The Town of Colonie has no California-style defensible-space program because Albany County is rated low overall wildfire risk by the USDA Forest Service. Vegetation that could feed a fire or harbor pests is regulated through Chapter 195 (Property Maintenance) and Chapter 137 (Grass and Weeds) of the Town Code (eCode360 CO0290) and the New York State Property Maintenance Code (19 NYCRR Part 1226, adopting the 2020 International Property Maintenance Code). Grass and weeds on developed lots must generally be kept under 10 inches in height.
Albany County is in eastern New York, where the USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities tool rates overall wildfire risk as low. The Town of Colonie is a developed suburban town of approximately 56 square miles with a mix of residential subdivisions, commercial corridors along Wolf Road and Central Avenue (US 9), and the Albany International Airport. There is no California-style defensible-space mandate. Vegetation control rests on two overlapping authorities. First, the Town of Colonie Town Code (eCode360 CO0290) Chapter 137 (Grass and Weeds) and Chapter 195 (Property Maintenance) require owners and occupants to maintain premises free of overgrown grass, weeds, and brush that constitute a nuisance, harbor rodents and vermin, or create a fire hazard. The Town applies a 10-inch height limit on developed residential lots, consistent with IPMC Section 302.4 as adopted statewide. Second, the New York Property Maintenance Code at 19 NYCRR Part 1226 (which adopts the 2020 IPMC with New York amendments) is enforced concurrently by the Colonie Building Department. IPMC Section 302.4 requires premises to be maintained free of weeds and plant growth in excess of the locally established height. Cultivated flowers, gardens, ornamental shrubs, and trees are exempt; uncut turf, fence-line weeds, and abandoned-lot vegetation are not. Vacant and undeveloped lots may have a different standard or be subject to a vegetation-management agreement with the Town. Code Enforcement inspects on complaint and issues a Notice of Violation; if the owner fails to cut within the time stated (typically 10 days), the Town may enter, mow, and bill the cost back to the owner as a tax-lien charge under NY Town Law Section 64(5-a) and the Town Code's cost-recovery provisions.
Violations of Chapter 137 and Chapter 195 are enforced by the Colonie Code Enforcement Officer. Town Law Section 268 authorizes fines up to $350 for a first offense and up to $700 for repeat offenses within five years, plus the cost of any town-contracted mowing or abatement. Costs become a lien against the property and may be added to the tax bill under Town Law Section 64(5-a). New York Property Maintenance Code violations under 19 NYCRR Part 1226 carry separate enforcement under Executive Law Section 382, with civil penalties up to $1,000 per day. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense.
Colonie, NY
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Colonie, NY
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Colonie, NY
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Colonie, NY
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Colonie, NY
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Colonie, NY
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