Suffolk County, NY Short-Term Rentals: Short-Term Rental Permits (2026)
Short-term rental permit rules in Suffolk County, NY, also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration, list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Key Facts
- Who must register
- Every hotel, motel & short-term rental operator
- Deadline
- 30 days after effective date
- Penalty
- $50 per day, per unregistered unit
- Filed with
- Suffolk County Comptroller
- Registration also triggers
- 5.5% hotel/motel occupancy tax
Summary
Suffolk County treats short-term rentals as hotels under its occupancy tax law, so any host renting a space for under 30 days must file a certificate of registration with the County Comptroller before taking guests.
Within 30 days after the effective date of this article, or, in the case of operators commencing business after such effective date, within 10 days after such commencement or opening, every operator shall file with the County Comptroller a certificate of registration in a form prescribed by the County Comptroller. The County Comptroller shall issue to each operator a certificate of authority empowering such operator to collect the tax from the occupant and duplicate thereof, for each additional hotel or motel of such operators. Each certificate or duplicate shall state the hotel or motel to which it is applicable as well as the sales tax number for the hotel or motel. Such certificates of authority shall be prominently displayed by the operator in such manner that they may be seen and come to the notice of all occupants and persons seeking occupancy. Such certificates shall be nonassignable and nontransferable and shall be surrendered immediately to the County Comptroller upon the cessation of business at the hotel or motel named or upon its sale or transfer. Failure to register with the County Comptroller as required by this article shall result in the imposition of a fine of $50 for each day of nonregistration for each hotel or motel not so registered. [Amended 6-17-2014 by L.L. No. 32-2014; 3-22-2016 by L.L. No. 5-2016]
Full Breakdown
Suffolk County Code Chapter 523, Article II, the Hotel and Motel Occupancy Tax, defines 'short-term rental' as any dwelling, room, or living space rented to guests for under 30 consecutive days, and folds short-term rentals into its 'hotel or motel' definition. Every operator, including a short-term rental host, must file a certificate of registration with the County Comptroller within 30 days of the law's effective date, or 10 days after starting to operate, and registration triggers the county's 5.5% hotel/motel occupancy tax. This is a tax-registration mandate, not a zoning permit, land-use rules for renting rooms in Suffolk County are set by its ten towns and their villages, not the county.
Violations & Fines
Failure to register with the County Comptroller results in a $50-per-day fine for each unregistered hotel, motel, or short-term rental until the operator files its certificate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Suffolk County require Airbnb hosts to register?
Is this a zoning permit for short-term rentals?
What happens if I don't register?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Suffolk County
How Suffolk County compares: Most Airbnb-Friendly Cities in America·New York rules heatmap·Compare Suffolk County to another location·View the New York short-term rentals overview
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