Suffolk County and its towns enforce property maintenance under New York Property Maintenance Code (19 NYCRR Part 1226) plus local chapters. Brookhaven Chapter 85, Islip Chapter 68, and Huntington Chapter 156 address blight. Zombie property registry fees apply to foreclosed homes under NY RPAPL 1308.
Town property maintenance codes require structures to be weatherproof, free of graffiti, with intact siding, roofing, and windows. Brookhaven Town Code Chapter 85 Article XXI addresses unsafe buildings with 10,000 dollar maximum per-day penalties. Abandoned and vacant properties in foreclosure must be registered under New York RPAPL 1308 with the state zombie property registry within 90 days of vacancy; failure penalties are 500 dollars per day up to 200,000 dollars. Suffolk County has active nuisance abatement authority; county can place liens for cleanup costs. Graffiti removal required within 15 days of notice under most town codes.
Blighted exterior: 250-1,000 dollars per violation with daily accrual. Zombie registry failure: 500 dollars/day. Failure to abate after notice: county/town cleanup with lien plus 25 percent administrative fee.
Suffolk County, NY
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See how Suffolk County's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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