DCA offers free guides to help consumers and businesses understand the City's laws for governing the marketplace. Consumer guides include advice for conducting careful transactions, and help businesses know their responsibilities.
You can download and print any guide by clicking on its title in the list below. To get a free printed copy, call 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside NYC).
SPECIAL FEATURE: To view DCA's recent annual report online, click here. Slide shows will appear on your screen in a new window. Enjoy!
Guides for Businesses
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What Businesses Need to Know
This is a detailed description of the laws that govern businesses, available in English and Spanish. There are special sections on 15 business types, including electronics stores, laundries, and tobacco retailers.
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中文
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Ten Things Every Business Should Know
How well do you know NYC business laws? Check this handy fold-out card with basic information on business practices, available in English, Chinese, and Spanish.
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Russian translation (in PDF)
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Ready New York for Business
New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) offers practical and actionable advice to help businesses protect their employees and enhance their ability to recover from financial loss resulting from business interruption or damage to facilities and inventory. Download this handy guide, available in English, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish.
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Русский
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Guides for Businesses and Consumers
Guides for Consumers
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False Advertising: How to Spot It and Read the Fine Print
The City keeps an eye out for ads that make false or deceptive claims. This guide helps consumers spot some frequent tricks used by some businesses to bend or break the rules.
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Auto Rental and Repair
Auto Rental and Repair describes how consumers can use the law to help get a fair deal when renting a car or contracting for a repair job.
Learn more
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Used Car Sales
Used Car Sales has information about consumer rights when buying a secondhand car.
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Debt Collection: Your Rights and Responsibilities
A guide to the laws that limit the activities of debt collectors, and what to do when those laws are broken. The agencies that handle complaints against debt collectors are also listed.
Download the guide
Information for Consumers: Money Judgments and Frozen Bank Accounts
Learn more about the New York State Security Freeze Law
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What You Need to Know About Employment Agencies
A guide to choosing and using employment agencies, with a focus on fees and contracts. Information is provided in 8 languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Haitian Creole, traditional Chinese, Bengali, and Korean.
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Funeral Planning: What to Do When a Loved One Dies
How to deal with the important details for planning a funeral. It includes a checklist of typical charges incurred in the process.
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Generic Drugs: How to Save Money on Prescription Drugs
Low-cost generic versions of brand-name prescription drugs can save you a lot of money. This guide shows you how.
Learn more
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Home Improvement
What you should know before – and after – hiring a home improvement contractor. It includes a detailed description of the City's Home Improvement Business Law.
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See a sample contract
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What You Need to Know about Immigration Service Providers
This guide explains what an immigration service can and cannot do. Information is provided in 11 languages: English, Spanish, Russian, Hindi, Haitian Creole, traditional Chinese, Bengali, Korean, Arabic, Urdu, and Albanian.
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Are you an immigration service provider? Know NYC law
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Internet Scams
Protecting yourself when shopping online. This guide offers some of the most frequently used tricks of internet scam artists.
Learn more
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Introduction to DCA
DCA explains itself. This brief rundown on the work of Consumer Affairs includes how we license businesses and take complaints from consumers.
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Notarios / Notary Publics
A palm card with information describing the differences between the legal authority of notaries in the United States and notarios in some Latin American countries. Information in both English and Spanish.
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The Problem with Payday Loans
A palm card with the basic facts on how loans that seem to put you ahead actually keep you paying. This card is also available in Spanish.
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Refund Policies
This guide provides the details of the laws concerning terms for refund and exchange that all vendors must follow.
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Be a Savvy Senior
Get tips on how to avoid consumer-related scams that are often directed at seniors - including Internet and telemarketing fraud, identity theft, lottery sweepstakes, and reverse mortgage loans.
Learn more
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Shopping by Phone or Mail
How can consumers avoid long-distance ripoff? This helpful guide lists the legal protections consumers enjoy, and advice when responding to mail-order or phone ads.
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Smart Shopping Tips
DCA offers helpful tips to extend your shopping savvy into the new year. Know your rights when it comes to return policies and gift cards, and learn how to protect your identity and more.
Learn more
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Supermarket Shopping
This guide lists ways to carefully shop and increase your buying power.
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Tax Preparation Services
Learn your rights and a tax preparer's responsibilities to ensure a fair deal from tax preparers. This guide describes those rights in detail.
Download the consumer guide
Download the Consumer Bill of Rights in
English Español العربية বাংলা 中文
Kreyòl Ayisyen Русский
Download a palm card with tax preparation tips in English Español
Are you a tax preparer? Know NYC law
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Towing Services
Every car owner dreads getting towed. This guide gives consumers the information they need to protect their car – and their wallet – in case of a tow.
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Information about identity theft
Fighting Back against Identity Theft
Information from the Federal Trade Commission
Information for restaurateurs
Restaurant Owner Manual
Information about the new prescription drug discount card program
How-to Guide for Medicare Recipients
Tip Sheet from the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
Health Insurance Information Counseling Assistance Program
Information from the New York City Department for the Aging
Prescription Drug Price
Web site by the New York State Attorney General
