Landlord Atlas

Rochester, New York: Good Cause Eviction (local opt-in law)

Verified September 16, 2026 All New York topics →

Rochester has no rent control of its own, but it is covered by New York's Good Cause Eviction law, which the City Council opted into on December 17, 2024.

Cited to Charter of the City of Rochester § 10-13 (Good Cause Eviction Law) and 10 more sources · Verified September 16, 2026

A landlord needs one of ten legal grounds to evict a covered tenant or refuse to renew a lease, and a rent increase above the yearly local rent standard — 8.15% for Rochester right now — is presumed unreasonable, so rent a tenant did not pay because of a larger increase cannot support an eviction. Rochester chose the strictest small-landlord line the state allows: only a landlord owning no more than one rental unit anywhere in New York is exempt, against a statewide default of ten. Homes renting above 245% of the Monroe County fair market rent, buildings with a certificate of occupancy issued on or after January 1, 2009, and owner-occupied buildings of 10 units or fewer are also outside the law. Both the state law and Rochester's opt-in expire on June 15, 2034.

Current published figures

Figure Value Applies to Source
Good Cause Eviction local rent standard, Rochester 8.15% — computed from the statutory formula (5% plus the 3.15% Northeast Region inflation figure in the state housing agency's August 2026 notice; capped at 10%) Annual notice posted July 16, 2026 and reposted August 17, 2026; the next notice is due by August 1, 2027 Official source
High-rent exemption line for Monroe County — 245% of fair market rent $2,734 efficiency, $3,077 one-bedroom, $3,854 two-bedroom, $4,643 three-bedroom, $5,103 four-bedroom Annual notice posted July 16, 2026 and reposted August 17, 2026; the next notice is due by August 1, 2027 Official source
Certificate of occupancy fees, residential $150 single-family; $250 two-family; $350 for 3 or more units plus $25 for each unit over 5; $450 mixed commercial and residential plus $25 for each unit over 5; $350 rooming house plus $25 for each rooming unit over 5 Set by ordinance adopted June 16, 2026; in effect from 2026 until the next fee ordinance Official source

These figures change on a published cycle; each row states the window it applies to and links the source that published it. Confirm the current figure at the source before acting on it.

What is in force

In force today. Rochester has no rent control and no rent stabilization of its own; what binds landlords here is New York's Good Cause Eviction law, Article 6-A of the Real Property Law, which the City Council opted into on December 17, 2024 by a 7 to 2 vote. The opt-in sits in the City Charter at Section 10-13, added by Local Law No. 4 of 2025, and it took effect on its filing with the New York Secretary of State; the state housing agency listed Rochester as a participating city in its notice dated February 19, 2025. Rochester is the largest New York municipality outside New York City to have opted in. Both the state law and the local law expire on June 15, 2034.

The rent increase limit

There is no ceiling on what a landlord may charge and no rent board in Rochester. Instead, a rent increase above a yearly figure called the local rent standard is presumed unreasonable, and rent a tenant did not pay because of an unreasonable increase cannot be the basis for eviction. The standard is the lower of 10% or 5% plus the yearly change in consumer prices for the region, so for Rochester it is 8.15% right now. The presumption can be argued against in court: a judge may weigh the landlord's costs for fuel, utilities, insurance and maintenance, must weigh property tax expenses, and may weigh completed significant repairs, meaning the replacement or substantial modification of a structural, electrical, plumbing or mechanical system requiring a permit, or the abatement of lead-based paint, mold or asbestos. Cosmetic work does not count. There is no banking of unused increases.

What housing is covered

Good Cause reaches most rental homes in the city from the first day of the tenancy, with no waiting period. The main exemptions are: a landlord who owns no more than one rental unit anywhere in New York State, which is the strictest line the state allows and far below the default of ten; an owner-occupied building with no more than 10 units; a home whose monthly rent is above 245% of the fair market rent for Monroe County; a building whose certificate of occupancy was issued on or after January 1, 2009, exempt for 30 years from that date; a home already covered by other rent or eviction regulation; income-restricted affordable housing; condominium and cooperative units; manufactured homes in a manufactured home park; housing tied to a job that has ended; seasonal homes; hotel rooms and other short-stay housing; dormitories; hospitals, assisted living residences, adult care facilities and similar senior housing; and housing within and for use by a religious facility. A landlord who claims the small-landlord exemption in an eviction case must name every person who owns the property, say how many units each owns and give the addresses, and an owner that is a company must name every person holding an interest in it.

What happens on vacancy

Good Cause protects the tenant living in the home, not the home itself. Neither the state law nor the Rochester law limits the rent a landlord may ask of a new tenant, and there is no provision that carries a limit across a turnover.

Eviction and termination rules

A landlord cannot evict, refuse to renew a lease, or otherwise remove a covered tenant without one of ten legal grounds: unpaid rent that did not come from an unreasonable increase; violating a substantial obligation of the tenancy or the landlord's reasonable rules, left uncured 10 days after written notice; nuisance, malicious or grossly negligent damage, or interfering with the comfort and safety of others; occupancy that breaks the law and has drawn an official vacate order; using the home for an illegal purpose; unreasonably refusing the landlord access; the landlord or a listed family member moving in as a principal residence; demolition; taking the home off the rental market; and refusing reasonable lease changes, including an increase at or below the local rent standard, where 30 to 90 days' written notice was given before the lease ended. The last four grounds carry extra weight: personal use, demolition and market withdrawal each require clear and convincing evidence, and personal use cannot be used against a tenant who is 65 or older or who is a disabled person. A tenant forced out under those three grounds by a false statement about the landlord's plans can sue for damages and attorney fees. Rochester added two definitions of its own: nuisance means a public or a private nuisance, and taking a home off the rental market includes a temporary withdrawal for significant repairs, but only where the landlord documents the specific work and its timeline and states in writing that no rent will be collected while the work goes on. Everything else about how an eviction case proceeds follows statewide law.

Registration and filings

Good Cause itself carries no registration duty, but Rochester runs its own rental compliance system. Every building owner must register with the City and re-register within 10 days of any change or of buying the building, and no certificate of occupancy is issued until the owner has registered. An owner who lives outside the region must name a Monroe County resident as the property maintenance person. A company that owns rental property must disclose its members, managers and authorized persons, and keep disclosing through each layer until every individual owner is named. A valid certificate of occupancy is required before anyone may occupy a rental home. It lasts 3 years for a building of 3 or more units, for a mixed commercial and residential building with at least one home, and for a one- or two-family home inside the Lead Paint High-Risk Area; it lasts 6 years for a non-owner-occupied one-family home or a two-family home outside that area. Renewal must be applied for at least 90 days before it expires. Owner-occupied one-family homes, and owner-occupied two-family homes outside the Lead Paint High-Risk Area, can be exempted on request. The certificate also serves as the Lead Safety Certificate and records the state Lead Rental Registry inspection requirements.

Other requirements

Every landlord in Rochester, including one whose property is exempt, must give tenants a filled-out state notice saying whether the home is covered by Good Cause and, if it is not, which exemption applies. The notice goes with a first lease, a renewal lease, a rent-increase or non-renewal notice, a rent demand, and an eviction petition, and it must state the reason for any non-renewal and the justification for any increase above the local rent standard. Separately, a landlord planning a renewal increase of 5% or more, or planning not to renew, must give written notice 30 days ahead if the tenant has lived there under a year, 60 days if one to two years, and 90 days if more than two years; late notice extends the tenancy on the old terms until the notice period runs out. Rochester also inspects for lead: every inspection, including one for a new or renewed certificate of occupancy, includes a check for deteriorated paint and bare soil, and inside the Lead Paint High-Risk Area an owner whose home shows no interior deteriorated paint has 60 days to have dust samples taken and certified results filed. Retaliating against a tenant who reports a suspected lead hazard is prohibited, and a rent increase, cut in services, refusal to renew or attempted eviction within six months of such a report is presumed retaliatory unless the landlord shows otherwise. The City must mail a Landlord-Tenant Bill of Rights and Responsibilities to the tenants and the owner of every known rental property once a year and attach it to every certificate of occupancy. Rochester has no local law on tenant harassment, no local right to counsel in eviction cases, and no local security deposit limits.

Notes and caveats

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Rochester, New York: Good Cause Eviction (local opt-in law) (verified September 16, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/new-york/rochester/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified).

Citations

This page records local law. Statewide laws — deposits, notice periods, late fees, entry, evictions — live on the New York hub, and the state-level position on local rent regulation appears there with its own citations and verification date.