Monroe County, NY Ordinances (2026)

Monroe County municipalities encourage native plantings for stormwater and pollinator habitat. NY DEC Native Plant list guides species selection. NY General Obligations Law §5-321-a…

Monroe County towns enforce weed and overgrown vegetation rules. Rochester Property Conservation Code Ch. 90 requires grass under 10 inches. Vacant lots a priority. DEC regulates…

Using, carrying, transporting or selling marijuana in a Monroe County park is banned and prosecuted under state Penal Law.

Drinking alcohol within 50 feet of a roadway, parking lot, beach, playground, path or trail in a Monroe County park is a violation.

Loitering in a Monroe County park to beg is a violation under the county Parks chapter, enforced Countywide within park property.

Amplified music is barred in Monroe County parks after 10 p.m., and any sound device that disturbs neighbors is prohibited outright.

Motor vehicles that create unreasonable noise, squeal tires or sound horns without a danger warning are barred from Monroe County parks.

NY State Energy Conservation Construction Code (2020) requires new construction to include EV-ready parking. Residential Level 2 chargers require electrical permit. RG&E offers…

Monroe County is not designated a high wildfire hazard area. No defensible space requirements. NY DEC Part 215 brush burn ban (March 16 – May 14) is the primary wildfire-season rule…

Monroe County follows NY DEC Part 215 seasonal burn ban (March 16 to May 14). Property owners must keep lots clear under town property maintenance codes. No wildfire-zone clearance…

Monroe County bans open burning of refuse except for specific permitted activities like grills, campfires and agricultural debris burning listed in the county's Open Burning Control…

Monroe County allows campfires and recreational fires under its Open Burning Control law as long as they don't create a nuisance, but leaf and yard-debris burning doesn't count as…

Monroe County has 42 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline. NYS Coastal Erosion Hazard Area law applies. Rochester, Greece, Irondequoit, Webster, Hamlin have LWRPs. Post-2017/2019 flooding…

Rochester and Monroe County towns are NYS MS4 permittees. NY DEC SPDES GP-0-20-001 requires SWPPP for 1+ acre disturbance. Strict Lake Ontario and Genesee River watershed protection.

Garage, basement, porch and yard sales at your own home are exempt from Monroe County's secondhand-dealer license, so no county permit is needed for an occasional sale.

Monroe County has no red-light camera law; it runs a school bus stop-arm photo program instead, fining pass-by drivers up to $300.

Every pawnbroker operating in Monroe County must hold a Sheriff-issued dealer's license, renewed each December 31, with a $150 annual fee and a $10 fee to replace a lost license.

Secondhand dealers in Monroe County need a Sheriff-issued dealer's license, expiring every December 31, with an application filed by the owner or operator on Sheriff-provided forms.

Monroe County requires recyclable materials to be separated from trash before collection countywide, and bars mixing them back together during transport or storage.

Monroe County bars dumping refuse, litter or yard waste on any public or private property where it could wash into storm drains, with fines up to $1,000 and jail for repeat offenders.

Monroe County's Health Director can order owners to repair or vacate any building found insanitary or unfit for human habitation, following notice and a hearing under the county…

Monroe County requires every cat four months or older to be vaccinated against rabies, with a licensed veterinarian's certificate as proof, under the county's Feline Rabies Control law.

The County Legislature may authorize a Wildlife Management Plan for Durand Eastman Park, including firearm discharge and immuno-contraceptives to control wildlife.

Dogs and cats may enter Monroe County parks only on a leash; they're barred entirely from swim areas, beaches and golf courses.

Monroe County's Sanitary Code requires every habitable room to be maintained free from rodent and insect infestation, backed by the county Health Department's inspection and…

Nonresident door-to-door solicitors need a $3 county license, valid one year, before working outside Rochester and licensed towns.

Monroe County parks close to visitors from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless the Parks Director issues a permit or an emergency applies.

Monroe County's open burning law explicitly permits fires in outdoor grills and fireplaces used to prepare food, exempting backyard cooking fires from the county's general open-burning…

Monroe County's Sanitary Code requires public wading pools to have filtration, disinfection and clean water from an approved source, exempting only pools an individual owns and uses…