that the state of New York will not be banning grills, putting the rumors to rest once and for all.

And there you have it. Homeowners and renters can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their grilling season is safe for another year.