Port Chester, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 197 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 197-31
Records and searches
Operative Text
All records of the Code Enforcement Agency shall be public. Upon request, the Building Department shall be required to make a search and issue a certificate of any of its records, including violations, and shall have the power to charge and collect reasonable fees of such searches or certificates.
Under Port Chester, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 197 § 197-31, all records held by the Code Enforcement Agency are designated as public records. When someone requests a search of those records — including records of violations — the Building Department is obligated to conduct the search and issue a certificate of its findings. The Department is authorized to charge reasonable fees for performing searches and issuing certificates.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers dealing with Port Chester properties should be aware that under ch. 197 § 197-31, any code enforcement records associated with a property, including violation histories, are publicly accessible. Compliant operators commonly request record searches from the Building Department during due diligence on acquisitions or before listing a property, and they budget for the reasonable fees the Department is permitted to charge. Keeping a property free of open violations is a standard practice, given that any member of the public can request a certificate of the Building Department's records at any time.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under Port Chester, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 197 § 197-31, tenants have the ability to request that the Building Department search its records and issue a certificate showing any violations on file for a property, including the unit they occupy or are considering renting. This public-records access can be a useful starting point for understanding a property's code enforcement history, though the Department may charge a reasonable fee for the search and certificate. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Port Chester can help explain how this information might be relevant to housing complaints or other enforcement paths available to renters.
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 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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