Local landlord and tenant rules in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York has local rules on good cause eviction (RPL §§ 211(7)-(8), 213, 214, 216; DHCR, Good Cause Eviction Law Required DHCR Notice (posted July 16, 2026; list as of May 4, 2026)), rental registration (Rochester City Code § 90-20 (Building owner’s registry); City of Rochester, Certificate of Occupancy FAQ), inspections before a new tenant (Rochester City Code § 90-16 (as amended by Ord. No. 2026-81); City of Rochester, “When is a Certificate of Occupancy required?”) and 1 more kind of rule, on top of New York law.
Local rules in Rochester, New York
Good cause eviction
The City of Rochester has adopted New York’s Good Cause Eviction Law: a covered tenant may be evicted only for a good cause the law lists and is entitled to a renewal, and a rent increase above the local rent standard — 8.15% for 2026 (3.15% inflation plus 5%) — is presumed unreasonable. Not covered: a landlord with no more than one unit anywhere in New York, a unit renting for more than 245% of HUD’s fair market rent for the county, owner-occupied buildings of ten or fewer units, rent-regulated, income-restricted, condominium and co-op units, and buildings first given a certificate of occupancy in 2009 or later (for 30 years).
Source: RPL §§ 211(7)-(8), 213, 214, 216; DHCR, Good Cause Eviction Law Required DHCR Notice (posted July 16, 2026; list as of May 4, 2026) (read the source). Checked on November 11, 2026.
Rental registration
Rochester’s Building Owner’s Registry requires the owner of a property — named as a natural person — to file contact details when its certificate of occupancy is renewed, or sooner if the City asks. The owner of a property that needs a certificate of occupancy must also register a property maintenance contact, and if the owner lives outside the ZIP codes beginning 13 or 14 that contact must live in Monroe County. Owner-occupied properties are among those exempt.
Source: Rochester City Code § 90-20 (Building owner’s registry); City of Rochester, Certificate of Occupancy FAQ. Checked on November 12, 2026.
Inspections before a new tenant
In Rochester nobody may allow a one-family rental, a building of two or more homes or a mixed-use building with a home in it to be occupied without a valid certificate of occupancy. It is renewed every six years for a one- or two-family rental that is not owner-occupied — every three years if the property is in the City’s Lead High-Risk Area or deteriorated paint was found inside — and every three years for a building of three or more homes or a mixed-use building. An owner-occupied one- or two-family home needs none.
Source: Rochester City Code § 90-16 (as amended by Ord. No. 2026-81); City of Rochester, “When is a Certificate of Occupancy required?”. Checked on November 12, 2026.
Other landlord obligations
Every certificate of occupancy inspection and complaint inspection of a Rochester rental includes a visual check for deteriorated paint and bare soil, under the lead ordinance the City has enforced since July 1, 2006. For a building of two or more homes built before 1980 inside the Lead Paint High-Risk Area, not holding a valid certificate of occupancy on October 1, 2026, and on October 1 every three years after that, is a Lead Rental Registry violation.
Source: Rochester City Code ch. 90, art. III, §§ 90-54(E), 90-55 (as amended by Ord. No. 2026-81). Checked on November 12, 2026.
Also on file
- The State Department of Health names Rochester among the 25 communities where New York’s Lead Rental Registry Law has been in effect since November 3, 2025: a residential rental property built before 1980 with two or more units must be entered in the registry, inspected for lead hazards and hold a Lead Safety Certificate renewed at least every three years, even where one of the units is occupied by the owner or the owner’s family. Source: N.Y. Public Health Law § 1377; NYS Department of Health, Lead Rental Registry Requirements for Property Owners. Checked on November 12, 2026.
New York rules that apply in Rochester
| Rule | New York |
|---|---|
| How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in New York? | 14 days |
| How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in New York? | 1 month of rent |
| Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in New York? | Buildings of six or more units must hold the deposit in an interest-bearing New York account; the owner may keep 1 % as an administrative fee. |
| How much notice does a landlord have to give before raising the rent in New York? | 30 / 60 / 90 days by tenancy length, on increases of 5% or more |
| How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in New York? | 30 / 60 / 90 days by tenancy length |
| How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in New York? | 14 days to pay |
| How much can a landlord charge for a late rent fee in New York? | $50 or 5%, whichever is less |
| Is there a grace period for paying rent in New York? | 5 days |
Every New York rule Seayora publishes.
The homes these rules cover in Rochester
61.9% of the occupied homes in Rochester are rented, about 57,720 households, a share higher than across New York (45.7%).
The median gross rent is $1,081 a month, lower than across New York ($1,621); that is what households report paying, utilities included, not the asking rent for a vacant apartment.
53.4% of renters there pay 30% or more of their income on rent.
87.4% of the homes were built before 1980, and the federal lead-paint disclosure rule covers housing built before 1978.
| Rochester | Monroe County | New York | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that rent | 61.9% (±1.1 points) | 36.3% | 45.7% |
| Median gross rent | $1,081 (±$16) | $1,173 | $1,621 |
| Renters paying 30% or more of income on rent | 53.4% (±2.0 points) | 51.3% | 52.1% |
| Median income of renter households | $35,501 (±$1,436) | $43,830 | $57,803 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 87.4% (±1.9 points) | 69.5% | 73.9% |
| Homes in buildings of five or more units | 23.8% (±1.3 points) | 17.6% | 34.7% |
| Rental vacancy rate | 5.4% (±0.7 points) | 5.0% | 3.8% |
| Households that moved in since 2020 | 30.3% (±1.4 points) | 22.8% | 20.5% |
All housing figures for Rochester: rent by bedrooms, home values, property taxes, commute.
Source: US Census Bureau, Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — undefined. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Questions about Rochester’s local rules
Does a landlord in Rochester need a reason to evict or not renew?
The City of Rochester has adopted New York’s Good Cause Eviction Law: a covered tenant may be evicted only for a good cause the law lists and is entitled to a renewal, and a rent increase above the local rent standard — 8.15% for 2026 (3.15% inflation plus 5%) — is presumed unreasonable. Not covered: a landlord with no more than one unit anywhere in New York, a unit renting for more than 245% of HUD’s fair market rent for the county, owner-occupied buildings of ten or fewer units, rent-regulated, income-restricted, condominium and co-op units, and buildings first given a certificate of occupancy in 2009 or later (for 30 years). (RPL §§ 211(7)-(8), 213, 214, 216; DHCR, Good Cause Eviction Law Required DHCR Notice (posted July 16, 2026; list as of May 4, 2026))
Do landlords have to register rentals in Rochester?
Rochester’s Building Owner’s Registry requires the owner of a property — named as a natural person — to file contact details when its certificate of occupancy is renewed, or sooner if the City asks. The owner of a property that needs a certificate of occupancy must also register a property maintenance contact, and if the owner lives outside the ZIP codes beginning 13 or 14 that contact must live in Monroe County. Owner-occupied properties are among those exempt. (Rochester City Code § 90-20 (Building owner’s registry); City of Rochester, Certificate of Occupancy FAQ)
Does Rochester require an inspection or certificate before a new tenant moves in?
In Rochester nobody may allow a one-family rental, a building of two or more homes or a mixed-use building with a home in it to be occupied without a valid certificate of occupancy. It is renewed every six years for a one- or two-family rental that is not owner-occupied — every three years if the property is in the City’s Lead High-Risk Area or deteriorated paint was found inside — and every three years for a building of three or more homes or a mixed-use building. An owner-occupied one- or two-family home needs none. (Rochester City Code § 90-16 (as amended by Ord. No. 2026-81); City of Rochester, “When is a Certificate of Occupancy required?”)
What else does Rochester require of landlords?
Every certificate of occupancy inspection and complaint inspection of a Rochester rental includes a visual check for deteriorated paint and bare soil, under the lead ordinance the City has enforced since July 1, 2006. For a building of two or more homes built before 1980 inside the Lead Paint High-Risk Area, not holding a valid certificate of occupancy on October 1, 2026, and on October 1 every three years after that, is a Lead Rental Registry violation. (Rochester City Code ch. 90, art. III, §§ 90-54(E), 90-55 (as amended by Ord. No. 2026-81))
This is a summary of the local rules Seayora has read from each place’s own code, not legal advice. Ordinances change and a rule may have exceptions; check the citation and the office named before acting.