New York end of legislative session review

New York's legislature wrapped up its 2026 session in early June, and most of the building-related bills lawmakers considered did not pass. That means for now, nothing changes for homeowners around green building tax credits, embodied-carbon rules for new construction, or state purchasing requirements — those all stayed as proposals.

A few bills worth knowing about even though they stalled: one would have made residential buildings eligible for an existing green building tax credit (currently it seems to apply elsewhere). Another would have created a tax break for green infrastructure, like rain gardens or permeable pavement, on certain properties in New York's largest cities. A third would have had the state health department set up indoor air quality inspections for schools and day cares. None of these passed this session, but lawmakers are expected to bring similar ideas back in 2027.

The one bill that did move forward has nothing to do with home upgrades directly — it's a proposed one-year pause on permits for large data centers (20 megawatts or bigger), aimed at studying their effects on energy prices, the power grid, and water use. That passed the legislature and now awaits the governor's signature. If it becomes law, it could shape how much strain new data centers put on New York's electric grid in the coming years, which affects overall energy costs and reliability, though it doesn't create any new program or rebate for homeowners themselves.