Syracuse, N.Y., Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27 § 27-116

(a) Purpose. In the city of Syracuse there are vacant structures which do not possess the protective measures normally provided by legal occupants, making such structures subject to unlawful entry, vandalism and fires. Therefore, these vacant structures present a potential health and safety hazard to the general public, immediate neighbors and residents and public employees performing municipal duties and services in the area or at the site of the vacant structure.
(b) Owner's duties.
(1) Vacant buildings. It shall be the duty of every owner or person responsible for a property which has a vacant building thereon:
a. To maintain the building in a safe and sanitary condition and in compliance with this Code.
b. To secure the building to prevent unauthorized entry.
c. To maintain the yard free of trash, debris, high grass and overgrown weeds.
(2) Vacant lots. It shall be the duty of every owner or person responsible for a vacant lot to maintain the lot in a safe and sanitary condition and in compliance with this Code. It shall also be the duty of every owner or person responsible for a vacant lot to maintain the lot free of trash, debris, high grass and overgrown weeds.
(c) Maintenance and securing of vacant building and clearing of vacant lots.
(1) Notification of owners. If the director determines that a vacant building or a lot is in violation of this Code, he shall notify the owner or person responsible therefor of that determination and order the owner or responsible person to maintain and secure the building or maintain or clear the lot. Notice shall be sufficient if said notice is posted on the property affected and a copy sent to the owner or person responsible therefor by mail addressed to the owner's last address known to the division.
(2) Discharge of owner's duties by city.
a. If the owner or person responsible therefor fails to comply with the notice within five (5) days after the notice is sent, the director may have the owner's duties discharged by city employees or contractors. It shall be the personal obligation of the owner to reimburse the city for its expenses incurred in discharging said owner's duties.
b. If the owner has previously disregarded the order of the director and thereafter the property again is in violation of this section the director may again discharge the owner's duties, at the owner's expense, without notice to the owner.
(3) The director may utilize any other remedies available to him to obtain compliance with his order.
(d) Demolition. Whenever the director shall determine that a building or structure constitutes an unoccupied hazard or is unfit for human habitation or dangerous to human life or detrimental to health, and after having determined that the building or structure or part of said building or structure should be demolished, he shall cause to be issued a notice and order which would require demolition of same addressed to the property owner in a manner pursuant to section 27-114 .
(1) If the owner fails to comply with such order of demolition within the time provided for compliance in said order the corporation counsel may upon notice to the property owner, mortgagees, tenants and lienors, present said order to demolish and the records and papers of all prior proceedings upon which said order is based before a justice holding a special term of the supreme court for the county of Onondaga for review of said determination and confirmation thereof at which time the court may either annul or confirm wholly or in part or modify the determination reviewed.
(2) If the owner falls to comply with such order of demolition within the time provided for compliance in said order and the director has determined that the condition of the structure constitutes an imminent danger which, in his opinion, requires immediate action to abate a hazard or to eliminate the imminent danger or menace to the public health, safety and welfare, then in such case he may exercise his emergency powers to cause said building to be immediately demolished.
(e) Vacant property registry.
(1) Registration.
a. Effective July 1, 2013, the owner of any vacant building in the city of Syracuse, whether residential or commercial or of some other nature, which has one or more exterior code violations shall be required to apply for and obtain a vacant property registry certificate from the division of code enforcement. A vacant property registry certificate shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance, and must be renewed annually for as long as the building remains vacant.
b. The vacant property registry certificate application forms shall be provided by the division of code enforcement and shall request information relevant to the property being registered, including but not limited to, the following:
1. The address of the vacant building;
2. The name, address, and telephone number of the owner(s) of the building;
3. A photocopy of the owner(s) government issued photo identification;
4. The names and addresses of all known lienholders and all other parties with an ownership interest in the building;
5. For owners who reside outside of Onondaga, Madison, Cayuga, Oswego or Cortland County, the name, address and telephone number of the individual responsible for the property in Onondaga County;
6. If the owner is a corporation, general or limited partnership, or a limited liability company, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of all officers, partners and/or members; and
7. A vacant building plan in accordance with subsection (3) below.
c. Addresses on the application must be physical addresses, no post office box addresses will be accepted.
d. A separate vacant property registry application shall be submitted along with the applicable fee for each vacant building the owner needs to register. Any application containing information for more than one property shall not be accepted by the division of code enforcement.
e. Application forms should be submitted to the division of code enforcement with the applicable fee as laid out below. Failure to remit the fee will result in the application being returned to the owner as incomplete.
f. The vacant property registration certificate shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance and must be renewed annually as long as the property remains vacant. Each certificate shall contain the expiration date to insure owners are aware of when they need to renew.
g. The Vacant Property Registry Certificate is non-transferable.
h. Upon transfer of a vacant building the new owner, shall be required to apply for a vacant property registry certificate within ninety (90) days of transferring title, if the property owner's intent is for the property to remain vacant.
i. Incomplete registration forms will not be accepted and shall be returned to the owner. If thereafter a complete registration form is not submitted it will result in the owner being cited for lack of compliance and prosecution under Section 27-120 of the Property Conservation Code.
(2) Fees for a Vacant Property Registry Certificate.
a. The annual fees for a vacant property registry certificate for each vacant building regulated by this section shall be in accordance with the fee schedule in the chart below. This fee shall be payable by check or money order to the commissioner of finance and is due at the time of filing of the annual vacant property registry certificate application.
b. Failure to pay the annual fee will result in the owner being in violation of this section of the Property Conservation Code of the city of Syracuse and thereby subject to fines and penalties and prosecution under Section 27-120 of the Syracuse Property Conservation Code.
Property Type | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Each Subsequent Year
Plan A or C below | $100 | If no extension is granted, then the maximum fee for the relevant property type will be charged each subsequent year.
1--3 unit residential | $250 | $500 | $750 | $1,000
4--6 unit residential | $500 | $1,000 | $1,500 | $2,000
7+ unit residential | $250/unit | $500/unit | $750/unit | $1,000/unit
Commercial (whichever is greater) | $1,000 or $.05/sq. ft. | $2,000 or $.10/sq. ft. | $3,000 or $.15/sq. ft. | $4,000 or $.20/sq. ft.*
* = gross square footage c.
The above fee schedule chart shall not apply to the following:
1. All non-profit entities that own ten (10) or more properties which require registration under this section; and/or
2. All entities that are subject to the New York State Public Authorities Law that own ten (10) or more properties which require registration under this section.
d. Non-profit entities that own ten (10) or more properties which require a vacant registry and/or all entities that are subject to the New York State Public Authorities Law that own ten (10) or more properties which require registration under this section shall each pay a flat fee of $1,000.00 per year to register all properties pursuant to this section.
e. Failure to pay the flat fee will result in the owner being in violation of this section of the Property Conservation Code of the city of Syracuse and thereby subject to fines and penalties and prosecution under Section 27-120 of the Syracuse Property Conservation Code.
(3) Vacant building plan. Included with their vacant property registry certificate application, the owner must submit a vacant building plan to the division of code enforcement for approval. In order for a vacant property registry certificate to be issued the director or the individuals designated by the commissioner must first approve the owner's vacant building plan. Acceptable plans must contain at a minimum, the elements of at least one of the plans outlined below:
PLAN A: Rehabilitate and Reoccupy
If the building is to be returned to an appropriate occupancy or use, a rehabilitation plan for the property must be submitted. The rehabilitation plan shall not exceed three hundred sixty-five (365) days, unless the director or the individuals designated by the commissioner grants an extension upon receipt of a written statement from the owner, detailing the reasons for the extension. Any repairs, improvements, or alterations to the property must comply with applicable zoning (including historic preservation) and building codes. The property must be secured in accordance with the maintenance standards below during the period of rehabilitation. If no building permit has been applied for within the one-year period, the owner will be notified of their noncompliance. The owner will be required to file an extension with a revised rehabilitation plan and reasons for non-compliance. If this is not satisfied, the owner may be prosecuted under Section 27-120 of the Syracuse Property Conservation Code.
Applicants who select Plan A will pay a lesser fee in year 1 (see registration fee schedule in subsection (2) above), but will be required to pay the maximum fee for their property type if they are found to be in non-compliance for lack of progress on the rehabilitation plan.
All properties being rehabilitated under Plan A must be secured by normal means or in accordance with board up standards set forth in article 7, section 27-73 of this chapter.
PLAN B: Stabilize and Maintain
If the building is to remain vacant, a plan for securing the building in accordance with the maintenance standards below must be submitted. This must include the procedure that will be used to monitor and maintain the building in accordance with these standards, and a statement of the reasons why the building is to remain vacant.
All properties being stabilized and maintained under Plan B must be secured by normal means or in accordance with the board-up standards set forth in article 7, section 27-73 of this chapter.
PLAN C: Demolish
If the building is to be demolished, a demolition plan indicating the proposed time frame for demolition, including timeline to obtain the necessary permits.
If no demolition permit has been applied for within the one-year period, the owner will be notified of their noncompliance. The director or the individuals designated by the director have discretion to grant an extension, upon receipt of a written statement from the owner, detailing the reasons for the extension, if extenuating circumstances have prevented the demolition of the property or if the plan for the property has changed for reasons deemed legitimate by the enforcement officer. If no extension is granted, the property owner will be required to pay the maximum fee for their property type in all subsequent years and the owner may be prosecuted under Section 27-120 of the Syracuse Property Conservation Code.
Applicants who select Plan C will pay a lesser fee in Year One, as shown in the registration fee schedule outlined in subsection (2) above, but will be required to pay the maximum fee for their property type if they are found to be in non-compliance for lack of progress on the rehabilitation plan.
All properties being demolished under Plan C, prior to demolition, must be secured as defined in section 27-10 of this chapter or boarded in accordance with the board-up standards set forth in section 27-73 of this chapter.
(4) Conversion to rental registry. Should the owner of a vacant building that is registered pursuant to this section convert the vacant building to a non-owner occupied dwelling, the owner shall notify the division of code enforcement immediately of the occupancy and the director or individuals designated by the director shall convert the vacant property registry certificate to a rental registry certificate. No additional fees shall be required from the owner at the time of the conversion. However, after the conversion and issuance of the rental registry certificate, the owner of the now converted vacant building will be required to comply with all the provisions of article 9 of this chapter, including obtaining a rental registry certificate every two (2) years from the date of issuance of the rental registry certificate and paying all applicable rental registry fees.
(5) Failure to apply for a vacant property registry certificate. Failure to comply with this section shall be a violation of the Property Conservation Code of the city of Syracuse and subject to the fines, penalties and prosecution outlined in Section 27-120 of the Syracuse Property Conservation Code.