For years, if a tenant in the City of Buffalo suspected their rental property was unsafe or not up to code, the responsibility fell to them to contact the city to request an inspection.
But in 2020, the Proactive Rental Inspections Program (PRI) was passed into local law to shift more of the responsibility for initiating inspections onto the city.
The aim? To reduce health risks from common health hazards such as lead paint dust and to improve quality of life for Buffalo’s tenants.
A report released this month by the City of Buffalo’s Department of Permits and Inspections shows that the city is on its way to reaching its goal of inspecting 6,000 rental units in 2025 – by far the most inspections since the PRI law was passed.
Commissioner of Permits and Inspections, Cathy Amdur, attributed the projected increase to a hiring spree which saw seven new inspectors recruited to her department, bringing the city’s total inspector-count to 10. The new recruits were funded by the city’s 2024-2025 budget.
“We're in a good spot so far to date, and we're not even to the end of March,” Amdur said. “We've completed 1,424 inspections. And if we multiply that by four and project it out to the end of the year, we're at 5,696 and our inspectors are still in training.”
More than half of the city’s housing units are renter occupied according to U.S. Census Bureau data, and Buffalo’s old housing stock comes with potential hazards, especially lead.
Lead paint wasn’t banned until 1978. As it chips and peels, it releases dust that can be unknowingly inhaled, putting people at risk of lead poisoning—especially children.
Every year, hundreds of children in Buffalo test positive for elevated blood lead levels according to an analysis of 2021 to 2023 New York State Department of Health data by the Partnership for the Public Good (PPG). The Buffalo-based community think tank filed a 2024 lawsuit against the city for allegedly failing to fully implement the PRI law. A judge threw out the suit at the city’s request in January.
Exposure to lead can cause damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development in children, as well as learning and behavior problems according to the CDC.
That’s why the PRI law mandates the city’s commissioner of permits and inspections report the number of units in which lead hazards are found each year.
“Anytime that the inspector finds chipping and peeling paint in a house that's built before 1978 that's presumed to be a lead hazard, that's supposed to be reported,” said Sarah Wooten, the PPG’s Director of Community Research.
Indeed, section 261 of the city’s PRI law is clear that all rental dwelling unit registration inspections “shall include a visual assessment for deteriorated paint,” and when a lead hazard is identified and not cleared within a specified time, “a lead hazard violation shall be cited.”
But Amdur failed to include that number in this year’s report, despite providing that information in the 2023 and 2024 reports she also authored and the information being required by the PRI law.
Wooten brought the omission to the attention of the Buffalo Common Council’s Community Development Committee, Tuesday.
In response, Amdur claimed she did not include the information this time around because she wanted to be “precise” and said she “had nothing to cite for lead.”
After Councilmember Leah Halton-Pope pointed out the commissioner “didn’t have a problem” including that data in two previous reports, Amdur agreed to provide the information as required by the city’s own law.
The latest report also failed to mention the dollar amount deposited and withdrawn into a dedicated account designed to help sustain the PRI program – another set of information the commissioner is mandated to report each year according to the PRI law. That information was previously included in Amdur’s 2023 report.
Although the number of inspections is set to increase compared to previous years, Amdur explained to the council that the city plays a supporting role to Erie County when it comes to lead hazard prevention efforts.
“[The county] has a budget of $4 million every year and a staff of 33 staff members and inspectors to deal with lead safety. So we work with them. We want to be part of the solution,” she said.
The Erie County Department of Health confirmed to WBFO that Amdur’s numbers were “basically correct” and that New York State sanitary code gives the department responsibility and authority over certain lead housing conditions and lead poisoning case management.
An ECDOH spokesperson also confirmed Amdur’s claim that the city and county are in regular contact pertaining to lead hazards.
The common council voted to table the item pending potential future input from the county.
