Lewis County staff recommend opting into New York’s short‑term rental registry; public hearing set Dec. 18

County staff recommended that Lewis County opt into New York State’s new short‑term rental registry and presented a revised local occupancy/registration law at committee meetings.

Joan (county staff presenter) and Eric (county staff presenter) said the county has formally tracked lodging since 2004 and now lists about 23 traditional lodging businesses plus roughly 110 short‑term rentals. "We estimate that today, there's another 100 to 150 short term rentals that exist out there that have not registered with us," Eric said during the presentation, citing the county's outreach and informal identification efforts. Staff reported annual occupancy‑tax receipts in recent years of approximately $165,000–$175,000 and $124,000 collected through August of the current year.

The staff presentation explained that state law established a statewide registry and a new section in the real property tax law covering registration and related requirements. Under the state framework, properties must register and booking platforms may only assist properties that appear on the registry. Staff said opting in would allow Lewis County to share data with New York State, booking platforms and local towns and villages, and to use state enforcement resources (including assistance from the Attorney General’s office) alongside local enforcement tools.

County staff also outlined safety and recordkeeping requirements that would apply to registered properties, including basic safety items (for example, a fire extinguisher and an egress diagram) and two‑year record retention for hosts and booking services. Staff said the registration can be self‑attested initially to allow codes staff flexibility in scheduling inspections over time.

Implementation steps and timeline: staff reported the county is transitioning from an Excel list of properties to an online registration portal created by a vendor called Deckard, with a planned go‑live in the coming weeks and direct mailings to over 100 owners identified as not yet registered. The county's draft local law amending the existing occupancy/tax registration law will be presented at the Lewis County board meeting and is scheduled for a public hearing on Dec. 18, 2025.

Opt‑out deadline and consequences: staff said the county would have until June 22, 2026, to opt out of the state registry if it chooses not to participate. Opting in means the county would be subject to state registry rules (and associated enforcement), while opting out would require Lewis County to pursue its own data‑sharing arrangements with booking platforms and rely primarily on local enforcement measures.

Next steps: the committee received the presentation and the county scheduled the introductory local law for a public hearing on Dec. 18. Staff recommended the county opt in to the state registry and proceed with the Deckard portal rollout and outreach to unregistered property owners.

What remains unresolved: the draft law includes provisions the county plans to refine (for example, registration fees were not finalized and staff said a fee is "something we would consider" only after estimating county costs). Questions about ADA compliance and specific inspection timing were raised and noted as items staff would research further.

The committee did not vote on the opt‑in recommendation during the presentation; the public hearing on the local law is set for Dec. 18, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.