Colonie, NY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Colonie's property-maintenance framework is in Town Code Chapter 62, Article IV (Property Maintenance), enforced by the Town Building Department located in Town Hall, 534 Loudon Road, Newtonville (518-783-2706). The Town Board's purpose-and-intent finding (§ 62 Art IV opening) is direct: lack of maintenance and progressive deterioration of structures and properties create blighting conditions and initiate slum-like conditions; unkempt lawns, overgrowth, brush, weeds, and noxious or poisonous brush and weeds create blighting effects including poor drainage. The article applies to all property situated in the Town of Colonie - occupied or vacant, residential or commercial. The Building Department Manager investigates complaints, performs inspections, documents conditions, and serves a written notice of violation when conditions are out of compliance. The notice specifies the violation and a compliance window (typically 7 days for lawn maintenance per the Chapter 62 prescribed time limit). If the owner does not comply, the Building Department Manager may remedy the violation by cutting, cleansing, repairing, or taking other corrective action deemed necessary, with the cost recoverable against the owner. Mold provision: presence of mold greater than 10 square feet in a dwelling unit or building requires a mold assessment by a New York State licensed mold assessor under NY Labor Law Article 32, and if mold is found it must be remediated by a NY-licensed mold remediator. State authority: NY Town Law §130 (Town Board ordinance authority over property condition and nuisance abatement); NY Municipal Home Rule Law §10 (local-law authority); NY Multiple Residence Law (state-level habitability backstop for multi-family). Vacant buildings and dangerous structures are addressed in parallel under Chapter 62 Article V (Unsafe Buildings).