Albany, NY Rental Property Rules: Rental Inspection Programs (2026)

Albany City Code Chapter 231, Part 4 — the Rental Dwelling Registry — and the linked Residential Occupancy Permit (ROP) program together form Albany's mandatory rental-inspection regime. Every owner of a residential rental unit in the city must (1) register the unit with the Department of Buildings & Regulatory Compliance using the Rental Dwelling Registry Form and (2) obtain a Residential Occupancy Permit before the unit can be lawfully occupied. The ROP is issued only after a Code Enforcement Officer inspects the unit and finds it in compliance with the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and Part 2 of Chapter 231 (the Housing Code).

A standard ROP inspection looks at seven things: working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; unobstructed means of egress; general cleanliness and sanitation; unit security (locks on exterior doors and ground-floor windows); structural integrity of floors, walls, and ceilings; safe electric facilities; and access to running, clean potable water. The $50 per-unit registration fee covers the initial inspection and one follow-up. If a unit still has violations after the follow-up, every subsequent re-inspection costs an additional $50 per unit. ROPs are valid for 24 months from issuance, after which the owner must re-register and the unit must be re-inspected. Owner-occupied rental dwellings containing no more than one rental unit and owned entirely by persons aged 65 or older are exempt from the $50 fee, although registration is still required.

The ROP is the landlord's legal authority to rent. Renting an unregistered unit, or a unit whose ROP has lapsed, is a code violation that exposes the owner to fines and — under Chapter 231 — to a stop-occupancy or vacate order. Tenants have an explicit right under the code to inspect the ROP for the unit they live in or are considering, at no cost.