Eviction Laws in Ogdensburg, New York
Ogdensburg is a St. Lawrence River port city of roughly 9,000 at the Canadian border in New York’s North Country — the largest city in St. Lawrence County, though the county seat is Canton. It is home to the Port of Ogdensburg (the only U.S. port on the St. Lawrence Seaway), the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge to Ontario, the Frederic Remington Art Museum, and several large state institutions — correctional facilities and a psychiatric center — that anchor local employment but also distort the city’s published demographics (the heavily male-skewed population is the tell). Ogdensburg is among the most affordable and most challenged rental markets in the state: the population has fallen nearly 9 percent since 2020, the median gross rent — around $650 — is the lowest in this guide, the housing stock is very old (roughly 53 percent of units were built before 1940), and civilian poverty runs high. Owners outnumber renters, with renters making up about 35 percent of households, and the city drew statewide attention for a 2021 municipal fiscal crisis.
New York eviction law — the Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL) Article 7 — requires landlords to serve a written notice before filing suit. For nonpayment of rent, a 14-day written rent demand is required under RPAPL § 711(2), specifying the exact amount owed and the time period covered. For lease violations, a 10-day notice to cure is required under RPAPL § 753(4). Month-to-month tenancies require 30 days’ notice if the tenancy is under one year, 60 days if between one and two years, and 90 days if the tenancy exceeds two years (RPL § 232-b as amended by HSTPA 2019). Once the notice period expires without compliance, the landlord files a summary proceeding (nonpayment or holdover petition) with the court. A critical protection added by the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA): tenants may cure a nonpayment at any time until the sheriff physically executes the warrant of eviction — payment of all rent and fees owed stops the eviction entirely. Self-help eviction — changing locks, removing belongings, or shutting off utilities without a court order — is a criminal misdemeanor under RPAPL § 768.
As of August 18, 2024, all landlords statewide must include the Good Cause Eviction Law notice (RPL § 231-c) on every lease, every rent demand, every petition, and every notice — even for units that are exempt from the substantive Good Cause protections. Failure to include this notice can result in dismissal of the proceeding.
Ogdensburg & St. Lawrence County — Local Rules That Affect Landlords
No Local Rent Regulation — Baseline State Law Applies. Ogdensburg has not opted into the Good Cause Eviction Law, and it has not adopted the Emergency Tenant Protection Act. There is no rent stabilization and no local Good Cause overlay, so tenancies are governed by baseline New York State law — RPAPL Article 7 together with the statewide HSTPA 2019 protections. The statewide RPL § 231-c Good Cause notice must still be included on leases and eviction papers, but landlords are not required to prove a “good cause” to decline a renewal or end a market-rate month-to-month tenancy, provided proper statutory notice is given. Every HSTPA protection — notice periods, right-to-cure, fee caps, and deposit rules — still fully applies.
A Low-Cost, Declining Market. Ogdensburg offers some of the cheapest acquisition costs and lowest rents in New York, but the fundamentals are difficult: the population is shrinking, demand is soft, and the renter base is largely low-income, so nonpayment risk is significant and vacancies can be slow to fill. Disciplined screening and steady tenant retention matter more here than the mechanics of eviction, and coordinating with county assistance when a tenant first falls behind is often more cost-effective than a contested case.
Reading the Demographics with Care. Ogdensburg hosts large state correctional and psychiatric institutions, and the institutionalized population skews the city’s published income, poverty, and gender figures. Landlords sizing up the market should focus on the civilian, non-institutional renter pool — which is smaller and lower-income than the headline numbers suggest — rather than citywide medians.
Very Old Housing Stock & Lead Paint. With roughly 53 percent of units built before 1940, Ogdensburg has one of the oldest housing inventories in the state, so the overwhelming majority of rentals predate the 1978 lead-paint cutoff. Federal lead-paint disclosure is mandatory for pre-1978 housing, and aging building systems make the warranty of habitability (RPL § 235-b) a constant concern — habitability defenses are common in contested cases, so proactive maintenance and documentation are essential.
Low-Income Tenant Base & Source-of-Income Protection. Many Ogdensburg renters rely on vouchers and subsidies, administered locally through the St. Lawrence County Community Development Program, and county social services can pay arrears to keep tenants housed. Source-of-income discrimination is prohibited under the New York State Human Rights Law — denying an applicant because they intend to pay with a Housing Choice Voucher, government subsidy, or other lawful source of income is illegal. Landlords must evaluate ability to pay without regard to the source.
North Country Climate & Heat Season. On the St. Lawrence River, Ogdensburg has long, cold winters. Under New York State law, landlords must provide heat from October 1 through May 31, maintaining at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit during the day when outdoor temperatures fall below 55 degrees, and at least 62 degrees overnight — a serious obligation in this climate and older building stock, along with snow-removal responsibilities.
City Court & the 4th Judicial District. Although the St. Lawrence County seat is Canton, evictions for rental premises inside the City of Ogdensburg are filed at Ogdensburg City Court. After judgment, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff executes the warrant of eviction.
Free Legal Help. The Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York serves qualifying low-income tenants in St. Lawrence County, and the Fourth Judicial District Court Help Center offers procedural guidance for unrepresented parties. The St. Lawrence County Department of Social Services and the state’s Emergency Rental Assistance resources can help tenants with arrears.
Security Deposits. New York State law (HSTPA 2019, General Obligations Law § 7-108) governs all deposit handling. Maximum deposit is one month’s rent. It must be returned within 14 days of move-out with an itemized statement of deductions. Application fees are capped at $20 total. Late fees are capped at the lesser of $50 or 5 percent of monthly rent, with a 5-day grace period. Ogdensburg does not impose additional local deposit requirements beyond state law.
Ogdensburg City Court — Where Ogdensburg Landlords File
Ogdensburg landlords file summary proceedings (nonpayment petitions and holdover petitions) at Ogdensburg City Court, located at 330 Ford Street, Ogdensburg, NY 13669. General phone: 315-393-3941. The court sits in the Fourth Judicial District (St. Lawrence County); the City Court judges are the Hon. Marcia L. LeMay and the Hon. Keith S. Massey, Jr. The filing fee for a summary proceeding is approximately $45. After judgment, the St. Lawrence County Sheriff executes the warrant of eviction and must give the tenant 14 days’ written notice before physical removal (RPAPL § 749). Because the city has not opted into Good Cause Eviction, a market-rate holdover does not require the landlord to prove a “good cause,” and uncontested nonpayment evictions often run about 4 to 8 weeks from demand to physical removal. Contested proceedings run longer — and given the age of the housing stock, warranty-of-habitability defenses are common, so be prepared to show the unit is in compliance. Self-help eviction is a criminal misdemeanor under RPAPL § 768, and only the St. Lawrence County Sheriff is authorized to physically remove a tenant.
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