ยง 161. Description  of premises. In the assessment of any lands in the
  city for any purpose, it shall be sufficient to state the name of one of
  the owners of such lands if the owner  or  owners  or  any  of  them  be
  residents of the city and known to the assessors; if the owner or owners
  be unknown to the assessors or if they be nonresidents and the ownership
  is  unknown  to  the  assessors,  then  the assessment may be designated
  unknown, and there shall be stated the number of the lot and the  block,
  if  subdivided  into lots and blocks and so designated upon the city map
  last adopted by the common council, or the number of  the  lot  or  farm
  lot,  if  not  so subdivided into blocks and lots and so designated, and
  also the street and number of any building thereon; but if the  land  be
  vacant  or  the  building  thereon be not numbered, then the name of the
  street on which it fronts and a brief description of the premises  shall
  be given. In case no inhabited building be on the land and the residence
  of  the  owner  be  unknown, such owner may be designated as unknown. No
  assessment hereafter made in said city  shall  be  held  to  be  invalid
  because  the  same  may  be  made  out  in terms against owner or owners
  unknown or the estate of a deceased person, naming such person,  or  the
  executor,  administrator, heirs or devisees of a deceased person, naming
  such person, or any of them or against a company  or  a  firm  name,  or
  against  a  person  in  whom  is the record title, though not the actual
  title of the property, or for any cause  arising  through  ignorance  or
  mistake as to the names of the owner or owners of the property assessed,
  whether  individually  or  a  corporation,  provided  such  property  is
  sufficiently described on the assessment-rolls  to  reasonably  identify
  and  indicate to a person familiar with the same the particular property
  which  it  was  intended  to  assess.  Every  assessment-roll  shall  be
  considered  as referring to the last adopted map, unless it be otherwise
  stated therein.
Structure New York Laws
Article 10 - Department of Assessment and Taxation
160 - Department of Assessment and Taxation; Powers and Duties of Assessors.
161 - Description of Premises.
162 - Rebates and Deficiencies.
163 - Assessment Not Invalidated by Irregularities.
164 - Right to Review Assessment or Tax for Local Improvement Limited.