Senate BillIntroduced
S 5502: Relates to determining when a dwelling is abandoned.
What S 5502 does, verified January 8, 2026
The bill aims to update the definition of an abandoned dwelling in New York State. It proposes to revise the criteria for determining when a dwelling is considered abandoned. The revised criteria include: * A vacant dwelling that is not sealed or continuously guarded, allowing admittance without damaging the property. * A vacate order from a government agency prohibiting occupancy of the dwelling. * Unpaid taxes on the premises for at least a year. * Outstanding zoning, building, or property maintenance code violations that have not been remedied for at least a year. The bill takes effect immediately, allowing for the revised definition of an abandoned dwelling to be applied in real property actions and proceedings.
Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO JUDICIARY (2026-01-07)Alert me
Quick answers about S 5502
- What is the current status of S 5502?
- As of January 8, 2026, S 5502 is recorded as "Introduced": it has been introduced and is waiting for its first committee hearing or floor vote. The last recorded action, on January 7, 2026, was "REFERRED TO JUDICIARY".
- Did S 5502 pass?
- Not yet. S 5502 has been introduced and has not passed either house.
- Who wrote S 5502, and where is it now?
- S 5502 was authored by Sen. Brian Kavanagh. Its committee of record is Senate Judiciary.
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions2 total · showing 2
| Jan. 07, 2026 | REFERRED TO JUDICIARY |
| Feb. 21, 2025 | REFERRED TO JUDICIARY |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, February 21, 2025 · 391 words
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5502 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 21, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. KAVANAGH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Judiciary AN ACT to amend the real property actions and proceedings law, in relation to determining when a dwelling is abandoned The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 1971 of the real 2 property actions and proceedings law, as amended by chapter 529 of the 3 laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows: 4 (b) In the case of a vacant dwelling, it is not sealed or continuously 5 guarded, in that admittance to the property may be gained without damag- 6 ing any portion of the property, as required by law or it was sealed or 7 is continuously guarded by a person other than the owner, a mortgagee, 8 lienor or agent thereof, and [either] any of the following facts exists: 9 (i) A vacate order of the department or other governmental agency 10 currently prohibits occupancy of the dwelling; or 11 (ii) The tax on such premises has been due and unpaid for a period of 12 at least one year; or 13 (iii) The property has had a zoning, building or property maintenance 14 code violation which has the potential to injure, endanger or unreason- 15 ably annoy the health and safety of others that has been continuously 16 outstanding and not remedied for a period of at least one year from the 17 date the original notice of violation was served upon the property owner 18 pursuant to subdivision four of section three hundred eight of the civil 19 practice law and rules if the owner is a natural person, or pursuant to 20 section three hundred ten, three hundred ten-a, three hundred eleven or 21 three hundred eleven-a of the civil practice law and rules if the owner 22 is a partnership, limited partnership, corporation or limited liability 23 company, respectively; or 24 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10139-01-5
Text of S 5502 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions