Westchester County, NY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Sanitary Code §§ 873.1400-1402
- Trigger
- Condition dangerous to life or health
- Enforcing agency
- Westchester County Health Department
- Cost recovery
- Lien on the property (§ 873.1403)
Summary
Westchester County's Health Department can order the abatement, suppression or removal of any property condition it finds detrimental or prejudicial to life or health, entering premises to enforce compliance.
1.The commissioner or the commissioner's representative duly authorized in writing shall order the abatement, suppression or removal of all nuisances and conditions which in his opinion are detrimental or prejudicial to life or health.2.Failure by the owner, agent or occupants of any place, facility, premises or vehicle whereon any nuisance or condition deemed to be detrimental or prejudicial to the public health exists, or deemed to be the cause of the existence of such nuisance or condition elsewhere, to comply with any order or regulation for the abatement, suppression or removal of such nuisance or condition may be reason for the commissioner or the commissioner's representative to enter upon the place, facility, premises or vehicle to which such order or regulation relates, and to abate, suppress or remove such nuisance or condition. (Added 11-20-1986, eff. 11-20-1986)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 47).
Full Breakdown
Sanitary Code §§ 873.1400-873.1402 give the county Health Commissioner authority to investigate nuisance complaints, enter premises where a condition dangerous to life or health exists, issue a written notice demanding correction, and, if the owner fails to comply, order the abatement, suppression or removal of the nuisance directly. This is the county's general mechanism for unsafe or unsanitary property conditions countywide; it operates alongside, not instead of, any municipal building or property-maintenance code a city, town or village separately enforces.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliance is enforceable under § 873.218 (up to $250 first offense, $500 repeat) and § 873.1403, which lets the county recover abatement costs as a first lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who enforces blighted or unsafe property conditions in Westchester County?
What happens if I don't fix a cited nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Westchester County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Westchester County to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
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