Rental Property Rules in Syracuse, NY (2026)
4 verified rental property rules for Syracuse, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rental Registration
Syracuse landlords must obtain a rental registry certificate for every non-owner-occupied one- and two-family dwelling they rent or lease. The certificate costs $150 per dwelling, expires after three years, and requires passing interior and exterior code inspections through the Division of Code Enforcement.
Syracuse Requires Rental Registry Certificate for 1–2 Family Rentals
Significant RestrictionsSyracuse Rev. Gen. Ordinances § 27-131(a), (d)
Effective January 1, 2011, owners are required to obtain a rental registry certificate for each one-family and/or two-family non-owner occupied dwelling rented or leased within the city of Syracuse. ... Except as otherwise provided herein, it shall be unlawful and a violation of this chapter to rent or lease a one-family and/or two-family non-owner occupied dwelling without obtaining a rental r...
Relocation Assistance
Syracuse's Residential Antidisplacement and Relocation Assistance Plan requires the city to replace low- and moderate-income housing lost to federally assisted demolition or conversion projects and lets the city pay relocation costs to households displaced by that work, plus a separate payment schedule for households displaced by code enforcement actions outside federal funding.
Syracuse Provides Relocation Assistance to Displaced Tenants
Light RestrictionsSyracuse Rev. Gen. Ordinances § 1-8(c) (Ord. No. 11-1995, 3-27-95)
The city of Syracuse may provide relocation assistance to each low/moderate income household displaced by the demolition of housing or by the conversion of a low/moderate dwelling to another use as a direct result of assisted activities. However, no relocation assistance shall be provided by the city of Syracuse when either the relocation is necessitated by conditions or violations caused by an...
Source-of-Income Discrimination
Syracuse landlords cannot refuse to rent to, or otherwise discriminate against, an applicant or tenant because of a lawful source of income, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Social Security, SSI, pensions, child support, or veteran's benefits. The city's Fair Practices Law, Chapter 8, added this protection through a 2016 amendment.
Syracuse Bans Source-of-Income Rental Discrimination
Significant RestrictionsSyracuse, N.Y., Revised General Ordinances §§ 8-3(19), 8-4(7)(a)
Sec. 8-3(19): The term "lawful source of income" includes payments from a lawful occupation or employment, as well as other lawful payments including, but not limited to, any form of state, federal or local public assistance, income derived from social security, pensions, annuities, state or federal disability programs or benefits, child support, alimony, foster care subsidies, unemployment ben...
Repairs & Habitability
Syracuse's Property Conservation Code requires landlords to keep habitable rooms, bathrooms and kitchens at 68°F, measured five feet above the floor, from September 15 through May 31 whenever the outdoor temperature drops below 55°F. The Division of Code Enforcement investigates complaints and can pursue criminal fines, civil penalties up to $500 a day, or a court-appointed receiver for units unfit for human habitation.
Syracuse Requires 68°F Heat in Rental Units
Some RestrictionsSyracuse, N.Y., Revised General Ordinances § 27-54(a)(1)
In all occupied buildings, adequate heat shall be provided to maintain the indoor temperature in habitable, occupied and assembly spaces, kitchenettes, bathrooms and toilet rooms, at sixty-eight (68) degrees Fahrenheit at a distance of two (2) feet from exterior walls, and at a level of five (5) feet above the floor, from September fifteenth to May thirty-first of the following year when the ou...