Syracuse, N.Y., Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27 § 27-120

(a) Criminal penalties. Any person(s) who shall knowingly and willfully violate or assist in the violation of this Code shall be guilty of an offense and upon conviction shall be punishable by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10.00) nor more than one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) or imprisonment for not more than fifteen (15) days, or both, for each offense. Each day after conviction that such violation continues shall constitute a separate offense.
(b) Civil penalty. Imposition of cumulative civil penalty.
(1) A person who violates any requirement of the Code, except those designated serious violations, shall be subject to a cumulative civil penalty of one hundred dollars ($100.00) per day for each separate violation from the date set for correction in the notice of violation until the violation is corrected. A person who violates any requirement of the Code designated as a serious violation shall be subject to a cumulative civil penalty of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per day for each separate serious violation from the date each serious violation commences until the serious violation is corrected. The penalty may be collected by the corporation counsel by action or special proceeding against the owner or other responsible person, or by an action against the property. An action against the owner may be joined with an action against the property.
(2) The notice of violation shall specify the last date when each violation shall be corrected. The division may postpone the last day when a violation shall be corrected upon a showing by the owner or other responsible person that he has begun to correct the violation but that full correction of the violation cannot be completed within the time provided because of technical difficulties, inability to obtain necessary materials or labor, or inability to gain access to the premises wherein the violation occurs.
(3) When an owner or other responsible person has corrected one or more violations, he shall promptly, but not later than two (2) weeks after such correction, report to the division in writing, indicating the date when each violation was corrected. It shall be presumed that the violation was corrected on the date so indicated, unless a subsequent inspection by the division again reveals the existence of the condition giving rise to the earlier notice of violation. Evidence of the condition shall be deemed sufficient to support a finding that the owner or other responsible person failed to correct the violation, unless he explains the existence of the condition to the satisfaction of the court.
(4) When there are a number of separate instances of a single condition that violates any requirement of this Code, such separate instances of such condition shall be treated collectively as a single violation with respect to any one unit, or with respect to the public parts of the building wherein they occur, but nothing contained in this subsection shall limit the number of violations that may be included in any notice of violation, or the number of violations for which a penalty under this section may be collected with respect to each unit or the public parts of a building.
(c) Enforcement of civil penalty; powers of court; collection of judgment.
(1) The corporation counsel may maintain an action or special proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction for the recovery of civil penalties, together with costs and disbursements.
(2) The defendant or respondent in an action or proceeding for civil penalties may show, in mitigation of his liability:
a. That the violation giving rise to the action was caused by the willful act, or gross negligence, neglect or abuse of another; or
b. That he began to correct the violation promptly upon receipt of notice thereof; but that its full correction could not be completed within the time provided because of technical difficulties, inability to obtain necessary materials or labor or inability to gain access to the unit wherein the violation occurs.
(3) If the court finds, upon a showing by the defendant or respondent as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, that sufficient mitigating circumstances exist, it may remit all or part of the accumulated civil penalties arising from the violation with respect to which such a showing was made.
(4) The defendant or respondent in an action or proceeding for civil penalties who has corrected the violation giving rise to the action, and who asserts that such violation was caused by the wilful act, or gross negligence, neglect or abuse of a third party, may request the court to permit consolidation of his action for the reasonable cost of such correction against such third party with the action or proceeding for civil penalties.
(d) Manner of collecting judgment for penalties. When the corporation counsel obtains a judgment in an action or proceeding under this article either against the owner or responsible person, or a property, or both, in addition to the appropriate methods of enforcement for judgments established in the Civil Practice Law and Rules; such judgment for penalties may constitute a lien, be a lien on the subject property and on the rents therefrom, or may be added to the owner's real property taxes, or may be collected in the manner of any other civil judgment, and such penalties when collected shall be deposited in the special account maintained by the city for the repair and demolition of substandard property and any other special accounts relating to code inspection activity to be established by the common council.
(e) Stay of accumulation of per diem penalties during pendency of actions.
(1) In any action or proceeding for penalties under this article, the defendant or respondent may move at any time before the trial of the case for an order to stay the further accumulation of the per diem penalty from the day the action is commenced until the same is finally terminated by judgment or otherwise, including the time necessary for judicial review. The court shall grant the motion if the defendant or respondent shows to the satisfaction of the court that there is a substantial issue of fact or law concerning the existence of the violation charged. The court may impose such conditions on the granting of the motion as justice may require.
(2) Nothing contained in this article shall prevent an owner or other responsible person from contesting the finding of a violation by the division, in advance of the division's action for the collection of penalties, by any means provided by law. In any such action or proceeding, the court may stay the further accumulation of the per diem penalty in the same manner and under the conditions as provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection.