Ulster County, NY Short-Term Rental Regulation by Town (2026 Update)

Ulster County towns set their own short-term rental rules, including limits and permit requirements. We reviewed the town laws in July 2026 and updated entries for several towns in November 2026. It is a starting point, not legal advice, and the single most reliable answer is always the town's building or code-enforcement office for your specific address.

Two things that apply almost everywhere

Ulster County occupancy tax

Regardless of your town, Ulster County treats short-term rentals as hotels for tax purposes. Owners must register with the Ulster County Department of Finance and remit the county room-occupancy tax. Airbnb collects and remits this for many hosts, but you are generally still required to register and file. New York State law now requires short-term rentals to be registered, and under a 2025 amendment each county runs that registry unless it opts out by local law, so ask the county whether its registry is open. Since March 1, 2025, state and local sales tax also applies to short-term rental stays; booking platforms collect it on the bookings they handle.

The village-or-city trap

Several place names in Ulster County belong to two separate governments with different rules. The most common mistakes: the City of Kingston is not the Town of Kingston; the Village of New Paltz is not the Town of New Paltz; the Village of Saugerties is not the Town of Saugerties; and hamlets like Accord, Kerhonkson, Stone Ridge, and West Hurley are governed by their parent town, not by the hamlet name. Confirm which government your parcel actually sits in before anything else, because the rules can be opposite on the same road.

Short-term rental rules by town

City of Kingston

Whole-home short-term rentals require a permit under the City's Form-Based Code (Section 405.21) and are capped citywide at about 106 permits. The cap was first reached in 2024, and since then the City reopens a short application window whenever non-renewals drop it below the cap, awarding the openings by random selection with a waitlist, so whole-home availability comes and goes. Owner-occupied room rentals and limited-use permits are not capped. Check the City permit portal for live availability.

Town of Kingston

A separate government from the City. The Town regulates short-term rentals under its own Chapter 314, limits them to single-family homes, and requires an annual permit that does not transfer to a new owner. Confirm with the Town's code office.

Town of Saugerties

Short-term rentals are allowed with an annual permit under Local Law No. 2 of 2022 (Town Code Chapter 194). Only the owner may apply, the home must be a single-family dwelling or permitted accessory apartment, and each permit includes a yearly inspection. The Town does not require owner-occupancy and has not enacted a cap, though it reserved the right to add one. Homes inside the Village of Saugerties follow a separate law: the Village's Rental Property Law (Chapter 148, amended 2023) requires free registration and, for an owner who lives elsewhere, a managing agent in Ulster County. The Village's zoning does not list short-term rentals as a use, and unlisted uses need a special use permit from the Village Planning Board, so confirm that step with the Village before listing (updated November 2026).

Town of Woodstock

One of the stricter towns. Rentals require an annual permit plus county registration, and permits are capped townwide with a waiting list once full (Chapter 260, Local Law No. 1 of 2019). Owner-occupied homes have the most flexibility; non-owner-occupied "investment" rentals are limited in the nights and weekends they can be booked, must name a local contact, and generally need a special permit. The cap and fees are reset by the Town Board each year.

Town of Rochester (Accord, Kerhonkson)

Accord and part of Kerhonkson sit in the Town of Rochester, which requires a Short-Term Transient Rental permit on a two-year cycle with an annual inspection (Local Law No. 3 of 2021, Section 140-26A). Rentals are limited to single-family and two-family homes in certain zoning districts. The Town Board sets a yearly cap on new non-owner-occupied permits; owner-occupied permits are not capped. In September 2026 the Town Board reportedly set the 2027 cap at zero, so no new permits for homes the owner does not live in are expected in 2027. The cap is reset each year, so check again before 2028 (updated November 2026). Note that Kerhonkson also extends into the Town of Wawarsing, which adopted its own similar law (Local Law No. 2 of 2024), so confirm which town your parcel is in.

Town of Marbletown (Stone Ridge, High Falls)

Short-term rentals are permitted as an accessory use in all zoning districts except Industrial, with an annual permit, county registration, and a yearly inspection (Local Law No. 4 of 2019). Each owner is limited to one owner-occupied and one non-owner-occupied rental, occupancy is capped at ten guests, and a 2025 law adds restrictions on renting units where the property has an accessory dwelling unit. Parts of High Falls fall in neighboring towns, so confirm which town governs your parcel.

Town of Hurley (Hurley, West Hurley, Glenford)

Hurley allows short-term rentals only when the home is the owner's primary residence and the owner is present during each stay (Section 210-33, Local Law No. 2 of 2021 as amended). Non-owner-occupied rentals are not permitted. An annual permit and inspection are required, and occupancy is capped at two guests per bedroom, up to six people.

Town of New Paltz

In the Town of New Paltz, non-owner-occupied rentals must obtain an annual rental registration permit with an inspection (Town Code Chapter 110, Local Law No. 4 of 2021), and that law has no owner-occupancy requirement or cap. But registration is not a zoning approval. The Town's Zoning Law (Chapter 140) does not list short-term rentals as a use in any district, allows only the uses it lists, and excludes transient occupancy from its definition of a dwelling, so a whole-home rental may not be allowed under zoning even with a registration. Ask the Building Department how it treats your address before you buy or list (updated November 2026). This is different from the Village of New Paltz (below), which has different rules, so scope your address carefully.

Village of New Paltz

The Village has its own law. In residential districts, short-term rentals are limited to the host's own primary residence, and whole-home rentals are generally allowed only in commercial districts with a special permit (Village Code Chapter 129, Local Law No. 1 of 2021).

Town of Olive (Shokan, West Shokan, Boiceville, Olivebridge)

Olive requires a permit for any short-term rental under Chapter 114 (Local Law No. 4 of 2021, amended most recently by Local Law No. 2 of 2025). Owner-occupied rentals are not capped, but non-owner-occupied rentals are limited by a town-wide cap the Town Board resets every January, and each owner may hold only one permit. For 2026 every non-owner-occupied permit was taken and there was a waiting list, so a new non-owner-occupied permit is unlikely before the Board sets the 2027 number in January. Confirm current availability with the town (updated November 2026).

Town of Shandaken (Phoenicia, Pine Hill, Mt. Tremper)

Shandaken requires a license under Chapter 104 (Local Law No. 2 of 2022, updated by Local Law No. 4 of 2024). Licenses for owners whose primary residence is in Shandaken remain available, but non-resident licenses are capped at 100, and the town's licensing page says that cap has been met, so new non-resident licenses are not being issued (rechecked November 2026). Licenses do not transfer to a new owner. Shandaken also does not accept Airbnb-provided insurance in place of the owner's own policy.

Town of Lloyd (Highland, Clintondale)

Lloyd requires two approvals: a special use permit from the Planning Board and a short-term rental permit from the Building Department (Section 100-42.1, Local Law No. 7 of 2022, amended 2024). Rentals are allowed only as an accessory use to a single- or two-family home in designated districts, and an owner may hold at most two permits. Permits run two years with annual inspections.

Town of Esopus (Port Ewen, West Park, Ulster Park)

Esopus allows short-term rentals with an annual operating permit in certain districts (Section 123-13, adopted as part of Local Law No. 8 of 2021). Owner-occupied rentals are lighter; non-owner-occupied rentals additionally require Planning Board site plan approval, a host within about fifteen driving miles, and at least one million dollars in liability insurance. Permits do not transfer when a property is sold.

Town of Rosendale (Rosendale, Tillson, Bloomington)

Rosendale adopted a short-term rental law in 2024 (Local Law No. 5 of 2024, Chapter 75, Section 75-28), so this town is newly regulated. Operating requires a Short-Term Transient Rental permit on a two-year cycle with inspections, the law limits an owner to two permitted properties, and it requires liability insurance. Confirm the current process with the town.

Town of Marlborough (Marlboro, Milton)

Marlborough regulates short-term rentals under its zoning code (Section 155-32.3, Local Law No. 2 of 2021). It requires an annual permit and inspection plus county registration, and notably the code requires that an individual owner be a resident of the Town of Marlborough. Rental of multiple-dwelling units as short-term rentals is prohibited.

Town of Plattekill (Modena, Ardonia)

Plattekill's short-term rental law is now part of the Town Code (Chapter 86, Local Law No. 4 of 2025). Every rental needs a town operating permit in addition to an Ulster County tax certificate. The law allows both owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied whole-home rentals in every district except General Business, with a limit of one of each per person. It also lets the Town Board cap either type by resolution at any time, and those resolutions are not published in the code, so ask the Building Department whether a cap is in place before you buy or list (updated November 2026).

Town of Denning (Claryville, Sundown)

Denning permits short-term rentals by special use permit under its zoning law. The town's moratorium on new short-term rental applications was set to expire on August 11, 2026, and we found no further extension, so the special use permit route should be open again; ask the Town Clerk whether applications are being accepted. Replacement rules modeled on Olive's law, which caps non-owner-occupied rentals, were approved in draft by the Planning Board in August 2026 and were headed to a Town Board public hearing. Expect the rules to change soon, and confirm the current status with the Denning Town Clerk before relying on it (updated November 2026).

Town of Shawangunk (Wallkill, part of Pine Bush)

Shawangunk adopted a Short-Term Rental Safety and Inspection License law in 2025 (Local Law No. 3 of 2025). It allows rentals with an annual license, inspections, a one-license-per-lot limit, and an occupancy cap, and the Town Board may cap the total number of licenses by resolution. Note the hamlet of Pine Bush straddles Shawangunk and the Town of Crawford in Orange County, where short-term rentals are currently prohibited, so confirming your parcel's town is essential here.

Village of Ellenville

Ellenville regulates short-term rentals under its zoning code (Chapter 227, Section 227-25.6, first adopted in 2020 and amended in early 2026). A yearly village permit is required, rentals are limited to 90 nights per year, the operator must be the property owner, and occupancy is capped. An "Ellenville" address in the surrounding Town of Wawarsing follows the separate town rules instead, so confirm which government applies.

Town of Wawarsing

Wawarsing adopted a short-term rental law in 2024 (Local Law No. 2 of 2024) requiring a permit, a two-year cycle, and annual inspections, with a cap on new non-owner-occupied permits. We could not confirm how full that cap is, so ask the town whether new non-owner-occupied permits are available before you buy, and confirm current requirements, and note the Village of Ellenville inside Wawarsing has its own separate law.

Town of Gardiner

As of November 2026, we found no dedicated short-term rental law in Gardiner, so rentals generally operate under existing residential zoning plus Ulster County occupancy tax. The town is also considering a local law that would add a 4% occupancy tax and annual registration for lodging, including short-term rentals, so confirm its status with the Town Clerk. Figures such as a 100-permit cap come from an earlier short-term rental proposal that we found no record of being adopted.

Town of Ulster (Lake Katrine, East Kingston, Ruby)

The Town of Ulster has no dedicated short-term rental law in force. Its zoning code (Chapter 190) says the uses in its Summary of Permitted Uses are exclusive and no other uses are permitted without a zoning change, and short-term rentals are not on that list. The only lodging use in residential districts is a bed and breakfast, which must be owner-occupied. A draft short-term rental law went to public hearing in September 2026 and had not been adopted when we last checked, so the answer may change. Until then, a whole-home rental by an owner who lives elsewhere may not be allowed; confirm with the town before you buy or list (updated November 2026).

Town of Hardenburgh

Hardenburgh has no dedicated short-term rental law. Its Zoning Law (adopted 1992, amended 2007) says any use not specifically permitted is prohibited, does not mention short-term rentals, and excludes transient accommodations from its definition of a residence. The closest route in the code is a Planning Board special permit for hotels and motels; whether a whole-home rental can use it is up to the town, and the decision is discretionary. The code itself has no owner-occupancy rule or cap for that route. County occupancy tax and the state registry still apply. Confirm with the town clerk before listing (updated November 2026).

From the rules to a rental plan

Confirm your property's eligibility with the relevant municipality before relying on rental-income projections. Then separate the hiring decision into three questions:

1. Does the operating plan fit the property? Confirm the applicable jurisdiction and requirements, your intended use and the dates you can offer guests.
2. Who handles the work? Review our Ulster County management services and owner responsibilities overview.
3. What remains after costs? Use the complete fee schedule and illustrative annual calculation, with your own property expenses added separately.

For town-specific management information, see Saugerties, Woodstock, Kingston or New Paltz.

Confirm the rules for your home

Confirm eligibility and permit requirements with your municipality before you list.

The town-law summaries were reviewed in July 2026. The September 2026 edit added owner-planning guidance and service links; it did not reverify every town's law. The November 2026 update revised Gardiner, Saugerties (Village), Rochester, New Paltz (Town), Olive, Shandaken, Plattekill, Denning, the Town of Ulster, Hardenburgh and Wawarsing; entries without an update note have not been reverified since July. It is general information, not legal advice. Short-term rental laws change, and towns set fees and caps by resolution, so always confirm the current requirements for your specific address with the town or city before buying or listing.