Short-term rental permit rules in Erie County, NY — also called Airbnb permits, vacation rental licenses, or STR registration — list the application steps, fees, and operating requirements for hosting.
Erie County does not issue short-term-rental permits. In New York, STR permitting and land use are town and city matters, so your local municipality (Buffalo, Amherst, and others) controls whether a permit is required.
Erie County government does not have a countywide short-term-rental permit, cap, or zoning approval. Under New York's Municipal Home Rule Law and Town and General City Law, land-use regulation and licensing of rentals rest with each town, city, or village, not the county. The County's only STR-related law is a tax measure: the Hotel Occupancy Tax administered by the Erie County Comptroller. For permits you must check your local code: the City of Buffalo requires STR registration through its Department of Permit and Inspection Services under Chapter 380 (non-owner-occupied rentals need a special use permit), and the Town of Amherst adopted a companion ordinance. Confirm requirements with your municipal building or permits department before renting.
The County imposes no STR permit penalty; enforcement of any registration or special-use-permit requirement, including fines and license revocation, is handled by the city, town, or village that adopted the rule.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Erie County's permit requirements rules stack up against other locations.
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