Wellsville Code Enforcement Officer talks about property maintenance regulations

During the past week, I have posted some Village of Wellsville local laws. This was done to help local residents remain aware of obligations, so they aren't caught off guard. It has generated a discussion, which I had hoped for. Today, I received information from Village of Wellsville Code Enforcement Officer Jo Fenske:

Now that it is spring and more folks are out and about I am seeing an increased number of complaints relating to properties in need of maintenance. Unmown grass is always a frequent complaint. The weather doesn’t always allow for people to mow as often as they should but if they are making an effort to do so it goes along way with the neighbors.  Grass and weeds are covered under the Property Maintenance Code Section 302.4 and limits it to no more than 10”. This is a pretty liberal allowance in my opinion.

Over the winter, people tend not to notice accumulations of rubbish, garbage and misc. materials that have built up on neighboring properties. Once the snow is gone and these accumulations become visible, I get lots of complaints. This is certainly the case at the moment. We see car parts, used building materials, household furniture, appliances, and other rubbish placed in yards and on porches throughout the Village. This situation is also prohibited by the NYS Property Maintenance Code (Sections 302 & 308 specifically). Upholstered furniture, meant for interior use, provides a great habitat for rodents and other pests when placed outside. We all know about our feral cat population and we don’t need to provide them with an unending food supply, however inadvertently by providing rodent harborage.

In-operable motor vehicles also are a source of frequent complaints and this too is addressed in the NYS Property Maintenance Code, Section 302.8. An inoperable motor vehicle is defined in the code as a vehicle which cannot be driven upon the public streets for reasons including but not limited to being unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, or incapable of  being moved under its own power. If you have such vehicles they must be stored in an enclosed structure.  I should point out that the Property Maintenance rules mentioned above are NYS rules and they apply across the state. They are not rules that the Village came up with nor do they apply only in the Village of Wellsville. The Village of Wellsville, just like any other municipality, is charged with the enforcement of these state laws.