Hempstead Town, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 99 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 99-13
Rental occupancy permit required
Operative Text
A. It shall be unlawful and a violation of this article for any person or entity who or which owns a dwelling unit in the Town to use, establish, maintain, operate, let, lease, rent or suffer or permit or allow the occupancy and use thereof as a rental occupancy by someone other than the owner without first having obtained a valid rental occupancy permit therefor. Failure or refusal to procure a rental occupancy permit hereunder shall be deemed a violation. B. A rental occupancy permit issued under this article shall only be issued to the owner(s) of the real property at issue. C. As a rental occupancy permit issued under this article is not transferable, in the event that the ownership of a rental dwelling is transferred, the new owner shall register the property within 30 days of the closing of title pursuant to the requirements set forth in this article. If the rental dwelling is not registered as required by this article, there will be a presumption that said property is being utilized as rental property by the new owner(s) in violation of this article. D. No rental occupancy permit shall be granted to a transient rental property, and no person shall use or permit the use of a property or portion thereof as a transient rental property. E. Rental occupancy permit fees. The owner of the rental dwelling unit shall submit an application to maintain rental occupancy. Such application shall be made upon forms to be furnished by the Town of Hempstead Department of Buildings. The fee for a rental occupancy permit shall be $500 for each property or structure containing one rental dwelling unit, and there shall be assessed an additional fee of $200 for each additional rental dwelling unit permit within the same property or structure having the same ownership. The fees shall be as follows: (1) Each applicant shall remit, upon the submission of an application under this article, a nonrefundable rental occupancy permit application fee of $300 for each property or structure, which fee shall be reasonably related to the administrative costs for registering and processing the rental occupancy permit application form. Rental occupancy permit application fees will not be accepted until the application is complete. (2) Once the application is approved, the initial application fee shall be applied as credit to the rental occupancy permit fee of $500 for each property or structure containing a single rental dwelling unit. (3) If a property or structure contains more than one rental dwelling unit, each additional rental dwelling unit in that property or structure shall be subject to a rental occupancy permit fee of $200. (4) If for any reason an application for a rental occupancy permit has been denied, the fee collected will be applied towards the administrative costs of maintenance and enforcement of this article. (5) The required renewal paperwork for a rental occupancy permit shall be accompanied by the nonrefundable renewal application fee of $450; the fee shall be reasonably related to the administrative costs for processing the renewal of the rental occupancy permit and for the costs of the Town in monitoring and inspecting the rental dwelling unit. Each additional rental dwelling unit within the same structure, having the same ownership shall require a renewal fee of $200. Rental occupancy permit renewal fees will not be accepted until the application is complete. (6) The renewal application fee, once the renewal is approved, shall be applied as credit to the rental occupancy permit fee of $450 for properties containing a single rental dwelling unit. (7) In the event any registration and permit, or renewal thereof, is not obtained on or before the commencement of occupancy of a rental dwelling unit, or such earlier act by any person or entity which would require registration and a permit for such rental dwelling unit, a late charge for such registration and permit, or renewal, shall be paid, in addition to the required registration and permit fee, in an amount equal to two times the fee, prorated for the length of time of the overdue period.
Hempstead Town, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 99 § 99-13 establishes that any dwelling unit rented to someone other than the owner must be covered by a valid rental occupancy permit before occupancy begins. The permit is tied to the owner of record, is not transferable, and must be re-registered within 30 days whenever ownership changes hands. Transient rentals (such as short-term vacation-style arrangements) are prohibited entirely under this provision, and operating without a permit—or failing to register after a title transfer—is treated as a violation by presumption.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under ch. 99 § 99-13, compliant rental property owners in Hempstead Town obtain a rental occupancy permit from the Town of Hempstead Department of Buildings before allowing any non-owner occupancy, paying the applicable permit fees (starting at $500 for a single-unit property, with a $200 add-on per additional unit in the same structure). When a property changes hands, the new owner registers the property within 30 days of closing to avoid the automatic presumption of a violation. Owners also track renewal deadlines, since late registration triggers an additional charge equal to twice the applicable fee, prorated for the overdue period.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 99-13 of Hempstead Town's Code of Ordinances requires that any rental dwelling unit be covered by a valid, owner-held rental occupancy permit, which means tenants have an interest in knowing whether their landlord has complied with this requirement. If a permit was never obtained or lapsed, that non-compliance may be relevant in housing-related proceedings, and tenants can inquire with the Town of Hempstead Department of Buildings about a property's permit status. Tenant-rights organizations familiar with Nassau County housing law can help explain how a landlord's failure to hold a valid permit under this article might affect a tenancy.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation