Colonie, NY Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)

Chapter 62's Property Maintenance article does not stop at occupied homes. Section 62-39 states plainly that "this chapter shall apply to all property situate in the Town of Colonie," and § 62-38's findings explain why: unmaintained lots, whether "occupied or vacant," create blighting conditions that spread to neighboring parcels and cost the Town money to correct if left unchecked. The operative standard sits in § 62-45A, which requires that "all land must be kept free of dead or dying trees and accumulations of brush, shrubs, weeds, grass, stumps, roots, excessive and/or noxious growths, garbage, grass cuttings, trimmings, refuse or debris" that could start or spread a fire, cause an unsightly condition, or create a health or safety hazard on the lot or on a neighboring property.

An empty, unimproved parcel is covered exactly the same as a lot with a house on it; there is no exemption in Article IV for vacant land. Owners of vacant lots also carry the drainage and erosion duties in § 62-45R through T, keeping surface water flow unaltered and bare earth "covered with vegetation, mulch or other suitable material" to control dust and mud, along with the litter and debris duties in § 62-45O and Q. If the Building Department Manager finds a vacant lot in violation, § 62-46A(2) gives the owner 14 days after notice to correct most violations, or seven days if the violation is lawn or weed cutting specifically, and owners can request a hearing before the Town Board within five days of that notice under § 62-46B.