Colonie, NY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Building reported dangerous, unsafe, or attractive nuisance
- Investigating officer
- Building Department Manager
- Decision maker
- Town Board, by resolution
- Removal timeline
- Starts within 10 days of hearing
- Completion timeline
- Finished within 30 days of start
- Cost recovery
- Assessed as a lien on the property
Summary
When a Colonie building is dangerous, unsafe, or an attractive nuisance to trespassers, § 62-29 requires the Building Department Manager to inspect and report it, and the Town Board can order repair or demolition under § 62-30, with removal starting within 10 days of a hearing and finishing within 30 days.
The Town Board shall thereafter consider such report or reports and by resolution determine if, in its opinion, the report or reports warrant that such building or structure is unsafe and dangerous and order its repair or its demolition and removal, and further order that notice be served upon the person/owner in the manner provided herein...A statement that the securing or removal of such building shall start within 10 days after the date of a public hearing and shall be completed within 30 days thereafter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4902401; v37 updated 2026-05-28; through 05-28-2026).
Full Breakdown
Article III of Chapter 62 gives the Town of Colonie a formal path for dealing with unsafe and blighted buildings. Section 62-29 triggers the process whenever the Building Department Manager learns that a "building, structure, equipment or site is or may become dangerous or unsafe to the general public or an object of attraction to juveniles under 16 years of age or to vagrants or other trespassers," or is a rodent infestation risk; the Manager must inspect and report the finding, with a recommendation, to the Commissioner of Public Works.
" Notices are served personally or by certified mail under § 62-32 and filed with the Albany County Clerk under § 62-33, where they act like a notice of pendency for a year. " Whether the Town acts on notice or on an emergency basis, § 62-35 makes the cost of the work, plus attorney's fees, engineering fees, filing, and title-search costs, a lien on the property, collected the same way as unpaid Town taxes.
Violations & Fines
Under § 62-37, anyone served with an order to remedy who fails or refuses to secure the property as directed, or who resists or obstructs the Building Department Manager or Town Board carrying out this article, is subject on conviction to the penalties in § 62-26: a fine of up to $500 or 15 days in jail, plus a civil penalty of up to $500 for each day the violation continues, on top of the Town recovering its repair or demolition costs as a property lien under § 62-35.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Colonie declare a building unsafe or blighted?
Who orders a dangerous building repaired or demolished?
How fast must an owner act once ordered to fix or remove a building?
Can Colonie act without waiting for a hearing?
Who pays if the Town has to demolish the building itself?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Colonie
New York rules heatmap·Compare Colonie to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Property Blight in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Albany County handle property blight.