New York State Law Creates Buffer Zones Around Houses of Worship

A new state law makes it a crime to target or harass people entering or leaving houses of worship and parochial schools. The provision was included in a budget bill and creates a class B misdemeanor called criminal interference with access to a place of religious worship.

The offense carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. The law also sets a 50-foot buffer zone around religious centers and schools, including synagogues, churches, mosques, and yeshivas.

Background and Legislative Action The measure was backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

She said every New Yorker should be able to enter a house of worship without fear and added that the buffer zones would make New Yorkers safer amid a rise in antisemitic incidents. The law follows months of protests outside Park East Synagogue in Manhattan and Young Israel Synagogue in Brooklyn.

It comes after city Mayor Zohran Mamdani vetoed a local bill that would have created buffer zones around educational institutions.

Eichenstein said state action became necessary after the mayor vetoed the city measure. The City Council later passed a revised bill that limits no-protest zones to elementary schools, high schools, and nurseries. The new state law applies when a person intentionally engages in conduct that causes congregants reasonable fear for their safety.