Rental Inspections in Rochester, NY (2026)
2 verified rental inspections rules for Rochester, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Inspection Programs
Rochester requires a valid Certificate of Occupancy for rental dwellings, renewed on a fixed cycle after City inspection. Buildings with three or more units get a three-year C of O; non-owner-occupied one- and two-family rentals get six years, or three years inside the Lead Paint High-Risk Area.
Rochester Rental Certificate of Occupancy and Inspection Requirement
Significant RestrictionsCode of the City of Rochester § 90-16A(1), H(1)(b) (Certificates of occupancy)
No person shall permit the occupancy of a one-family dwelling or dwelling unit, a building containing two or more dwelling units, or a mixed-occupancy building containing one or more dwelling units unless a valid certificate of occupancy is in effect for said building.... A certificate of occupancy for a building containing three or more dwelling units ... shall be valid for a period of three y...
Tenant Complaint Process
When a Rochester tenant files a complaint, the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development must inspect not just the unit at issue but every common area of the building. Every inspection, including complaint-based ones, includes a visual assessment for deteriorated paint and bare soil hazards under City Code § 90-55.
Rochester Complaint-Triggered Rental Inspections
Some RestrictionsRochester City Code § 90-55
§ 90-55. Inspections for violations. All inspections, including, but not limited to, inspections performed as part of an application for a certificate of occupancy pursuant to § 90-16 of the City Code, a renewal of a certificate of occupancy, or based upon the filing of a complaint, shall include a visual assessment for deteriorated paint and bare soil violations. ... The owner shall be given 6...
Looking for Monroe County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Rochester city rules.
Rental Inspections in Monroe County →