Colonie, NY Building Safety: Pest Control (2026)

The Town of Colonie enforces pest and rodent control through the New York Property Maintenance Code at 19 NYCRR Part 1226, which adopts the 2020 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) statewide. IPMC Section 309 ('Pest Elimination') makes pest elimination the responsibility of the owner of any structure or premise infested with insects, rats, vermin, or other pests, and shifts responsibility to the tenant only in single-family rental units where the lease assigns it and only after the unit was delivered free of infestation. In multifamily buildings of two or more dwelling units the owner is responsible for pest elimination in all common areas and in any infestation that affects more than one unit. IPMC Section 304.5 and Section 308 require that exterior openings, basement hatchways, windows, and ventilation openings be rodent-proofed: cracks larger than 1/2 inch must be sealed, vent openings must be covered with corrosion-resistant wire mesh of no more than 1/4 inch openings, and any opening through which a rat could pass must be closed. Section 308 separately requires that all garbage be stored in approved, watertight, rodent-proof containers with tight-fitting lids. The Town of Colonie Code (eCode360 CO0290) reinforces these standards through the Town's property-maintenance and nuisance chapters and through Chapter 137 (Grass and Weeds, which addresses harborage). The Colonie Code Enforcement Office inspects on complaint and issues a Notice of Violation. Bed bug infestations in rental units are treated as IPMC Section 309 infestations triggering owner-funded extermination by a New York DEC-certified pesticide applicator under New York Environmental Conservation Law Article 33 (the New York Pesticide Article) and 6 NYCRR Part 325. Severe public-health pest hazards may also trigger an Albany County Department of Health Sanitary Code order.