Glen Cove, NY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Chapter 112's Unsafe Buildings Ordinance, adopted in 1981 as Chapter 33 of the old code, lists eleven categories of defect in Section 112-2 that make a structure 'unsafe': leaning walls whose plumb line falls outside the middle third of the base, 33% or more deterioration of a supporting member, overloaded floors or roofs, fire or storm damage dangerous to occupants, dilapidation that makes a building unfit for habitation, inadequate light, air or fire egress, loose parts that could fall on the public, existing Code violations such as Fire Prevention or Zoning breaches, and any structure left vacant and unattended for five straight years.

Section 112-4 declares every building meeting those criteria a public nuisance outright. Section 112-3 then sets the standards the Building Department Administrator follows in choosing a remedy: repair if the building can be brought back into compliance, vacate if it endangers occupants' health or safety, or demolition if it cannot be economically restored or if it is a fire hazard. Section 112-5 requires the Administrator to post a notice on the building itself declaring it unsafe, and to file a copy with the County Clerk with the same legal effect as a notice of pendency for up to a year.

If the owner ignores a final order, Section 112-7 lets the city do the repair, vacation or demolition itself and place a lien for the cost plus a 50% administrative surcharge against the property, collected the same way as city taxes.