New York regulations
Title 19 Part 815
Department of State
Browse New York regulations by title, part, and section.
6 sections
You’re browsing Title 19 — the Department of State’s own regulations — free.
Read the source-transparency report →Create a free account (no card) to open all 23 titles →Compiled text through Jun 30, 2022Register checked through August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
All 6 displayed sections in this Part carry the same compiled date. Status and warnings stay on each section.
19 NYCRR 815.1 - Purpose
Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
Dates and status
- Compiling agency
- Department of State
- Text status
- Source receipt
- Compiled text through
- Jun 30, 2022
- Register checked through
- August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
- Activity status
- Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
- Latest notice
- TBA-52-23-00001-P · Proposed rule · Dec 27, 2023
- Source snapshot
- Jun 6, 2026
The purpose of this regulation is to implement the requirements of State Finance Law, section 54(10)(o) which established the Local Government Efficiency grant program beginning in the State fiscal year commencing April 1, 2008. It directed the Secretary of State to adopt rules and regulations to implement the program.
19 NYCRR 815.2 - Definitions
No later Register activity identified in this check.
Dates and status
- Compiling agency
- Department of State
- Text status
- Phase2b Dequote Reversal
- Register checked through
- August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
- Activity status
- No later Register activity identified in this check.
- Latest notice
- TBA-52-23-00001-P · Proposed rule · Dec 27, 2023
- Source snapshot
- May 19, 2026
As used in this Part, the following words and terms shall have the stated meaning:
(a)Consolidation means two or more adjoining towns in the same county consolidated as one town pursuant to article 5-B of the Town Law; two or more adjoining villages consolidated as one village pursuant to article 18 of the Village Law; two or more school districts consolidated as one district pursuant to article 31 of the Education Law or; consolidation of two or more special improvement districts, water or sewer authorities, or fire or library districts.
(b)Cooperative agreement means an agreement entered into by two or more municipalities pursuant to article 5-G of the General Municipal Law or other authorizing statutes for the performance among themselves or one for the other of their respective functions, powers and duties on a contract or cooperative basis.
(c)Dissolution means the dissolution of a town pursuant to article 5-A of the Town Law; the dissolution of a village pursuant to article 19 of the Village Law; or the dissolution of a school district pursuant to the Education Law.
(d)Efficiency implementation grant means a competitive grant to two or more municipalities to cover costs associated with consolidations, mergers, dissolutions, cooperative agreements and shared services, where demonstrable financial savings would result.
(e)Functional consolidation means one municipality completely providing a service or function for another municipality, which no longer engages in that service or function.
(f)General efficiency planning grant means a competitive grant to two or more municipalities to cover costs associated with plans and studies, which shall include an examination of potential financial savings and management improvements, for potential functional consolidation or shared services involving two or more municipalities.
(g)High priority planning grant means a grant to provide funding for plans and studies, which shall include an examination of the potential savings and management improvements, for:
(1)a single municipality to conduct a city or county charter revision which includes functional consolidation or increased shared services;
(2)a single village to study village dissolution;
(3)to two or more municipalities for mergers, consolidations and dissolutions;
(4)to two or more municipalities for shared services or transfer of functions to be performed on a countywide basis;
(5)to two or more municipalities for conducting services on a multi-county or regional basis;
(6)additional types of grants as may be identified by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, and included in a request for applications.
(h)Merger means the transfer of functions, powers or duties of a city, town or village within the same county, to each other or to the county, pursuant to the Alternate County Government Law or pursuant to any other legislative authority which may be enacted after the effective date hereof for such transfers of functions, powers or duties or for the merger of a county, city, town or village with any of such other units of local government.
(i)Municipality mean counties, cities, towns, villages, special improvement districts, fire districts, library districts, water authorities, sewer authorities, regional planning and development boards, school districts, and boards of cooperative educational services; provided, however, that for the purposes of this definition, a board of cooperative educational services shall be considered a municipality only in instances where such board of cooperative educational services advances a joint application on behalf of school districts and other municipalities within the board of cooperative educational services region; provided, however, that any agreement with a board of cooperative educational services:
(1)shall not generate additional state aid;
(2)shall be deemed not to be a part of the program, capital and administrative budgets of the board of cooperative educational services for the purposes of computing charges upon component school districts pursuant to subparagraph seven of paragraph b of subdivision four of section 1950 and subdivision one of section 1950 and subdivision one of section 1951 of the Education Law;
(3)shall be deemed to be a cooperative municipal service for purposes of subparagraph two of paragraph d of subdivision four of section 1950 of the Education Law.
(j)Secretary means the New York State Secretary of State.
(k)Commission on local government efficiency and competitiveness means the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness created by Executive Order No. 11 of 2007 or its successor organization.
(l)Shared services means the joint provision, performance or delivery of a service, facility, activity, project or undertaking by two or more municipalities which each may lawfully undertake separately.
(m)Twenty-first century demonstration grant means a competitive grant approved under a plan developed by the Secretary in consultation with the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness and approved by the Director of the Budget to municipalities to cover costs associated with a functional consolidation or shared services agreement with great potential to achieve financial savings and serve as a model for other municipalities, including, but not limited to, the consolidation of services on a multi-county basis, the consolidation of certain services countywide as identified in a plan, the creation of a regional entity empowered to provide multiple functions on a countywide or regional basis, the creation of a regional or city-county consolidated municipal government, the consolidation of school districts or supporting services for school districts encompassing the area served by a Board of Cooperative Educational Services, or the creation of a regional smart growth compact or program.
19 NYCRR 815.3 - Eligibility
Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
Dates and status
- Compiling agency
- Department of State
- Text status
- Source receipt
- Compiled text through
- Jun 30, 2022
- Register checked through
- August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
- Activity status
- Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
- Latest notice
- TBA-52-23-00001-P · Proposed rule · Dec 27, 2023
- Source snapshot
- Jun 6, 2026
(a)Applications for assistance under this Part may be made by one or more municipalities which submit requests on forms established by the secretary.
(b)Grants may be used to cover costs associated with and including, but not limited to:
(1)High priority planning and general efficiency planning grants - legal and consultant services and other necessary expenses;
(2)Efficiency implementation grants and twenty-first century demonstration grants- legal and consultant services, transitional personnel costs essential for the implementation of an approved work plan integral to coordinated or consolidated service delivery, capital improvements and joint equipment purchases only where integral to coordinated or consolidated service delivery, and other necessary expenses.
19 NYCRR 815.4 - Grant awards
Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
Dates and status
- Compiling agency
- Department of State
- Text status
- Source receipt
- Compiled text through
- Jun 30, 2022
- Register checked through
- August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
- Activity status
- Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
- Latest notice
- TBA-52-23-00001-P · Proposed rule · Dec 27, 2023
- Source snapshot
- Jun 6, 2026
(a)Subject to annual appropriations by the Legislature, grants will be made to successful applicants pursuant to the review and approval criteria set forth herein, in amounts not to exceed:
(1)$50,000 for high priority planning grants,
(2)$25,000 for two municipalities with an additional one thousand dollars for each additional municipality participating in the application, the maximum grant award not to exceed $35,000, for general efficiency planning grants,
(3)$200,000 per municipality, the maximum grant award not to exceed one million dollars, for efficiency implementation grants,
(4)$400,000 per municipality for twenty-first century demonstration project grants.
(b)Applicants will be required to provide matching funds, equal to 10 percent of the total cost of activities approved by the Department of State, as follows:
(1)ten percent matching funds for High Priority Planning Grants;
(2)ten percent local matching funds for General Efficiency Planning Grants;
(3)ten percent local matching funds for efficiency implementation grants, except that in the event an applicant is implementing a project that the applicant developed through a successfully completed planning grant funded under this Part or the shared municipal services incentive grant program (Part 814 of this Title), the local matching funds required shall be reduced by the local matching funds required by such successfully completed planning grant;
(4)ten percent local matching funds for twenty-first century demonstration project grants.
(c)State assistance shall be available on a reimbursement basis. Grantees shall submit periodic invoices and requests for payment as work is performed and costs incurred. No part of a grant shall be used by the grantee for recurring expenses such as salaries, utilities and fuel, except that for efficiency implementation grants and twenty-first century demonstration project grants the salaries of certain personnel essential for the effectuation of the joint activity shall be eligible for a period not to exceed three years.
(d)Prior to the final reimbursement payment, grant recipients shall submit to the Secretary copies of studies, agreements and other products resulting from the grant award.
19 NYCRR 815.5 - General review and approval criteria
No later Register activity identified in this check.
Dates and status
- Compiling agency
- Department of State
- Text status
- Phase2b Dequote Reversal
- Register checked through
- August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
- Activity status
- No later Register activity identified in this check.
- Latest notice
- TBA-52-23-00001-P · Proposed rule · Dec 27, 2023
- Source snapshot
- May 19, 2026
(a)All applications for general planning, efficiency implementation, and 21st century demonstration grants will be rated in accordance with the rating system established by the secretary. Criteria used to rate applications will generally include the following. Different weighting and additional criteria may be applied for 21st century demonstration project grant applications:
(1)demonstrated need for the project;
(2)the likelihood of timely completion of the project;
(3)the potential for ongoing municipal cost savings, productivity enhancement or streamlined administration;
(4)the number of municipalities involved or the size of the service area;
(5)the likelihood of instituting permanent changes to municipal structure or service delivery resulting in cost savings, enhanced productivity or streamlined administration over the long term;
(6)the ability of the project to serve as a demonstration program for other municipalities to reduce costs, enhance productivity or streamline administration;
(7)whether the project would advance other State or municipal programs for municipal efficiency and cost savings;
(8)the geographic distribution of other fundable projects in any given application cycle.
(b)High priority planning grants are not subject to the above general review and approval criteria.
(1)In awarding high priority planning grants, the secretary may reserve portions of the money allocated for different categories of plans or studies in order to provide for a variety of types of applications to be funded.
(2)Applicants for high priority planning grants will be required to meet deadlines for actions on development of work plans and execution of contracts with the state in order to retain the grant award. Funding awarded to applicants who do not meet established deadlines may be returned to the funding pool for use by other eligible applicants. Applicants who lose eligibility may reapply for available funds.
(c)In the selection of general efficiency planning grant awards, priority shall be given to applications that:
(1)Would result in the complete functional consolidation of a municipal service.
(2)Includes a municipality that meets three of the following fiscal distress criteria:
(i)Full valuation per capita less than 50 percent of the average full valuation per capita for municipalities in New York State.
(ii)A population at least 10 percent less than the population as reported in the (1970) Federal decennial census.
(iii)Greater than 60 percent real property tax limit exhausted in the most recent local fiscal year as reported to the Division of the Budget by the State Comptroller.
(iv)A percentage of individuals living below the poverty level, as reported for a municipality in the most recent Federal decennial census, in excess of 150 percent of the average percentage of individuals living below the poverty level as reported for municipalities in the most recent Federal decennial census.
(3)Would result in contractual services between two or more municipal highway departments or the consolidation of two or more municipal highway departments; provided, however, an applicant shall indicate that an objective of the study or plan is to realize financial savings upon implementation.
(4)Consolidate health benefit plans offered by two or more municipalities.
(d)In the selection of efficiency implementation grant awards, priority shall be given to applications that:
(1)would implement the merger, dissolution or consolidation of municipalities;
(2)would result in the complete functional consolidation of a municipal service;
(3)are submitted by applicants that successfully completed a high priority planning grant or a planning grant under the shared municipal services incentive grant program for one of the identified high priority activities;
(4)include a municipality that meets three of the fiscal distress criteria as described in this Part;
(5)would result in contractual services between two or more municipal highway departments or the consolidation of two or more municipal highway departments;
(6)consolidate health benefit plans offered by two or more municipalities.
(e)Awards shall be granted only for services that would otherwise be individually provided by each grantee and for which demonstrable financial savings result from such sharing, unless awards are for feasibility studies.
19 NYCRR 815.6 - Contents of application and procedures
Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
Dates and status
- Compiling agency
- Department of State
- Text status
- Source receipt
- Compiled text through
- Jun 30, 2022
- Register checked through
- August 19, 2026/Vol. XLVIII, Issue 33
- Activity status
- Later Register activity found — review the notice before relying on the compiled text.
- Latest notice
- TBA-52-23-00001-P · Proposed rule · Dec 27, 2023
- Source snapshot
- Jun 6, 2026
(a)Application for assistance shall be on forms prescribed by the secretary. Applications shall contain the following:
(1)the names and contact information for each municipality applying for assistance;
(2)designation of contact person or grant administrator;
(3)identification of key personnel who will work on the project for the municipalities;
(4)a resolution of each municipality's governing body requesting such assistance or a resolution by the municipal governing board stating acceptance of a qualified citizen petition requesting a dissolution study;
(5)a detailed description of the proposed activity to be funded;
(6)a work program including time periods for achieving stated objectives;
(7)a budget including identification of all funding sources and local matching funds;
(8)any inter-municipal agreements entered into or proposed to be entered into to carry out the activity; and
(9)a description of how the proposal responds to each of the rating and approval criteria described in this Part.
(b)Application information and procedures.
(1)The Department of State will provide outreach services to inform municipalities of the availability of funding and provide information to applicants concerning application preparation and submission.
(2)Project time periods and work programs may be adjusted by the Department of State as a condition of entering into a contract for State assistance to ensure the timely and successful completion of a project for which funds are awarded. The Department of State may, at its discretion, choose not to enter into contracts and cancel grant awards which do not contain mutually established time periods and work programs.
(3)All projects must be undertaken pursuant to a contract with the Department of State which shall require, in addition to the requirements of the Department of State, Attorney General, and State Comptroller, that all contracts not to be performed by the officials and employees of the grantee be entered into in accordance with General Municipal Law, sections 103 and 104-b. Requested grant amounts may be reduced in order to fund a greater number of projects or in order to reflect eligible costs.