Oyster Bay, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 135 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 135-54
Compliance with notice; assessment of costs
Operative Text
A. The person served with a notice of violation shall be permitted five days from such service to eliminate the accumulation of garbage, litter, refuse, rubbish or rubble and/or excessive height of lawns, weeds, grass, brush or vegetation of any kind. B. Action upon noncompliance. Upon the failure, neglect or refusal of any owner or agent so notified to properly cure the violation, within five days after issuance of written notice provided for in § 135-53 above, the Commissioner, or his/her designee, may direct the Department of Public Works, the Sanitation Department and/or the Department of Parks to remove and dispose of such garbage, litter, refuse, rubbish or rubble and/or to cut the lawn, weeds, grass, brush or vegetation to a height in compliance with § 135-52 . C. The Town shall be reimbursed for the cost of the work performed or the services rendered, as hereinabove provided, by assessment against the collection from the lots or parcels of land where such work was performed or services rendered for so much of the actual and complete cost as incurred upon and from each lot or lots, in the manner provided for the assessment of the cost of public improvements by Article 4, § 64, of the Town Law of the State of New York, as amended.
Under Oyster Bay Code § 135-54, when a property owner or agent receives a notice of violation for accumulated garbage, litter, refuse, rubbish, rubble, or overgrown vegetation, they have five days to correct the problem. If the violation is not cured within that window, the Town may direct its own departments—Public Works, Sanitation, and/or Parks—to perform the cleanup or cutting work themselves. The Town then recovers the full cost of that work by assessing it against the property where the work was done, following the assessment procedures set out in New York Town Law Article 4, § 64.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers in Oyster Bay should treat a notice of violation issued under § 135-54 as a firm five-day deadline to remove accumulated garbage, litter, refuse, rubbish, rubble, or to cut overgrown lawns, weeds, or vegetation to a compliant height. Compliant operators typically document the corrective work with dated photographs and retain records showing the violation was resolved before the deadline expires. If the Town performs the work instead, the full cost is assessed directly against the property, which can affect title and resale, so timely compliance is the standard practice.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 135-54, tenants who observe unaddressed garbage accumulation or severely overgrown vegetation on their rental property may note that the Town of Oyster Bay has authority to issue notices of violation and, if the owner fails to comply within five days, to perform the cleanup itself at the owner's expense. Tenants can contact the Town to report conditions and inquire about the status of any outstanding notices. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with local housing codes can help explain how this provision interacts with habitability standards and what options may be available when a landlord fails to maintain the property.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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