10 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 3 cities in Suffolk County, New York.
Verified from official government sources
Suffolk County is NOT opted into the NY Emergency Tenant Protection Act (ETPA) for most housing, but NY HSTPA 2019 reforms apply statewide: security deposits capped at 1 month, 14-day rent grace period, and tenant-screening fee cap of $20. Rental permits required by most Suffolk towns.
Suffolk County is covered by New Yorks Good Cause Eviction Law (Part HH of Chapter 56, Laws of 2024), but only in towns or villages that affirmatively opt in. As of 2026, no Suffolk municipality has opted in, so standard RPAPL Article 7 eviction rules apply across the county.
Rental registration in Suffolk County is handled at the town level. Most Suffolk towns, including Brookhaven, Islip, Babylon, Southampton, East Hampton, and Huntington, require annual or biennial rental permits with inspections. Fees range from 150 to 500 dollars per unit.
New York Real Property Law Section 7-108, enacted via the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, caps residential security deposits at one month rent statewide, including Suffolk County. Landlords must return deposits within 14 days with an itemized statement of any deductions.
The 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act sharply curtailed no-fault evictions across New York, including Suffolk County. Landlords must give 30 to 90 days written notice before non-renewal, scaled to tenancy length, and cannot terminate solely to raise rent on long-term tenants.
New York Real Property Law Section 768, added by the 2019 HSTPA, makes unlawful eviction or tenant harassment a Class A misdemeanor statewide, including Suffolk County. Landlords cannot use force, lockouts, utility shutoffs, or repeated intimidation to push tenants out.
New York Human Rights Law Section 296, amended in 2019, bars Suffolk County landlords from refusing to rent based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 vouchers, Social Security, veterans benefits, and child support. The Suffolk County Human Rights Commission accepts complaints.
Suffolk County landlords must accept Housing Choice Vouchers under New York source-of-income law. The Suffolk County Department of Social Services and the Town of Brookhaven Housing Authority administer the federal program for roughly 4,500 households countywide.
Suffolk County landlords must include statewide HSTPA disclosures in residential leases, including the New York Office of Rent Administration tenant rights summary, security-deposit rules, and rent-increase notice requirements. AB 1482 itself is California law and does not apply.
New York COVID-19 Emergency Eviction and Foreclosure Prevention Act protected Suffolk County tenants from March 2020 through January 15, 2022. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program later distributed over $2.4 billion statewide. No active general eviction moratorium remains in Suffolk.
3 cities in Suffolk County have their own rental property rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
See every category we cover for Suffolk County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Suffolk County Ordinance Hub →