Oyster Bay, NY, bans use of plywood for boarding vacant property, requires clear boarding

Oyster Bay, NY: The Town Board approved a ban on plywood boarding for residential vacant property, and a $25,000 deposit when a foreclosure action begins, in an effort to reduce the negative effects from blighted, “zombie,” homes.

The use of plywood for boarding and securing purposes has been banned, going forward, and requires the use of “clear, impact-resistant polycarbonate sheeting of a thickness in excess of 3/16”, except as otherwise directed by the Commissioner.”

Property owners of residential vacant properties will be sent notification regarding any violations due to use of plywood, and will be required to change the boarding to adhere to the revised code; with a timeline for needed completion.

Per the new legislation, Section 96-23, any “person, business, organization, bank or lender who commences a foreclosure action against a residential property … that has become vacant” has 45 days to provide to the city a $25,000 deposit, to potentially cover costs incurred by the Town to secure and maintain the property to code. Non-residential structures will be under similar requirements, but with a $35,000 deposit.

When the foreclosure action is discontinued, the entity that had supplied the $25,000 has 90 days from the point of discontinuation to issue a written request for any remaining funds to be returned to that entity. When any funds are used from the deposits, the entity will be notified and has 15 days to refill the amount back to full.

The changes and amendments were approved Jan. 2, 2018, and became effective as law upon the adoption.

Ascent combines focused research and centralized operations oversight to create innovative outsourced solutions for code enforcement violations, vacant property registration ordinances, property preservation, and other vendor management needs from across the United States.