Civics Property Management Portal

Overview

The City of Rochester implemented the new Infor software system in May 2023 to enhance the management of Code Enforcement, Trade Licensing, Permitting, and other key processes. Additional city functions are planned to transition into this software in the coming years.

The software includes a new public-facing online portal called Civics which provides a suite of self-service functions to help property owners and managers better manage their portfolios and interaction with the City.

Civics currently includes the following functions:

Designating and updating building owner and property manager contact information
Viewing open Code Enforcement cases and lists of all open violations per property
Submitting a work schedule for open Code Enforcement cases
Applying for electrical, plumbing, and elevator technician licenses

Future features include:

Submitting permit applications for building, electrical, plumbing, and sign permits
Submitting applications for Certificate of Occupancy renewal
Automated email notifications for inspections, cited violations, expiring Certificates of Occupancy, etc.
Viewing the property code compliance score
Tax bill payments
Water bill payments

Getting Started with Civics

The basics:

Visit the Civics Portal: https://infor.cityofrochester.gov/
Create a new account if necessary, by clicking 'Don’t have an account? Sign up!'
Claim your properties: click Start a New Application at the top of the page and choose Building Owner Registry. Fill out the application form to designate a property you own, or properties where you are authorized to submit official records on the owner's behalf. Click here for the Building Owner Registry details and instructions.
Once your Building Owner Registry is complete for a property, you will be able to view all records associated with that property. Complete a Building Owner Registry application for every property you own or manage.

Click here for the full user guide

IMPORTANT NOTE: Registering as an Individual vs Company in Civics

In almost all circumstances, the City recommends that users create their Civics account as an individual 'natural person', ie 'John Smith', even if they will be conducting business on behalf of an LLC or corporation. This will avoid you needing to maintain two or more separate Civics accounts, with separate email addresses.

You are permitted to register a property in Civics via the Building Owner Registry in the role as 'owner' on behalf of any person or company for which you are an authorized agent. This is typically provided through a management agreement, power of attorney, incorporation paperwork, or other similar legal document.

Regardless of who is registered in the Building Owner Registry, the property's legal owner (per the deed) retains ultimate legal responsibility for the property and all associated costs. All bills, notices, tickets, fines, and other official communications from the City will continue to be addressed to the name of the property owner per the deed on record with the Monroe County Clerk, and mailed to the tax bill mailing address on file with the Bureau of Assessment.

For properties that require a property manager's contact to be designated, only a 'natural person' may be designated as property manager. An LLC or corporation may not be designated as a property manager.

See the Common Account Setup Scenarios section below and download the full user guide for full details.

Click here to look up your Inspectors' Contact information.

Common account setup scenarios for owners/managers for the Building Owner Registry

Scenario	Recommended Setup	Not Recommended but Acceptable
1. I am the property owner 'John Smith' I want to register a property that I own on the deed as “John Smith” I also want to designate myself as the Property Manager	The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual 'natural person', 'John Smith' Initiate the Building Owner Registry from your individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so. If your address is local to Rochester, you qualify as the property manager, and you will not need to invite anyone else, or do anything further to meet the property manager requirement.
2. I am property owner “John Smith” I want to register a property that is owned on the deed by an LLC that I own or control I also want to designate myself as the Property Manager	The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual “natural person”, “John Smith”, not as the LLC Initiate the Building Owner Registry from your individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so If your address is local to Rochester you qualify you qualify as the property manager and you will not need to invite anyone else as property manager	If desired, you can maintain two accounts with two different email addresses: One for the LLC property owner One for you as an individual “natural person” (this is because a company can’t be designated as manager) Initiate the BOR from the LLC account, then invite your 2^nd account as manager
3. I am property owner “John Smith” I want to register a property I own on the deed as John Smith” I want to designate a property management company I have hired to manage the property	The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual “natural person”, “John Smith” The property management company should create an account as an individual “natural person” (ie “John Smith”), not as the company. The individual chosen should be a managerial level person who will serve like the company administrator account for Civics on behalf of all of their employees at the company. Initiate the BOR application from the owner’s individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so. If the property manager is an authorized agent, they may also initiate the BOR. Invite the company’s primary property manager individual account to the BOR as the property manager. The primary manager can then have their employees create accounts and invite them as additional secondary contacts to the BOR to enable them to view and submit records associated with the property. The primary manager will retain the ability to manage all properties in the company’s portfolio, including adding and removing secondary contacts as time goes on.
4. I am property owner “John Smith” I want to register for several properties owned by several different LLCs that I own or control I also want to designate myself as the Property Manager	The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual “natural person”, “John Smith”, not as the LLCs Initiate the Building Owner Registry applications from the individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so If your address is local to the Rochester are you qualify as the property manager and you will not need to invite anyone else as property manager. Or, you can invite another person as property manager.	You will need to maintain several accounts, each with a different email addresses: One per LLC property owner One for you as an individual “natural person” Initiate the each BOR application from the respective LLC owner account, then invite your individual account as Property Manager Alternatively, you could incorporate a “master LLC” that controls all the subsidiary LLCs, and make an account for the master LLC. That account could initiate all BOR applications, and you would still need to invite your individual account as Property Manager.
5. I am property manager “John Smith”, hired by property owner “Jane Doe” I want to register a property owned by “Jane Doe” on her behalf	The property manager should create an account as themselves as an individual “natural person” (ie “John Smith”), not as a company John Smith should initiate the Building Owner Registry from your their individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so. Most hired property managers are authorized agents. If John Smith’s address is local to Rochester he may qualify as the property manager and you will not need to invite anyone else as property manager. You may invite additional contacts to the BOR application as desired to enable them to view records associated with the property.

Scenario

Recommended Setup

Not Recommended but Acceptable

1. I am the property owner 'John Smith'

I want to register a property that I own on the deed as “John Smith”

I also want to designate myself as the Property Manager

The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual 'natural person', 'John Smith'

Initiate the Building Owner Registry from your individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so.

If your address is local to Rochester, you qualify as the property manager, and you will not need to invite anyone else, or do anything further to meet the property manager requirement.

2. I am property owner “John Smith”

I want to register a property that is owned on the deed by an LLC that I own or control

I also want to designate myself as the Property Manager

The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual “natural person”, “John Smith”, not as the LLC

Initiate the Building Owner Registry from your individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so

If your address is local to Rochester you qualify you qualify as the property manager and you will not need to invite anyone else as property manager

If desired, you can maintain two accounts with two different email addresses: One for the LLC property owner

One for you as an individual “natural person” (this is because a company can’t be designated as manager)

Initiate the BOR from the LLC account, then invite your 2^nd account as manager

3. I am property owner “John Smith”

I want to register a property I own on the deed as John Smith”

I want to designate a property management company I have hired to manage the property

The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual “natural person”, “John Smith”

The property management company should create an account as an individual “natural person” (ie “John Smith”), not as the company. The individual chosen should be a managerial level person who will serve like the company administrator account for Civics on behalf of all of their employees at the company.

Initiate the BOR application from the owner’s individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so. If the property manager is an authorized agent, they may also initiate the BOR.

Invite the company’s primary property manager individual account to the BOR as the property manager. The primary manager can then have their employees create accounts and invite them as additional secondary contacts to the BOR to enable them to view and submit records associated with the property. The primary manager will retain the ability to manage all properties in the company’s portfolio, including adding and removing secondary contacts as time goes on.

4. I am property owner “John Smith”

I want to register for several properties owned by several different LLCs that I own or control

I also want to designate myself as the Property Manager

The property owner should create an account as themselves, an individual “natural person”, “John Smith”, not as the LLCs

Initiate the Building Owner Registry applications from the individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so

If your address is local to the Rochester are you qualify as the property manager and you will not need to invite anyone else as property manager. Or, you can invite another person as property manager.

You will need to maintain several accounts, each with a different email addresses:

One per LLC property owner

One for you as an individual “natural person”

Initiate the each BOR application from the respective LLC owner account, then invite your individual account as Property Manager

Alternatively, you could incorporate a “master LLC” that controls all the subsidiary LLCs, and make an account for the master LLC. That account could initiate all BOR applications, and you would still need to invite your individual account as Property Manager.

5. I am property manager “John Smith”, hired by property owner “Jane Doe”

I want to register a property owned by “Jane Doe” on her behalf

The property manager should create an account as themselves as an individual “natural person” (ie “John Smith”), not as a company

John Smith should initiate the Building Owner Registry from your their individual account. Either the property owner or the owner’s authorized agent may do so. Most hired property managers are authorized agents.

If John Smith’s address is local to Rochester he may qualify as the property manager and you will not need to invite anyone else as property manager. You may invite additional contacts to the BOR application as desired to enable them to view records associated with the property.