NY County Considers Opting Out of Statewide STR Registry Law

4/21/2026

Ontario County, New York, is considering opting out of a statewide short-term rental (STR) registry law, with county leaders leaning toward not creating and operating their own system for listings. Officials say the decision, discussed for longer than a year, is largely driven by administrative cost concerns and the county’s inability to fund a registry through occupancy taxes, unlike other counties that have opted in. Under the state law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul, counties may choose whether to implement local STR registries, with the option to opt in later but not easily opt out once they do. Ontario County officials noted limited public input on the issue and said they may revisit the decision in the future. The final vote is expected at the Board of Supervisors’ next meeting in May.

RochesterFirst.com (04/16/26) Ryan Hermenet