The White Plains Common Council on June 10 adopted an ordinance adding chapter 9‑8 to the White Plains Municipal Code to prohibit eviction without good cause, passing the measure as part of the meeting’s consent agenda.

Council members said the change is intended to protect renters who face abrupt or unjustified removal from their homes. Councilman Brasch said he was “very pleased to support this very important law that will protect innumerable tenants in our city.”

The measure amends Title 9 of the municipal code to define and restrict evictions that lack legally defined cause. Councilwoman Jen Puja, who co-led the legislation with Councilman Frye Pearson, said the ordinance is layered on top of the city’s long‑standing Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA), providing an additional level of tenant protection.

“This came from our work of a compromise, and I’m proud to still be in support of it as written, as amended, as a compromise,” Puja said. Councilman Frye Pearson thanked community members who testified and cited city eviction figures: “Every year in White Plains, over 500 human beings are evicted from their apartments,” he said, and added that the ordinance aims to ensure “eviction should only happen for good cause.”

Council members acknowledged limits to local authority: if tenants do not pay rent or commit criminal violations, evictions can still occur under applicable law. Several members said they would have supported stronger measures — including a “portfolio of 1” rule that would treat an owner’s entire set of units as a single portfolio for some protections — but characterized the adopted ordinance as a compromise that improves tenant protections now.

The ordinance was adopted by roll call as part of the consent agenda; the roll call recorded affirmative votes from Council members present. The council also noted existing city programs that assist tenants, including a neighborhood conditions program and local nonprofit partnerships that provide eviction‑prevention assistance.

The ordinance takes effect according to the adoption language in the municipal code; implementation details and any administrative guidance will be handled by the city departments identified in the ordinance.