Suffolk County, NY Ordinances (2026)

Suffolk County bans retail sale of e-cigarettes and liquid nicotine to anyone under 21, prohibits selling devices disguised as school supplies, and bars retail tobacco and liquid…

Suffolk County requires anyone dealing in secondhand articles like electronics, tools, and jewelry to obtain a license from the Office of Consumer Affairs before doing business, with a…

Suffolk County licenses pawnbrokers under its Precious Metal and Gem Exchange law: anyone doing business as a collateral loan broker under NY General Business Law Article 5 must get an…

Suffolk County Code Chapter 796 forbids tow operators from charging more than the town's municipal towing rate to pull a vehicle from a private, publicly accessed lot, and caps storage…

Operating a tattoo or body-art studio in Suffolk County without a valid Body Art Establishment Permit is unlawful, and every artist must hold a Suffolk-issued Body Artist Certificate…

Suffolk County requires a permit from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation before launching or landing a drone in any county park, with civil fines up to $500 and…

Recreational drone operation in Suffolk County is strictly limited by FAA airspace. Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) is Class C airspace extending to 4,400 ft in a 5 NM core with 10…

Suffolk County ran a red-light camera demonstration program under County Code Article VII, but the law's own sunset clause killed it: without a state-authorized extension, the program…

Suffolk County defines Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes by throttle behavior and a 20-mph assist cutoff, bars riders 15 and under, requires helmets, and mandates UL/EN safety certification…

Drivers overtaking a cyclist on a Suffolk County road must give at least three feet of clearance, unless the road has a clearly marked bicycle lane, where the buffer rule doesn't apply.

Before spraying or otherwise killing a honeybee colony or swarm, Suffolk County law requires the applicator to phone a beekeeper and seek help relocating the bees rather than…

Suffolk County outlaws purposely feeding or baiting coyotes and other wild animals anywhere in the county, targeting the human-food dependency the Legislature says drives aggressive…

Suffolk County prohibits trapping, killing, catching, injuring, or pursuing wild birds in any county park unless the Parks Commissioner authorizes it, protecting bird life on the…

Suffolk County mandates rabies vaccination and an ID tag for every resident cat, runs a no-cost feral cat trap-neuter-return program with the SPCA, but does not license cats: that…

Suffolk County caps outdoor dog tethering at one hour in any twelve-hour span and bans it overnight, with added rules on collars, tether length, and extreme weather.

Suffolk County requires every pet grooming business and individual pet groomer to register biennially with the Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs and pay a fee before…

Suffolk County pet stores may still sell dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, but only if sourced from USDA-licensed Class A breeders or Class B brokers with clean recent…

Suffolk County makes it illegal to feed deer, coyotes, geese, and other wild animals countywide, plus bars leaving out food or garbage that attracts them.

Any dog or cat adopted, bartered, or given away by a Suffolk County animal shelter or rescue must be spayed or neutered before the transfer, unless a licensed veterinarian certifies…

Suffolk County prohibits using wild or exotic animals, bears, big cats, primates, crocodilians, and more, in traveling performances, shows, petting zoos, or parties, even if the animal…

Suffolk County requires anyone doing electrical work for hire countywide to hold a county contractor's license, unless the town or village where the work occurs already licenses…

Suffolk County requires a carbon monoxide detector whenever a new home heating system is installed in an existing one- or two-family residence, unless a working detector is already in…

Suffolk County requires all plumbing work performed in the county to conform to the plumbing code adopted by the local municipality where the work occurs, or to the New York State…

Suffolk County exempts LEED-certified construction from county property tax increases for up to ten years, with certified/silver, gold, and platinum projects earning different…

Suffolk County requires anyone erecting, dismantling, repairing, or modifying a supported scaffold over 20 feet to hold a certificate proving completion of 32-hour OSHA scaffold safety…

Suffolk County's own building-permit law under Chapter 344 applies only to buildings the county itself owns. For a home or business anywhere in Suffolk County, the building permit…

Filming motion pictures, TV or still photography on Suffolk County property or facilities requires a Suffolk County film permit issued through the Department of Economic Development…

Suffolk County waives film permit fees for student productions made under a New York-chartered school's curriculum, though a Suffolk County film permit is still required to shoot on…

Suffolk County caps sound at County-owned properties and highways: 65 dBA near residential areas by day, 50 dBA at night, 65 dBA near commercial land, and 70 dBA near industrial land…

Playing a car radio, stereo or amplifier loud enough to create a noise disturbance on any Suffolk County highway, county-owned property, or county bus is a criminal offense punishable…

County law exempts construction noise from the general noise-disturbance ban only from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Running equipment on County highways or County-owned property…

On County highways, rights-of-way, County-owned property and County buses, Suffolk County caps sound sources, including radios, amplifiers and boom boxes, at 65 dBA in daytime, 50 dBA…

Suffolk County law makes it illegal to shovel or dump snow into a handicapped parking space, with fines up to $200 per offense for repeat violators county-wide.

Suffolk County's towing ordinance explicitly excludes abandoned vehicles: those fall under state Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1224, with the town or village where the car sits handling…

Suffolk County prohibits parking any vehicle on county-owned or county-controlled property overnight, from sunset to sunrise, unless the vehicle belongs to authorized county personnel…

Suffolk County Code Chapter 796, Article I lets a private lot owner have a car towed only when that owner or a representative is physically standing there asking for that specific…

Suffolk County requires new and replacement outdoor light fixtures on county-owned buildings, parking lots and docks to be fully shielded and capped at 2,200 Kelvin, but the rule only…

Suffolk County requires all new or replacement outdoor light fixtures on County-owned buildings, parking lots and docks to be fully shielded, directing light downward, and to use bulbs…

Stores of 10,000+ square feet in Suffolk County must run an at-store plastic bag recycling program, with a marked collection bin near the entrance for customers to return clean plastic…

Large Suffolk County retailers must run an at-store plastic bag recycling program, with a marked collection bin near the entrance for customers to return clean plastic carryout bags.

Dumping waste, debris, or hazardous materials on Suffolk County highways, rights-of-way, or county-owned land is a misdemeanor carrying fines up to $25,000 and up to a year in jail.

Suffolk County law makes it illegal for landlords, sellers, and agents to refuse housing, land, or commercial space based on a renter's lawful source of income, including Section 8…

Suffolk County's Human Rights Law bars landlords, sellers and lenders from refusing housing or setting worse terms because a tenant's rent is paid through a housing voucher or other…

Suffolk County prohibits selling, transporting, distributing or propagating any plant on the county's "Do Not Sell" invasive species list to anyone in or purchasing from the county…

Every concession license and renewal at Suffolk County parks must bar the vendor from selling or handing out single-use plastic or nonbiodegradable cups, utensils, plates, trays…

Suffolk County restaurants and food service establishments may hand out single-use beverage straws and stirrers only when a customer asks for one, under a 2019 county law aimed at…

Suffolk County bans polystyrene foam takeout containers outright. No food service establishment, mobile food commissary, or store may possess, sell, or offer any disposable foam…

Suffolk County has no permit or replacement mandate for residents who remove their own trees. The County Charter instead lets the Public Works Commissioner replant trees or shrubs lost…

Suffolk County contracts for food and beverages on county-owned property, parks concessions, cafeterias, and vending machines, must post caloric information for every item and meet…

Suffolk County requires stores that sell swimming pools, including above-ground and inflatable models over 24 inches deep, to post signs warning buyers that state law mandates a pool…

Suffolk County requires swimming pool retailers to post signs notifying buyers that all pools over 24 inches deep need a pool alarm under state law, enforced by the County Department…

Suffolk County's hotel and motel occupancy tax law defines short-term rentals into the same tax base as hotels and motels, so Airbnb-style hosts must collect and remit a 5.5% occupancy…

Suffolk County's hotel/motel occupancy tax law reaches booking platforms directly: any internet platform that connects a host with a guest and handles payment is a "room remarketer,"…

Suffolk County treats short-term rentals as hotels under its occupancy tax law, so any host renting a space for under 30 days must file a certificate of registration with the County…

Suffolk County is covered by NY SPDES MS4 general permit. All disturbances over 1 acre require SWPPP; Peconic Estuary and South Shore Estuary watershed projects trigger enhanced…

Suffolk County has extensive FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas along Atlantic coast, Long Island Sound, Great South Bay, Peconic Bays, and Shinnecock Bay. New construction in VE and AE…

Suffolk County's Department of Public Works may plant trees and shrubs along the rights-of-way of County roads, including new construction, erosion-control plantings on cuts and fills…

Suffolk County lets homeowners hold garage, yard, or estate sales without a dealer's license, but only if each sale runs 72 hours or less and a property hosts no more than two in any…

Suffolk County bars smoking anywhere in a County park except designated parking areas, with a carve-out for County-run golf courses and campgrounds.

Level 2 and Level 3 sex offenders may not loiter within 100 feet of any playground, day-care center, public pool, video arcade, or youth center anywhere in Suffolk County.

Skateboarding is prohibited on any property owned or operated by Suffolk County, including County parks, except in areas the County specifically designates for it.

Suffolk County imposes a 5.5% hotel and motel occupancy tax on room rentals, covering short-term rentals booked through online platforms; operators must register with the County…

Groups of 10 or more, and anyone holding a special event or celebration in a Suffolk County park, must get a permit from the Park Commissioner before entering.

Suffolk County bars retail tobacco and vape shops from even keeping already state-banned flavored liquid nicotine on the premises, closing a loophole in New York's retail flavor ban.

Suffolk County Code Chapter 274 protects farms from nuisance lawsuits. Agricultural activities conducted with generally accepted agricultural practices, established before surrounding…

Operating a food truck, pushcart, or any mobile food unit anywhere in Suffolk County without a valid permit from the Department of Health Services is unlawful under Sanitary Code…

Suffolk County does not regulate backyard recreational fires county-wide; jurisdiction falls to New York State open-burning law (6 NYCRR Part 215) and the individual towns (Brookhaven…