Brookhaven, NY Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

' It is an affirmative defense that the occupants are immediate family of the owner, defined in § 82-2 to include spouse, children, parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws, but a registration cannot be issued for a 'transient residential occupancy,' the Town's term for a non-owner-occupied stay of under 28 nights. Registration runs through a two-step process: after a complete application is filed with the Building Division, § 82-10C(2) issues a temporary registration valid 90 days, and within that window the owner must either arrange a Town inspection or submit a report from a state-licensed engineer, architect or certified home inspector confirming the unit meets housing, sanitary, building, electrical and fire codes; only then does the Chief Building Inspector issue the full registration, valid 15 months per the RENTAL REGISTRATION definition in § 82-2.

Section 82-5 requires a nonrefundable application fee set by Town Board resolution, waived for qualifying nonprofit senior or special-needs housing, plus a biennial per-unit fee for multi-unit operators. Section 82-10G caps registered vehicles at one per legally designated bedroom plus one extra, absent a Board of Zoning Appeals variance. A broker or agent who lists a unit without confirming a valid registration violates § 82-12.