Buffalo, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 242 § 242-12
Inspection enforcement (Buffalo Housing Standards Ordinance)
Operative Text
A. Every property owner shall pay a fee of $75, to be assessed against the property, for each inspection after the second inspection in which violations of a state or local building code are found, unless such fee is waived by the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication. Inspectors shall assess the fee, after consultation with the Chief Building Inspector or the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services, when, in the evaluation of the inspector, the status of the violation has not progressed or been satisfactorily completed. The fee shall not be applicable to inspections ordered after the commencement of a court action. B. Each request for a waiver must be in writing to the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, setting forth in detail the circumstances justifying the waiver, and shall be limited to one inspection. The waiver request must include the name of the property owner, the address of the property assessed the fee and the address of the owner of the property, if different from the subject property. Nothing in this section shall limit the number of waivers a property owner may request; however, each request must be submitted separately to the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication. The Bureau of Administrative Adjudication may grant a waiver when extraordinary circumstances have been shown to exist. Those circumstances include but are not limited to the weather, financial hardship, family situations and illness. Each waiver granted by the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication shall be in writing and shall set forth the rationale behind granting the waiver. C. No local law or ordinance of the City shall be construed to require a person to consent to an inspection of a premises in order to determine compliance with applicable code provisions; however this provision shall not be construed to remove the obligation of a person to apply for and secure a required license, permit, certificate or other City approval relating to the construction, alternation, maintenance, repair, operation, use, condition or occupancy of a premises. When applying for a license, permit, certificate or other City approval which calls for an inspection, a person shall have the right to decline consent to the inspection, and the issue authority may, without further notice to the applicant, apply for
Buffalo, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 242 § 242-12 establishes a $75 fee assessed against a property for each inspection—beyond the second—in which building code violations are found, provided the inspector determines that the violation has not meaningfully progressed toward correction. The fee does not apply to inspections that occur after a court action has begun. Property owners may request written waivers from the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication on a per-inspection basis, and waivers may be granted when extraordinary circumstances such as weather, financial hardship, family situations, or illness are demonstrated. Separately, no city law requires a person to consent to an inspection solely to determine code compliance, though this does not eliminate the obligation to obtain required permits, licenses, or certificates.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under ch. 242 § 242-12, compliant property owners in Buffalo generally make demonstrable, documented progress on correcting building code violations between inspections to avoid the $75 repeat-inspection fee that attaches starting with the third violation-finding inspection. When circumstances beyond a property owner's control—such as illness, financial hardship, or severe weather—have delayed remediation, operators typically submit a separate written waiver request to the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication for each affected inspection, including all required identifying information. Owners should also be aware that while they are not compelled to consent to a compliance inspection, that right does not relieve them of the duty to obtain any permits, licenses, or certificates the city requires for construction, repair, or occupancy.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Buffalo, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 242 § 242-12 is primarily directed at property owners, but tenants benefit from its inspection-enforcement framework: repeated inspections that find unresolved code violations trigger escalating financial pressure on landlords through the $75 per-inspection fee, which may encourage timely repairs. Tenants who believe building code violations exist in their unit can contact the Buffalo Bureau of Permit and Inspection Services to inquire about the inspection process and any outstanding violations on record for their address. Tenant-rights organizations in Buffalo can help residents understand how this provision interacts with other local housing protections and what options may be available when violations go unaddressed.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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