Troy, NY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Unsafe building status
- Declared illegal; repair or demolition required
- Vacant building test
- Unoccupied over three months, among other triggers
- Registration deadline
- 30 days after a building becomes vacant
- Boarding material
- Plywood or particle board at least 1/2 inch thick
- Grass and weed limit
- No more than six inches on vacant building grounds
- Inspections
- Vacant or abandoned buildings at least twice annually
- Hearing
- Before the Commissioner of Public Works
Summary
In the City of Troy, New York, a building that is structurally unsafe, unsanitary, a fire hazard or dangerous through dilapidation or abandonment is declared illegal under Troy City Code § 141-18 and must be repaired or demolished. The Director of Code Enforcement can order work, vacate the building, and bill the owner, with costs levied against the property.
§ 141-18. Unsafe buildings. ... A. 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 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. Every vacant building is a potential fire hazard and, if not properly boarded and secured and if the exterior of the building and the grounds upon which it is located are not properly maintained, is a potential blight on the neighborhood.
Full Breakdown
Section 141-18 defines an unsafe building broadly: structurally unsafe, unsanitary, lacking adequate egress, a fire hazard, or otherwise dangerous to human life, including a building that is a hazard by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment. All such buildings are declared illegal and must be abated by repair and rehabilitation or by demolition. Subsection B treats a vacant building as a potential fire hazard and a potential blight on the neighborhood if it is not properly boarded and secured.
Vacancy is its own trigger. Under § 141-19, a building is vacant if it is unoccupied and not secured or boarded, unoccupied and not maintained, posted as Unfit for Human Habitation, illegally occupied, or unoccupied for over three months. The owner registers with the Bureau of Code Enforcement within 30 days and files a plan.
Section 141-21 sets the physical standards. A secured building has doors and windows in good repair and locked. If it is boarded up, the code calls for exterior-grade plywood or sheathing-grade particle board at least 1/2 inch thick, bracing for openings wider than three feet, sixpenny coated nails spaced no more than six inches on center at the edges, and a door with at least two keyed locks. The roof must be structurally sound and weathertight, and grounds must be cleared of litter, debris and junk and of grass or weeds in excess of six inches in height. The Director has vacant or abandoned buildings inspected not less than two times annually.
Article IV, §§ 141-72 to 141-77, adds due process. The Director of the Bureau of Code Enforcement, the Fire Chief or the City Engineer serves notice personally or by certified mail, stating the defects and ordering repair or removal within a set period, and a copy can be filed with the Rensselaer County Clerk. The owner gets a hearing before the Commissioner of Public Works. If the owner fails to act, the Commissioner can remove the building and the costs are assessed against the land.
Violations & Fines
If an owner does not comply, the Corporation Counsel brings a court action to compel compliance under § 141-21G. In an emergency involving imminent danger, the Director can make the building safe or remove it at once, and a vacant building so poorly maintained that it is a blighting influence counts as an emergency. Costs are charged to the owner and levied in the same manner as a tax against the property. Removing the posted unsafe notice without written permission is unlawful.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Troy
New York rules heatmap·Compare Troy to another location·View the New York property maintenance overview
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