Source: https://www.ecode360.com/8668691
Timestamp: 2018-02-25 23:51:49
Document Index: 367872262

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 114', '§ 78']

Village of Northport, NY Buildings and Structures, Unsafe
§ 114-3 Prohibition.
§ 114-4 Inspections.
§ 114-5 Determination; notice to repair or demolish.
§ 114-6 Service of notice.
§ 114-7 Hearing.
§ 114-8 Noncompliance with order.
§ 114-10 Application to Supreme Court for order.
§ 114-11 Emergency work.
§ 114-12 Assessment of costs.
Chapter 114: Buildings and Structures, Unsafe
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Northport 12-16-1997 by L.L. No. 13-1997 (Ch. 15 of the 1966 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
Chapter 114 : Buildings and Structures, Unsafe
The purpose of this chapter is to promote and preserve the health, safety and welfare of the public and residents and/or owners of property located within this village by providing a method for the removal or repair of buildings and structures that, from any cause, may now be or shall hereafter become dangerous or unsafe to the public and residents and/or owners of property with the village.
The Board of Trustees finds that such dangerous and unsafe conditions of buildings and structures are a detriment to adjoining buildings, properties and neighborhoods, constituting a nuisance and a threat to the physical well-being of the residents of the Village of Northport, especially for children. Such conditions interfere with the promotion of good order, peace, health, safety and welfare of the residents of the village and invite vandalism and necessitate additional police protection for the security of said property, property owners and other residents of the Village of Northport.
Unsafe buildings and structures serve as an attractive nuisance for young children who may be injured therein, may be a point of congregation by vagrants and transients, may attract rodents or insects and may also attract illegal drug activity. The powers conferred upon the village by this chapter shall be in addition to all other powers conferred upon the village in relation to the same subject by state law.
A combination of materials to form a construction that is designed for or used as a residence, place of business, storage place or public place. The word "building" shall be construed as if followed by the words "or parts thereof" and shall include the term "structure."
The Code Compliance Director of the village or such other person appointed by the Board of Trustees to enforce the provisions of this chapter.
A combination of materials to form a construction, including but not limited to docks, excavations, bulkheads, platforms, ramps, culverts, drains, sidewalks and private streets.
Includes all buildings and structures which have any or all of the following defects:
Those which have been damaged by fire, wind or other causes so as to have become dangerous to life, safety or the general health and welfare of the occupants or the people of this village; or which, having sustained damage to the exterior by such casualty, shall not have had such damage repaired within six months of the date of the casualty or such longer period, not to exceed 12 months from the date of casualty, as may be determined by the Board of Trustees for good cause shown after hearing pursuant to § 114-6 hereof.
Those having light, air and sanitation facilities which are inadequate to protect the health, safety or general welfare of human beings who live or may live therein, with particular reference to the requirements of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code as a determinant.[1]
Those which, because of their condition are unsafe, unsanitary or dangerous to the health, safety or general welfare of the people of this village.
No person, firm, corporation or association owning, possessing or controlling a building in this village shall permit, suffer or allow said building now or hereafter to be or become unsafe to the public and/or residents from any cause whatsoever.
The Code Compliance Director shall make inspections of all unsafe buildings within the village and report to the Board of Trustees all unsafe buildings which from time to time may be found within the limits of the village.
The Board of Trustees shall consider the report of the Code Compliance Director and, if, in its opinion, the report so warrants, shall determine that the building is unsafe and order its demolition or repair, if the same can be safely repaired, and further order that a notice shall be given to the owner as follows.
A date, time and place for a hearing before the Board of Trustees in relation to such unsafe building, which hearing shall be scheduled not less than five business days from the day of service of the notice.
A statement that in the event of neglect or refusal to comply with the order to repair or demolish the building, the Board of Trustees is authorized to provide for its repair or demolition, to assess all expenses thereof against the land on which it is located and to institute a special proceeding to collect the costs of demolition, including legal expenses.
By personal service of a copy thereof upon the owner or some one of the owners, executors, legal representative, agents, lessees or any other person having a vested or contingent interest in the premises as shown by the last-preceding completed assessment roll of the village or of the County Clerk, such service to be complete and the thirty-day time period recited in said notice to commence upon service; or
By mailing a copy of said notice to such owner as aforesaid by registered mail return receipt requested, addressed to the last known address of the owner and by affixing a copy of said notice to the premises, such service to be complete and the thirty-day time period recited in said notice to commence 10 days after the filing of the return receipt.
A copy of the notice shall also be filed in the office of the County Clerk of the county within which such building is located, which notice shall be filed by such Clerk in the same manner as a notice of pendency pursuant to Article 65 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules and shall have the same effect as a notice of pendency as therein provided, except as otherwise hereinafter provided. A notice so filed shall be effective for a period of one year from the date of filing; provided, however, that it may be vacated upon the order of a judge or upon the consent of the Village Attorney.
The hearing shall be conducted before the Board of Trustees. The Code Compliance Director shall present his or her report to the Board of Trustees in writing. The owner or his or her representative, if present, shall call such witnesses as he or she deems necessary. The Board of Trustees shall make written findings of fact from the testimony offered as to whether or not the building in question is an unsafe building.
If such owner shall neglect, fail or refuse to comply and shall fail to appear at said hearing, then the Board of Trustees shall direct the repair or demolition of the building forthwith.
If such owner shall neglect, fail or refuse to comply and, after appearing at said hearing, the Board of Trustees finds that the building is a public nuisance and directs its repair or demolition, the owner shall repair or demolish said building within the time prescribed by the Board of Trustees.
If the owner fails or neglects to repair or demolish said building as directed by the Board of Trustees following the hearing, then the Board of Trustees shall direct the repair or demolition of the same forthwith.
In the event of neglect or refusal of the persons so notified to comply with said order of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Trustees shall provide for the demolition and removal of such building either by village employees or by contract. Except in an emergency, any contract in excess of $20,000 shall be awarded by competitive bidding.
Any owner, occupant or person in custody of real property located within the village who allows, suffers or permits a building to continue as an unsafe building after due notice as provided in § 114-5 above shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter and shall be liable for a fine not to exceed $250, imprisonment for a term not to exceed 15 days, or both such fine and imprisonment, for each violation. Each week such violation shall continue shall constitute a separate violation (without additional notice).
In addition to the remedies provided by this chapter, the Board of Trustees may request the Village Attorney to make an application to the Supreme Court for an order determining the building to be a public nuisance and directing that it shall be repaired and secured or demolished.
Where there shall be, in the opinion of the Code Compliance Director, or in an exigent circumstance of a building damaged by fire, explosion, act of public enemy or other accidental cause in the opinion of the highest ranking Fire Department official at the scene of such event in the absence of the Code Compliance Director, actual and immediate danger of the falling of a building so as to endanger public safety, life or property or actual or immediate menace to health or public welfare as a result of the conditions present in or about a building, he or she shall cause the necessary work to be done to render such a building temporarily safe, whether the procedure prescribed in this chapter for unsafe buildings has been instituted or not. When such initial opinion is provided by a Fire Department official, the Code Compliance Director shall be responsible to inspect the building within 24 hours of the occurrence of such event to determine that the necessary work is properly proceeding.
[Amended 9-5-2000 by L.L. No. 18-2000]
When emergency work is to be performed under this section, the Code Compliance Director shall cause the owner thereof to be served personally or by registered mail, return receipt requested, and, if served by registered mail, shall post on the premises a notice to comply containing a description of the premises, a statement of the facts in which the building is unsafe or dangerous and orders and directions to correct the conditions which constitute an emergency within a specified period not to exceed three days from actual or constructive receipt of the notice.
All costs and expenses incurred by the village in connection with the administratively and/or judicially substantiated proceedings to remove or secure, including the cost of actually removing said building, shall be assessed against the land on which said building is located.
The village may commence a special proceeding pursuant to § 78-b of the General Municipal Law to collect the costs of demolition, including reasonable and necessary legal expenses.