Helping Madison County Explore the Future of Code Enforcement

 CGR was engaged by Madison County to conduct a comprehensive review of code enforcement operations in the county, with the goal of exploring how the county could support local code enforcement operations. Our research revealed that Madison County’s challenges are the same as many other counties: mixed conditions in local code enforcement operations – some programs going well, some struggling – along with an aging cohort of code enforcement officers and no clear pipeline of qualified candidates to replace them as they retired.

CGR presented the County with pros and cons of a range of interventions. These included the options of the County providing support on background services, such as legal assistance, shared forms and tech support, as well as the possibility of the County handling limited code responsibilities, such as required fire inspections or property maintenance complaints. We also discussed pros and cons of maintaining the status quo, as well as implementing the most comprehensive solution: the County taking over primary responsibility for local code enforcement for all willing municipalities. We modeled the staffing and equipment needed for a county operation and provided an overall cost estimate, based on benchmarking from other NYS counties that currently have county-run code enforcement. The County is currently talking with stakeholders, including local municipalities, about options going forward.

Learn more about CGR’s code enforcement from Kieran Bezila. 

August 18, 2026 CGR Briefs Edition