Sullivan County, NY Short-Term Rentals: Insurance Requirements (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum coverage
- $300,000, third-party property/bodily injury
- Alternate compliance
- Booking service's equal/greater coverage qualifies
- Insurer requirement
- NY-licensed insurer or excess line broker
- Enforcement
- County Treasurer or local code enforcement officer
- Third violation fine
- Up to $200, then $500/day, § 182-36D
Summary
A Sullivan County short-term rental must carry at least $300,000 in liability coverage for third-party property damage or bodily injury before it can operate lawfully. Section 182-27D(5) lets a booking service's equal or greater coverage satisfy the requirement instead of the host's own policy.
D. A short-term rental host may operate a dwelling unit as a short-term rental unit provided such dwelling unit: ... (5) Is insured by an insurer licensed to write insurance in this state or procured by a duly licensed excess line broker pursuant to the NYS Insurance Law for a minimum of $300,000 coverage for third-party claims of property damage or bodily injury that arise out of the operation of a short-term rental unit. Such liability insurance coverage may be satisfied by insurance maintained by a booking service that provides equal or greater coverage if a short-term rental host lists a short-term rental unit with such booking service;
Full Breakdown
Section 182-27D of the Sullivan County Code lists the conditions a dwelling unit must meet to operate as a short-term rental, and Subsection D(5) sets the insurance floor: the unit must be insured by an insurer licensed to write insurance in New York, or procured through a duly licensed excess line broker under the state Insurance Law, for a minimum of $300,000 of coverage for third-party claims of property damage or bodily injury arising out of operating the rental. A host does not need a separate policy if the booking service the host lists with already carries equal or greater coverage; that coverage can stand in for the host's own liability insurance.
The insurance duty sits alongside the rest of § 182-27D's operating conditions: the unit must be registered with the county under § 182-27A, must post a conspicuous evacuation diagram and a list of emergency phone numbers for police, fire and poison control, must keep a working fire extinguisher, and must comply with any additional health and safety or regulatory requirements the town or village where the unit is located has imposed. The Treasurer administers the Room Tax Law generally under § 182-21, while enforcement of the health and safety conditions in § 182-27D, including the insurance requirement, can also be carried out by the town or village code enforcement officer for the municipality where the short-term rental sits, under § 182-27E.
Violations & Fines
Operating a short-term rental that does not meet § 182-27D's conditions, including the $300,000 minimum liability coverage, exposes the host to the same escalating fines as any other registration violation: a warning notice for a first violation, a fine up to $200 for a third violation, and up to $500 per day for each violation after that, under § 182-36D. A seven-day cure period follows each violation notice before further fines accrue, and repeated violations across two years can lead to revocation of the host's registration under § 182-27F.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much liability insurance does a Sullivan County short-term rental need?
Can my booking platform's coverage satisfy Sullivan County's insurance rule?
What happens if my rental lacks the required insurance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sullivan County
New York rules heatmap·Compare Sullivan County to another location·View the New York short-term rentals overview
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