Horseheads, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 135 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 135-7

Exceptions

In Force
Verified 11/10/2026 · Next check 12/10/2026
HorseheadsFair Housing & Anti-Discrimination

Operative Text

Horseheads, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 135 (eCode360 ed. 2026) § 135-7
A. Sales/rentals by owners. Nothing in § 135-4 , (other than Subsection C) shall apply to: (1) Any single-family house sold or rented by an owner, provided that such private individual owner does not own more than three (3) such single-family houses at any one (1) time, provided further that, in the case of the sale of any such single-family house by a private individual owner not residing in such house at the time of such sale or who was not the recent resident of such house prior to such sale, the exception granted by this subsection shall apply only with respect to one (1) such sale within any twenty-four-month period, provided further that such bona fide private individual owner does not own any interest in nor is there owned or reserved on his or her behalf under any express or voluntary agreement title to any right to all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale or rental or more than three (3) such single-family houses at one (1) time, provided further that the sale or rental of any such single-family house shall be excepted from the application of this chapter only if such house is sold or rented without the use in any manner of the sales or rental facilities or the sales or rental services of any real estate broker, agent or salesperson or of such facilities or services of any person in the business of selling or renting dwellings or of any employee or agent of any such broker, agent, salesperson or person and without the publication, posting or mailing, after notice, of any advertisement or written notice in violation of § 135-4 of this chapter, but nothing in this provision shall prohibit the use of attorneys, escrow agents, abstractors, title companies and other such professional assistance as may be necessary to perfect or transfer the title. (2) Rooms or units in dwellings containing living quarters occupied or intended to be occupied by no more than four (4) families living independently of each other, if the owner actually maintains and occupies one (1) of such living quarters as his or her residence. (a) For the purpose of this exemption, a person shall be deemed to be in the business of selling or renting dwellings if: [1] He or she has, within the preceding twelve (12) months, participated as principal in three (3) or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any dwelling or any interest therein; [2] He or she has, within the preceding twelve (12) months, participated as agent, other than in the sale of his or her own personal residence, in providing sales or rental facilities or sales or rental services in two (2) or more transactions involving the sale or rental of any dwelling or any interest therein; or [3] He or she is the owner of any dwelling designed or intended for occupancy by or occupied by five (5) or more families. B. Sales/rentals by religious organizations. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit a religious organization, association or society or any nonprofit institution or organization operated, supervised or controlled by or in conjunction with a religious organization, association or society from limiting the sale, rental or occupancy of dwellings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose to persons of the same religion or from giving preference to such persons, unless membership in such religion is restricted on account of race, color, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin; nor shall anything in this chapter prohibit a private club not in fact open to the public which, as an incident to its primary purpose or purposes, provides lodgings which it owns or operates for other than a commercial purpose, from limiting the rental or occupancy of such lodgings to its members or from giving preference to its members.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Section 135-7 of Horseheads, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 135 carves out specific categories of housing transactions from the fair-housing requirements of § 135-4. Private individual owners of no more than three single-family homes may qualify for an exemption when selling or renting without using a real estate broker or posting discriminatory advertisements, subject to additional conditions on frequency and residency. Owner-occupied buildings of four or fewer units, religious organizations renting to members of their faith, and private clubs providing lodging to their own members are also exempt under defined circumstances.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on November 9, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners in Horseheads should understand that § 135-7 sets precise eligibility thresholds for these exemptions — including limits on the number of single-family homes owned, restrictions on how often a non-resident owner may invoke the exemption (once per 24-month period), and a prohibition on using brokers or posting discriminatory notices. Operators of small owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units may also qualify, provided the owner genuinely resides in one of the units. Compliant operators typically document their ownership portfolio, residency status, and transaction history to confirm they remain within the bounds of § 135-7.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Tenants in Horseheads should be aware that § 135-7 does not create a blanket exemption from fair-housing protections — the exceptions are narrow and conditional, and a landlord who fails to meet every stated requirement remains subject to § 135-4. If a tenant believes a landlord is improperly claiming an exemption — for example, by using a real estate broker while asserting the private-owner exception, or by owning more than three single-family homes — that may be relevant to a potential fair-housing complaint. Tenant-rights organizations and local or state fair-housing agencies can help evaluate whether the conditions of § 135-7 were actually satisfied in a given situation.

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

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References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Horseheads Code § 135-4
Horseheads Code § 135-7
Horseheads Code § 135-7
Horseheads Code § 135-4

Related Rules

§ 5.106
§ 5.106 Equal access in accordance with the individual's gender identity in community planning and development programs.
§ 5.109
§ 5.109 Equal participation of faith-based organizations in HUD programs and activities.
§ 2
Policies; recommendations

Source Information

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