Syracuse, NY Building Safety: Building Inspections (2026)

Section 27-113(a) authorizes the director to make or cause to be made inspections to determine the condition of premises in order to safeguard the health, safety and welfare of the public, and lets the director or a designated representative enter any premises at any reasonable time during business hours or at such other time as may be necessary in any emergency. The section limits itself: inspections shall be limited to the provisions of this Code. Subsection (b) requires inspectors to carry official identification and show it on request when entering a premises.

Subsection (c) puts the burden of access on the owner, operator, agent or occupant, who must let inspectors into all parts of the building at a reasonable time; if access is refused, the director must serve a written demand for access at least ten days before the scheduled inspection under the notice procedure in Section 27-114, though that ten-day window can be shortened in an emergency through a search warrant or court order. Subsection (d) lets the director go to court for an inspection warrant if the occupant still refuses admittance, by filing an affidavit showing probable cause that the inspection will reveal a Code violation; a judge who finds probable cause issues a warrant authorizing entry into the specific premises named.