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

Section 188-12 of the Troy City Code, part of Chapter 188, Littering, adopted by the Troy City Council, bars dumping litter on open or vacant property in the City of Troy, New York. The reach is wide: the prohibition applies whether the lot belongs to the person depositing the litter or to someone else, so a lot owner cannot treat an empty parcel as a private dump. Section 188-0 defines litter as all waste materials, including, but not limited to, bottles, glass, tobacco products, crockery, cans, scrap metal, junk, bulk refuse, paper, garbage, rubbish, old automobiles or parts of automobiles or similar refuse.

Owners carry a second duty. Section 188-13 requires the owner or person in control of any private property to maintain the premises free of litter at all times, with an exception for litter stored in authorized private receptacles for collection. Under § 188-1, the police, the Department of Public Works and Code Enforcement inspectors, the Mayor and the Commissioner of the Department of Public Works enforce the chapter.

Notice and cleanup run on a short clock. Under § 188-15, an officer can notify the owner, occupant or agent to dispose of litter, and the notice can be oral. The person has 24 hours from the notice, or 48 hours when the notice is given on a Friday. Depending on the severity of the conditions, the City reserves the right to order collection immediately and invoice the owner. Under § 188-22, when litter on private property violates § 188-13 and the owner has not complied after notice, the Director of Code Enforcement can have it removed, can enter private property if necessary for that purpose, and charges the reasonable cost to the owner, levied in the same manner as a tax against the property or collected by summary proceeding.

Where the City does the collecting, § 188-19A sets a minimum collection fee of $75, or $150 for construction and demolition material. Section 188-21 lets the Mayor offer an informant a reward of 25% of the fine or civil penalty for a § 188-12 violation, and § 188-23 treats any violation of the chapter as a nuisance violation under Chapter 205 and its assignment of points.