Property Maintenance in New York (2026)
78 rules on the books across New York, 33 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Property Blight
Standards for property appearance including peeling paint, broken windows, junk accumulation, and other conditions the city considers blight.
Islip
Heavy RestrictionsWhen a residential structure in Islip is deemed unsafe under the New York State Property Maintenance and Fire Codes, a…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Heavy RestrictionsSyracuse's director of code enforcement can label a building "unfit premises" under Revised General Ordinances § 27-115…
Read full rule →Albany
Significant RestrictionsAlbany's Bureau of Code Enforcement can designate a decayed, unsafe, or overcrowded building unfit for habitation…
Read full rule →Amherst
Significant RestrictionsOutside the Village of Williamsville, Amherst's Building Commissioner inspects any structure that is severely…
Read full rule →Brookhaven
Significant RestrictionsBrookhaven designates a property blighted once it racks up 100 points on a checklist running from broken windows to…
Read full rule →Clarkstown
Significant RestrictionsClarkstown's unsafe-buildings chapter lets the Building Inspector investigate dangerous, fire-damaged, or…
Read full rule →Colonie
Significant RestrictionsWhen a Colonie building is dangerous, unsafe, or an attractive nuisance to trespassers, § 62-29 requires the Building…
Read full rule →Glen Cove
Significant RestrictionsGlen Cove treats any building meeting the defects listed in City Code Section 112-2, from major structural damage to…
Read full rule →Greece
Significant RestrictionsGreece's Unsafe Buildings and Collapsed Structures Law (Ch. 75) lets the Town Board order a dangerous or dilapidated…
Read full rule →Greenburgh
Significant RestrictionsWhen Greenburgh's Building Inspector finds a building or structure dangerous or unsafe, Chapter 340, Demolition, gives…
Read full rule →Hempstead
Significant RestrictionsHempstead declares any structurally unsafe, unsanitary, fire-hazardous or otherwise dangerous building illegal under §…
Read full rule →Huntington
Significant RestrictionsHuntington scores properties on a point system to designate them as officially 'Blighted' under Chapter 156, Article…
Read full rule →Monroe County
Significant RestrictionsMonroe County's Health Director can order owners to repair or vacate any building found insanitary or unfit for human…
Read full rule →Mount Vernon
Significant RestrictionsMount Vernon's Commissioner of Buildings can order repair, vacation or demolition of any building that leans, is…
Read full rule →New York
Significant RestrictionsNew York City's Department of Buildings can declare any structurally compromised, fire-hazardous, or dangerous building…
Read full rule →North Hempstead
Significant RestrictionsOwners of a vacant, blighted or otherwise unsafe building in North Hempstead must register it with the Building…
Read full rule →Oneida
Significant RestrictionsThe City of Oneida, Madison County, New York can declare an unsafe, dangerous, or unsightly building a public nuisance…
Read full rule →Orange County
Significant RestrictionsOrange County's Commissioner of Health can declare a dilapidated, unsanitary or vermin-infested dwelling unfit for…
Read full rule →Oyster Bay
Significant RestrictionsOyster Bay's Commissioner of Planning and Development can order a dangerous, vacant or abandoned building sealed…
Read full rule →Ramapo
Significant RestrictionsWhen Ramapo's Building Inspector finds a structure unsafe or dangerous, he must have it examined by a licensed…
Read full rule →Rochester
Significant RestrictionsRochester's Municipal Code declares any building, structure or vacant area that violates the Property Conservation…
Read full rule →Rockland County
Significant RestrictionsInside the Village of Spring Valley, Code § 23-10 declares any building with structural failure, fire damage, or unsafe…
Read full rule →Schenectady
Significant RestrictionsSchenectady's Building Inspector can declare a structurally unsafe, dilapidated, or dangerous building illegal and…
Read full rule →Smithtown
Significant RestrictionsSmithtown declares any structurally unsafe, unsanitary, fire-hazardous or dilapidated building unlawful and requires…
Read full rule →Ulster County
Significant RestrictionsUlster County can condemn, order repaired, or demolish any building or structure found unsafe or unfit for human…
Read full rule →Westchester County
Significant RestrictionsWestchester County's Health Department can order the abatement, suppression or removal of any property condition it…
Read full rule →Yonkers
Significant RestrictionsYonkers can force the owner of a structurally unstable, fire-damaged or otherwise dangerous building to repair, remove…
Read full rule →Babylon
Some RestrictionsOwners of business, industrial, multiple-residence and senior-residence properties in the Town of Babylon must keep…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Some RestrictionsWhen a property owner repeatedly fails to comply with Buffalo's building and property maintenance codes, the…
Read full rule →Cheektowaga
Some RestrictionsCheektowaga's Unsafe Buildings Law lets the Town order the repair or demolition of any building that's structurally…
Read full rule →New Rochelle
Some RestrictionsNew Rochelle orders owners to repair or remove any building that endangers public health, safety or welfare, including…
Read full rule →Saratoga County
Some RestrictionsWhen a town, village or city in Saratoga County demolishes or remediates a dangerous building, the County can front the…
Read full rule →Vacant Lot Maintenance
Requirements for maintaining vacant or undeveloped land, including mowing, fencing, and preventing dumping and trespassing.
Hempstead
Significant RestrictionsHempstead bars anyone in possession of vacant, unimproved land from letting weeds or brush exceed 8 inches, letting…
Read full rule →Islip
Significant RestrictionsAny mortgagee holding a defaulted mortgage on Islip real estate must register the property with the Town within 10 days…
Read full rule →Saratoga Springs
Significant RestrictionsSaratoga Springs requires the owner of every vacant building to register it with the Office of Code Administration…
Read full rule →Albany
Some RestrictionsAlbany requires every vacant lot in the city to stay clean and free of litter, debris and hazards, with ground cover…
Read full rule →Amherst
Some RestrictionsAmherst requires vacant land and vacant structures to be kept in a clean, safe, secure, and sanitary condition so they…
Read full rule →Babylon
Some RestrictionsUndeveloped parcels in the Town of Babylon can't grow weeds, brush or grass past two feet: a looser cap than the…
Read full rule →Brookhaven
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven's Property Maintenance chapter requires yards, courts, play areas and vacant lots to be kept clean and…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Some RestrictionsBuffalo requires every yard, court, and vacant lot in the City, whether privately owned or built on, to stay clean and…
Read full rule →Cheektowaga
Some RestrictionsCheektowaga requires yards, courts and vacant lots to be kept clean and free of hazards, enforced the same way as every…
Read full rule →Colonie
Some RestrictionsTown of Colonie Code § 62-45 applies to every parcel in Town, occupied or vacant, and requires all land be kept free of…
Read full rule →Glen Cove
Some RestrictionsGlen Cove bans weeds, grass or rank vegetation over 12 inches average height on any occupied or unoccupied lot under…
Read full rule →Greece
Some RestrictionsOwners of vacant and undeveloped lots in the Town of Greece must clear combustible waste, refuse and heavy undergrowth…
Read full rule →Mount Vernon
Some RestrictionsMount Vernon's Commissioner of Public Works can enter any property, public or private, to remove accumulated rubbish…
Read full rule →New Rochelle
Some RestrictionsNew Rochelle requires owners of vacant lots in commercial or mixed-use districts to install a wrought-iron fence and…
Read full rule →New York
Some RestrictionsNew York City law requires every owner of a vacant lot to keep it and the abutting sidewalk free of garbage, refuse…
Read full rule →North Hempstead
Some RestrictionsTown Code § 28-22A(4) requires yards, courts, and vacant lots to be kept clean and free of physical hazards, rodent…
Read full rule →Oneida
Some RestrictionsThe City of Oneida, Madison County, New York bars any lot owner, agent or occupant from letting garbage, rubbish, waste…
Read full rule →Oyster Bay
Some RestrictionsEvery parcel in the unincorporated Town, vacant or built on, must be kept under Chapter 135's eight-inch cap on lawns…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsRochester requires every vacant lot owner to keep the lot in a safe and sanitary condition and free of refuse, high…
Read full rule →Schenectady
Some RestrictionsOwners of occupied or unoccupied lots in Schenectady cannot let weeds, grass, or noxious growth stand over one foot…
Read full rule →Smithtown
Some RestrictionsSmithtown's Property Maintenance Ordinance makes every owner, tenant or occupier responsible for cutting, trimming or…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Some RestrictionsSyracuse requires every yard, court and vacant lot to be kept free of hazards, illegally stored trash, debris and…
Read full rule →Yonkers
Some RestrictionsEvery owner, lessee or contractor in control of a vacant lot in Yonkers must keep it clean, free of standing water and…
Read full rule →Snow & Sidewalk Clearing
Your responsibility to clear snow and ice from sidewalks next to your property, including deadlines after a snowfall and penalties for not clearing.
Albany
Some RestrictionsAlbany property owners and occupants must clear snow and ice from sidewalks within 24 hours after a snowfall ends, or…
Read full rule →Babylon
Some RestrictionsProperty owners and tenants in the Town of Babylon must clear sidewalks of snow and ice within four hours after…
Read full rule →Brookhaven
Some RestrictionsBrookhaven Code Section 38-9 puts the job of clearing adjacent sidewalks on the property owner, tenant or occupant…
Read full rule →Buffalo
Some RestrictionsEvery Buffalo property owner or occupant must clear snow and ice off the sidewalk fronting their premises before 9:00…
Read full rule →Cheektowaga
Some RestrictionsCheektowaga makes property owners and occupants jointly responsible for clearing snow, ice and debris from the sidewalk…
Read full rule →Clarkstown
Some RestrictionsClarkstown property owners must clear snow and ice from their abutting sidewalk within 36 hours of it falling or…
Read full rule →Glen Cove
Some RestrictionsGlen Cove property owners and occupants must clear snow, ice, dirt and debris from the sidewalks, gutters and drains…
Read full rule →Greenburgh
Some RestrictionsGreenburgh landowners and occupants must clear snow, ice, dirt or other obstructions from their abutting sidewalk…
Read full rule →Hempstead
Some RestrictionsEvery homeowner, occupant and business in unincorporated Hempstead must keep the sidewalk in front of the property free…
Read full rule →Huntington
Some RestrictionsHuntington property owners must clear snow and ice from the sidewalk fronting their land within 24 hours for…
Read full rule →Islip
Some RestrictionsTown Code § 47A-17 requires every Islip property owner or occupant to keep the sidewalk in front of the lot free of…
Read full rule →Mount Vernon
Some RestrictionsMount Vernon gives property owners and lessees just 12 hours after snow stops falling, or ice forms, to clear the…
Read full rule →New Rochelle
Some RestrictionsNew Rochelle property owners must clear new ice and freshly fallen snow from abutting sidewalks before 12:00 noon each…
Read full rule →New York
Some RestrictionsNYC property owners must clear snow and ice from abutting sidewalks within 4 daytime hours after snow stops falling, or…
Read full rule →North Hempstead
Some RestrictionsNorth Hempstead property owners, tenants and occupants must clear snow, ice, dirt or debris from the sidewalk fronting…
Read full rule →Oyster Bay
Some RestrictionsProperty owners in the Town of Oyster Bay must clear snow and ice from their abutting sidewalk within six hours after…
Read full rule →Ramapo
Some RestrictionsOwners and occupants of property next to a Ramapo sidewalk have 12 hours to clear snow, ice, dirt or other obstruction…
Read full rule →Rochester
Some RestrictionsIn Rochester, the owner of a building or lot must clear snow and ice from adjoining sidewalks by 9:00 a.m. when snow…
Read full rule →Saratoga Springs
Some RestrictionsSaratoga Springs requires the owner, occupant, or person in charge of any lot to clear snow and ice from the abutting…
Read full rule →Schenectady
Some RestrictionsSchenectady gives every property owner 24 hours after snow, sleet or freezing rain stops to clear the abutting sidewalk…
Read full rule →Smithtown
Some RestrictionsSmithtown's Property Maintenance Ordinance requires every property owner to keep steps, walks, driveways and parking…
Read full rule →Syracuse
Some RestrictionsSyracuse requires the owner, agent, or occupant fronting any park, street, or alley to clear the abutting sidewalk of…
Read full rule →Yonkers
Some RestrictionsYonkers owners must clear snow and ice from the sidewalk in front of their property, and from a three-foot ring around…
Read full rule →