Syracuse, N.Y., Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27 § 27-121

(a) The city may apply to court by initiating a special proceeding, or by motion in a pending action or proceeding for a penalty, for the appointment of a receiver of rents, issues and profits of a property in violation of this Code or any other city law or ordinance or other applicable building or construction code.
(b) The court shall appoint a receiver of a property when there exists on the premises a condition which:
(1) Is a danger to or constitutes a threat to the life, health or safety of the occupants of the building or to the public, or is a fire hazard; or
(2) Is a nuisance or cause of sickness, accident or harm to the occupants or public; or
(3) Causes the premises to be unfit for human habitation.
(c) The receiver shall have the authority as allowed by the court and as essential to carry out the purpose of the receivership including, but not limited to, the right to enter the premises, collect rents, issues and profits, enter into contracts for repairs of the premises, take any action necessary to remove the nuisance, to remove dangerous conditions, to remove all violations of the Syracuse property conservation code and other applicable building codes, and to effect ordinary repairs and maintenance during the term of the receivership, and to operate the premises in a safe and habitable manner. The receiver shall have the authority to incur expenses reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes of the receivership which charges shall be payable out of the rents, issues and profits by current payments on utilities and taxes.
(d) (1) The receiver shall have the authority, where the income of the property is insufficient to promptly remove the condition which led to the creation of the receivership pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, to borrow money, and utilize such funds to effect authorized repairs and to repay such funds from the rents, issues and profits of the premises. The receiver shall have the authority to encumber the premises with a lien or mortgage benefiting the entity which is the source of finds in order to secure repayment of any funds borrowed or advanced to effect the repairs to the premises.
(2) Such lien or mortgage shall be filed in the appropriate place in the office of the clerk of the county of Onondaga and the expense of filing shall be deemed an expense necessary to carry out the receivership.
(e) The receiver shall continue until further order of the court and be discharged upon rendering a full and complete accounting to the court as to the removal of the conditions which led to the receivership, and as to the receiver's actions with regard to the activities authorized under subsections (c) and (d) of this section, and the attendant income, and disbursements. Discharge of the receiver will not affect the right to a lien on the property of any entity which may have advanced funds used for repair. Upon removal of the conditions, the owner or any lienor of the property may apply for the removal of the receiver upon payment to the receiver of all funds expended under the receivership.
(f) Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to relieve the owner of any civil or criminal liability by reason of acts or omissions of the owner, nor shall anything contained herein be construed to suspend during the receivership any obligation of the owner for the payment of taxes or other operating and maintenance expenses of the building nor of the owner or any other person for the payment of mortgages or liens.
(g) The receiver shall be entitled to the same fees, commissions and necessary expenses as receivers in actions to foreclose a mortgage. The receiver shall be liable only in his official capacity for injury to person or property by reason of conditions on the premises in a case where an owner would have been liable; the receiver shall not have any liability in his personal capacity.
(h) If the city seeks a receiver with rights superior to any mortgagee or lien of record the city shall:
(1) Serve administrative notice upon said mortgagee or lienor of record informing same that the property in question is in violation of applicable laws and codes, that the owner has failed to remedy the violations, that the mortgagee or lienor has fifteen (15) days to correct the violations or to request an administrative hearing to review the matter. The notice shall further inform the lienor or mortgagee that the city may bring a legal proceeding for appointment of a receiver of rents, issues and profits with rights superior to the recorded lien or mortgage; and
(2) Serve legal process upon said mortgagee or lienor of the action of proceeding for appointment of a receiver of rents, issues and profits.
(i) At the time of determination of the application for appointment of a receiver, the owner, mortgagee, lienor or any other person having interest in the property may apply to the court to be permitted to remove the conditions and shall: (1) Demonstrate the ability to promptly complete the work required; and (2) post security for the performance of the work as deemed necessary by the court. The court may then, in lieu of appointing such receiver, issue an order permitting such person to perform the work within a time fixed by the court. If the work is not completed in accordance with the court order, the security shall be forfeited, a receiver appointed, and the receiver shall have use of the forfeited security funds to remove the conditions.
(j) Any mortgagee or lienor who at his expense removes the conditions to the satisfaction of the court pursuant to subsection (i) of this section, shall be entitled to a lien against the property equivalent to the lien created by the receiver under this section.
(k) Any mortgagee or lienor who, after removal of the conditions by the receiver, reimburses the receiver for all allowable expenses of the receivership shall be entitled to an assignment of the lien created by the receiver encumbering the premises.
(l) Any lien of the receiver arising under this section shall have priority over all other mortgages, liens and encumbrances of record in the case where notice has been provided to such mortgagee, lienor and encumbrancer as provided by this section. Failure to provide such notice will not affect the validity of the proceeding for the appointment of a receiver, but shall only affect the priority of the receiver's lien.