Editing Loft (section)

===Live/work loft===
A Live/work loft is a residential unit located in a commercially zoned building that has either been issued a certificate of residential occupancy or meets specific criteria making it eligible for the protection of loft laws, which vary state by state.

For example, in New York State a live/work loft must meet the following criteria:{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
# The building was formerly used for manufacturing or commercial purposes;
# The building has at least three units that were occupied residentially for 12 consecutive months during the window period from January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2009
# The unit occupies at least {{convert|400|sqft}} with at least one window and can be accessed directly from a common area such as a hallway or the street; and
# The unit has a certificate of occupancy (CO) or an application for ''Loft Law'' protection has been filed on or before March 14, 2014.

[[1982 Loft Law|Loft Law]] was designed to protect artists and other entrepreneurs that are [[remote work]]ers. To qualify for the Loft Law protection, the unit must be primarily residential with the commercial purpose being clearly incidental to the residential use; utilising no more than 49% of the total space; with no more than 3 employees; and be carried on by the actual occupant of the unit.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Historically, loft residents consisted of artists and other artisans taking advantage of cheap rents, large spaces and load-bearing floors. Loft residences were illegal and loft dwellers resided under commercial leases, forgoing basic residential rights such as [[domestic hot water]] and [[plumbing|sanitation]]. To relieve their uncertain status, many state legislatures enacted loft laws.