New Rochelle, NY Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in New Rochelle, NY, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Adopted
- October 21, 2025, Local Law No. 6-2025
- Codified at
- City Code Chapter 132, § 132-1
- State law opted into
- RPL Article 6-A, per RPL § 213
- High-rent exemption
- monthly rent above 345% of area fair market rent
- Small landlord exemption
- landlord owns no more than one unit statewide
- Severability
- § 132-2 keeps remaining provisions if one is struck
Summary
New Rochelle opted into New York's Good Cause Eviction statute on October 21, 2025 through Local Law No. 6-2025, codified as City Code Chapter 132. Landlords citywide now need a statutory good cause to evict or refuse to renew a lease, subject to a high-rent exemption and a one-unit small-landlord carve-out.
A. The City of New Rochelle hereby opts in and adopts the provisions of Article 6-A of the Real Property Law of the State of New York. B. There is hereby established, pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Section 213 of the Real Property Law, a prohibition on eviction without good cause. C. High-rent exemption. Pursuant to Section 213(2)(a) the Real Property Law, the City of New Rochelle provides that any unit on or within a housing accommodation shall be exempt from the provisions of this Chapter 132 if it has a monthly rent above 345% of fair market rent as published by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and as shall be published for the County of Westchester by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. D. Small Landlord Definition. Pursuant to Section 213(2)(b) of the Real Property Law, the City of New Rochelle defines "small landlord," for purposes of this Chapter 132, to mean a landlord of no more than one unit anywhere in the State of New York.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4601407; v60 updated 2025-12-02; through 12-02-2025).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 132, adopted by the City Council on October 21, 2025 by Local Law No. 6-2025, opts the City of New Rochelle into Article 6-A of the New York Real Property Law. Section 132-1(A) states the opt-in directly, and 132-1(B) establishes, under RPL § 213, "a prohibition on eviction without good cause" citywide. That means a landlord covered by the law cannot terminate a tenancy or refuse to renew a lease without a good cause reason recognized under RPL Article 6-A, and a tenant can raise the absence of good cause when a landlord brings a holdover or nonrenewal case in New Rochelle City Court.
The law is not universal. Section 132-1(C) carves out a high-rent exemption: any unit is exempt from Chapter 132 if its monthly rent exceeds 345% of the fair market rent HUD publishes, as further published for Westchester County by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. Section 132-1(D) exempts small landlords, defined for this chapter as a landlord who owns no more than one unit anywhere in the State of New York, from the good cause requirement entirely. Those two carve-outs mean the protection is aimed at larger, market-rate rental buildings rather than owner-occupied two-family homes or a landlord's single rental unit.
The chapter carries its own severability clause at § 132-2: if a court of competent jurisdiction finds any part of Chapter 132 unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the remaining provisions of the local law stay in effect rather than the whole chapter falling.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 132 does not create a fine schedule; it operates through the eviction process itself. A landlord who files a holdover or nonrenewal proceeding without a good cause reason recognized under RPL Article 6-A risks having the petition challenged or dismissed in New Rochelle City Court, since the tenant can assert the lack of good cause as a defense under RPL § 213. Because § 132-2 makes the chapter's provisions severable, a successful constitutional challenge to one part, such as the high-rent threshold or the small-landlord definition, does not void the underlying good cause prohibition established in § 132-1(B).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does New Rochelle's Good Cause Eviction law cover every rental unit?
What did New Rochelle actually adopt to create this protection?
How does a tenant use the good cause protection in an eviction case?
What happens if a court strikes down part of Chapter 132?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Rochelle
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