Ithaca, NY short-term rental permit
Ithaca's Common Council adopted short-term rental rules on May 1, 2024, and full enforcement started June 1, 2025. Even advertising a rental in the city takes a permit. Single-family homes and two-unit homes qualify, as does any unit its owner occupies.[4]
Every rule below links to the official source it comes from, verified October 1, 2026.
Can you rent short term in Ithaca?
Get a permit first
What you apply for: Short-term rental operating permit
- Seasonal homes
- 0
- Housing units
- 16,183
- Residents
- 32,814
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates
- City rulePermit required
- City fee$400
- Tax on each stay18%
- Seasonal homes0 per 1,000
Ithaca short-term rental permit
Ithaca charges $400 for a short-term rental operating permit, and every unit rented to guests needs one. The permit is valid for one year. Renewal opens three months before it expires. Renting, offering or advertising a unit without a valid permit is a violation. Fines reach $500 a day or the daily rental rate, whichever is higher.[5]
What Ithaca asks of you
The rental must be on the same property as the host's primary residence. The city defines that as a home lived in at least 184 days a year.[4]
Only a natural person can apply. A corporation, LLC or trust cannot hold the permit.[4]
A tenant may apply for the home they live in, with the owner's permission. The Owner's Authorization Form has to be notarized.[6]
In a multiple dwelling or a mixed-use building, a unit qualifies only when its owner lives there.[6]
Single-family homes and two-family homes cap each unit at three unrelated adults. A fourth unrelated adult turns the home into a multiple dwelling.[6]
Before applying, the host gets each unit inspected for a Certificate of Compliance. In a one- or two-family home, that certificate lasts five years.[6]
The operating permit is revoked if the Certificate of Compliance lapses.[6]
Of the $400 fee, $100 is a nonrefundable application charge.[6]
The application names a local contact in Tompkins County who can respond to the property within 60 minutes.[6]
Noise, trash and occupancy problems are the host's to resolve within 60 minutes. Failing to respond can cost the permit.[7]
Repeated complaints or serious code violations also lead to revocation.[7]
Each permit lists a maximum occupancy for related adults and for unrelated adults. No listing or booking may go above it.[7]
Listings carry the permit number in the city's format, for example City of Ithaca #STR-24-1. The Certificate of Authority number does not need to appear.[7]
A copy of the permit hangs in the main entryway of each rented unit, along with a copy of the Certificate of Compliance.[5]
A renewal comes with proof of last year's City occupancy tax payments. It also includes an Annual Rental Report for every platform used.[8]
Three months after expiration, the permit can no longer be renewed. A new application is required instead.[8]
Residents can call a 24/7 hotline about noise, parking or trash at a rental.[4]
Tompkins County requires its own Certificate of Authority for every short-term rental in the county. The fee is $125 per unit, and the certificate lasts two years.[11]
What New York asks wherever you host
These rules apply at this address whatever the city decides.
In New York State, the county keeps the short-term rental registry. Once yours opens, the unit is registered there and its number appears on each listing.[1]
Short-term stays have carried sales tax since March 1, 2025. When a platform takes the booking, the platform charges that tax and remits it.[2]
Local control stays with cities, towns and villages, which can set operating rules. A local law can also ban short-term rentals outright.[1]
What a guest pays on top of your nightly rate in Ithaca
Each layer is set by a different authority, and not all of them are collected by the platform.
| Layer | Rate | Remitted to |
|---|---|---|
| New York State sales tax[3] | 4% | The state revenue department |
| Local sales tax in the City of Ithaca[3] | 4% | The state revenue department |
| Tompkins County hotel room occupancy tax[11] | 5% | The county |
| City of Ithaca hotel room occupancy tax[9] | 5% | The city |
| Total on a taxable stay | 18% |
According to the city, Airbnb collects Tompkins County's room tax for Ithaca hosts but not the City's. Each host registers with the City Controller to charge that 5% directly.[10]
Airbnb taxes for hostsWhat the census counts
How much of Ithaca is already a second home
The Census Bureau counts 0 of Ithaca's 16,183 homes as vacant for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. That is 0 out of every 1,000. It ranks Ithaca 13th of the 13 New York cities on this site for the share of its housing stock kept for part-year use.
- Rank in the state
- 13th of 13
- Share of housing
- 0 per 1,000
- Median home value
- $342,700
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 5-year estimates, tables B25004, B25001, B01003 and B25077.
Nearby and comparable
Where Ithaca sits among its neighbors
New York City, NY
Primary residence only
With a city registration, in your own home while you stay there, two guests at most. Whole-home rentals under 30 days are not allowed.
New York City short-term rental rulesSouthold, NY
Permit required
4,682 seasonal homes, 301 per 1,000 housing units.
Southold short-term rental rulesLake George, NY
Permit required
805 seasonal homes, 301 per 1,000 housing units.
Lake George short-term rental rulesWebb, NY
Permit required
2,958 seasonal homes, 781 per 1,000 housing units.
Webb short-term rental rulesFAQ
Ithaca short-term rental questions
Can I get an Ithaca short-term rental permit for a second home?
What happens to an Ithaca host caught renting without a permit?
Does Ithaca have its own occupancy tax?
How long does the Tompkins County registration last?
Sources
- Real Property Law section 447-c, registration, New York State Senate, read on October 1, 2026
- Sales tax on short-term rental unit occupancy, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, read on October 1, 2026
- Publication 718, Sales and Use Tax Rates by Jurisdiction, effective March 1, 2025, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, read on October 1, 2026
- Short-Term Rentals, City of Ithaca Planning Division, read on October 1, 2026
- Short Term Rentals FAQs, City of Ithaca, read on October 1, 2026
- A Detailed Guide to Applying for a Short-Term Rental Operating Permit (updated 7/16/2026), City of Ithaca, read on October 1, 2026
- City of Ithaca Short-Term Rental Guide for Hosts (updated 7/16/2026), City of Ithaca, read on October 1, 2026
- Renewing your Short-Term Rental Operating Permit (updated 7/16/2026), City of Ithaca, read on October 1, 2026
- City of Ithaca Hotel Room Occupancy Tax, City of Ithaca Controller, read on October 1, 2026
- Room Occupancy Tax FAQs, City of Ithaca, read on October 1, 2026
- Tompkins County Hotel Room Occupancy Tax, Tompkins County Finance Department, read on October 1, 2026
- Local Law No. 3 of 2025, Modification of Article II Hotel Room Occupancy Tax Law, Tompkins County Legislature, read on October 1, 2026
This page is not legal advice. It summarizes the official sources listed on this page as they read on October 1, 2026. Rules can change after that date, so check with the issuing office before you apply or publish a listing.
Before you list
Free tools for new hosts
Short-term rental agreement generator
Parties, dates, rent, deposit checked against your state's cap, and the house rules clauses you enforce. A signed-ready PDF for direct and Vrbo bookings.
Airbnb host fee calculator
What Airbnb takes on a booking under the 15.5% host-only fee or the old split fee, what the guest pays on top, and the payout that reaches you.
Airbnb profit calculator
Nightly rate, occupancy, Airbnb fee, management, mortgage, taxes and depreciation. You get cash flow, cash-on-cash return and what is left after the IRS.
Airbnb house rules
Generate a complete PDF house rules document for your property: rules, schedule, amenities, emergency contacts.