Employee Housing

Worker Housing

Farmers are frequently involved in providing housing for farm employees and sometimes for their families as well. Various agencies from federal, state, and local governments may be involved in regulating farm worker housing, depending on the type provided. Farmworker housing regulations vary significantly depending on the number of workers housed and on the type of worker, permanent or migrant and seasonal. In any case, farm managers who provide housing have legal and ethical responsibilities to make sure the housing begins, and remains, a safe and healthy place for people to live.

Regulations

The New York State Department of Health regulates migrant and seasonal farmworker housing using Part 15 of the New York health code. While this code does not apply to all types of farm employees, it does provide excellent housing health and safety guidelines even for those who are not specifically covered by the law.