Sleepy Hollow is moving to crack down on illegal housing in the village by enacting new laws and changing others that will make it easier to expose overcrowded dwellings and increase fines against landlords that own buildings where violations occur. A public hearing on the legislation is scheduled for March 9.

Fines for the owner or person in charge of a building found initially in violation of the rules aimed at over- occupancy would be hit with a fine of at least $1,000. It could be as much as $3,500. Subsequent violations could incur fines up to $7,500.

The imposition of higher fines, in part, are being sought to discourage landlords, who ignore the occupancy limits because they believe it has been more profitable to keep collecting rents, and gamble that their illegal housing will not be discovered, according to Sleepy Hollow Administrator Anthony Giaccio.

The new regulations will also permit the village to uncover or detect residences occupied by more people than permitted for a building through a number of what are called, “rebuttable presumptions.” These include more mail boxes or mail receptacles, gas meters, or electric meters than would be maintained for the residence of families permitted in the dwelling. Extra sets of doorbells could also draw further investigation by the village.

Other means in the new legislation which authorities could use as clues of overcrowding in buildings used by two or more families would be additional entrances that have not been approved within plans either approved by the village or on file with the Department of Architecture, Land Use Development, Building and Buildings Compliance.

Under the new law, the village could also peruse newspaper ads that promote rooms for rent for multiple family use to detect illegal occupancy.

Village officials cite the health and safety hazards to the occupants of housing where overcrowding exists. There have been past estimates that as much as 40% of the housing in the inner village is “sub-standard,” and that overcrowding and illegal occupancy worsen the problem. Zoning and building code violations, along with illegal occupancy, go hand-in-hand, they have explained. The new rules also deal with the general building codes and increase fines for violations in those situations as well.