Jefferson County legislators introduce local law to allow county to secure or demolish unsafe structures

Jefferson County legislators introduced Local Law No. 5 of 2025 during their July meeting, a proposal that would give the county authority, after prescribed notice and any required hearing, to secure or demolish buildings and other structures judged unsafe and to recover the costs from the property.

Jason Crump, director of code enforcement for Jefferson County, told the Board the county currently enforces the New York State uniform building code by responding to written complaints, inspecting properties and seeking voluntary compliance or court orders when that fails. "Right now, we act on written complaints. If we receive the complaint, we'll go out. We'll do an inspection," Crump said, describing the standard enforcement steps that typically lead to voluntary repairs.

Crump said the existing process can fail when properties are vacant and owners cannot be located or when owners lack the financial ability to make required repairs. Under the proposed local law, the county would be authorized to physically secure or demolish a structure that poses a public-safety risk. The Board of Legislators would retain final decision-making authority, and the county would provide a public hearing for any available property owner to appeal before action is taken. Costs for county actions could be levied against the land or collected through court proceedings, Crump said.

Crump gave local examples of structures that posed public-safety risks, including a collapsed roof on a commercial building that left debris near a Main Street sidewalk and a separate building with loose brickwork that had fallen onto the street. He emphasized the measure was intended as "a last resort" after attempts at voluntary compliance and legal enforcement, not a first option.

County legislators moved the local law forward in committee. Legislator Michael McBride moved the introduction of Local Law No. 5 of 2025; Legislator Reed seconded the motion, which carried. The Board also voted to set a time and place for a public hearing on the local law; the specific hearing date and time were not specified during the recorded proceedings.

Crump said the proposal includes provisions to allow municipalities in Jefferson County that are not served by the county code office to enter agreements with the county to request its assistance on unsafe structures. He noted similar authority exists in other jurisdictions: "This isn't new," he said, noting Lewis County adopted comparable legislation in 2007.

Next steps: the Board will hold the public hearing required for adoption of the local law and may later schedule further committee review or amendments. If adopted, the county would use the law as an additional enforcement tool in cases where existing complaint-driven inspections and prosecutorial steps have not produced timely remediation.