Schenectady, NY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Code section
- § 138-30, Chapter 138 Art. VI
- Enforcing agency
- Building Inspector / Code Enforcement
- Owner options
- Repair or demolish
- Demolition fee
- $150, charged as lien
- Unpaid costs
- Municipal lien or tax assessment
Summary
Schenectady's Building Inspector can declare a structurally unsafe, dilapidated, or dangerous building illegal and order the owner to repair or demolish it. Ignore the notice and the City demolishes it, then bills you through a municipal tax lien.
All buildings or structures which are structurally unsafe, unsanitary or not provided with adequate egress or which constitute a fire hazard or are otherwise dangerous to human life or which, in relation to existing use or occupancy, constitute a hazard to safety or health by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment are, severally, for the purpose of this section, unsafe buildings. All such unsafe buildings are hereby declared to be illegal and shall be abated by repair and rehabilitation or by demolition in accordance with the procedure of this section.
B. The Building Inspector shall examine or cause to be examined every building reported as unsafe or damaged, as defined in this section, and shall make a written record of such examination.
C.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4990798; v11 updated 2026-04-13; through 04-13-2026).
Full Breakdown
Under § 138-30, any building that is structurally unsafe, unsanitary, a fire hazard, or dangerous "by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment" is an unsafe building and is "hereby declared to be illegal." The Building Inspector serves written notice giving the owner a stated time to repair or demolish, and within five days post a two-foot-by-three-foot "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, CONTACT" sign naming the owners. If the owner refuses, Corporation Counsel sues to compel compliance; in an emergency the Inspector may enter and make the structure safe or remove it. Demolition carries a $150 administrative fee.
Violations & Fines
Ignore the notice and Corporation Counsel sues to compel compliance; the City demolishes the building and charges the cost plus a $150 fee as a municipal lien or tax-roll assessment. Removing a posted unsafe-building notice is unlawful.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a Schenectady building legally "unsafe"?
Can the City demolish my building?
What is the emergency-contact sign requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Schenectady
New York rules heatmap·Compare Schenectady to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
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