Irondequoit, NY Fire Regulations: Brush Clearance (2026)

Chapter 94 of the Town of Irondequoit Code is the town's brush rule, and § 94-6 is its operative command. Any owner of real property in the Town of Irondequoit must cut, trim or remove brush, grass, rubbish or weeds, spray with herbicides, or cut, trim, remove or destroy poisonous shrubs or weeds once one of five officials orders it: the Town Board, the Commissioner of Public Works/Superintendent of Highways, the Building Inspector, the Fire Marshal or a Code Compliance Inspector. Land inside the property lines of another municipal corporation or political subdivision of the state, or highway easements it owns, is carved out of the duty. Compliance is due within seven days of receipt of notice.

Section 94-1 gives the reason: the Town Board wants to prevent unhealthful, hazardous or dangerous conditions from the accumulation of brush, grass, rubbish or weeds, and to remove danger to health, life and property. Under § 94-5 the five officials act under Town Law § 64, Subdivision 5-a, and § 130, Subdivision 5. The notice itself must follow § 94-7: it specifies the place, manner and time for the work, never less than seven days from receipt, and it goes to the owner's last known address by registered or certified mail. An officer can require personal service on a resident.

If the owner ignores the notice, § 94-8 has the Town Board or the named officials authorize the work. The Commissioner of Public Works, Building Inspector, Fire Marshal or Code Compliance Inspector can also issue an appearance ticket sending the owner to local criminal court. Under § 94-9 the Town recovers the cost, including out-of-pocket administrative expense, by assessment and levy on the lot, and the expense becomes a lien and charge on the real property, collected in the same manner and at the same time as other Town charges. Designated Environmental Protection Overlay Districts, conservation easements and forever wild lands are exempt under § 94-4.