Ithaca, N.Y., Code of Ordinances ch. 210 § 210-7
Occupancy classifications
Operative Text
Buildings, for the purpose of this Part 1 , shall be classified in respect to their occupancies as follows: A. One- and two-family dwellings: buildings containing one dwelling unit or two dwelling units with fewer than four lodgers residing with a family in either one of such dwelling units. B. Multiple dwellings: (1) The following types of buildings are multiple dwellings where the occupants are primarily permanent in nature and are classified as Group R-2 under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: (a) Buildings containing one dwelling unit or two dwelling units with more than four lodgers, residing with a family in either one of such dwelling units. (b) Buildings containing three or more dwelling units. (c) Apartment houses. (d) Garden apartments. (e) Community residences. (f) Boardinghouses (nontransient). (g) Convents. (h) Dormitories. (i) Fraternities and sororities. (j) Monasteries. (k) Vacation timeshare properties. (l) Hotels (nontransient). (m) Motels (nontransient). (n) Lodging houses and lodging units. (o) Buildings with three or more single rooms to let or combination of three or more dwelling units and single rooms to let. (2) The following types of buildings are multiple dwellings where the occupants are primarily transient in nature and are classified as Group R-1 under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code: (a) Hotels (transient). (b) Motels (transient). (c) Boardinghouses (transient).
Section 210-7 of Ithaca's Code of Ordinances Chapter 210 establishes a classification system that sorts residential buildings into two broad categories—one- and two-family dwellings, and multiple dwellings—based on the number of units, the number of lodgers, and whether occupants are primarily permanent or transient. Multiple dwellings are further divided into those housing primarily permanent residents (aligned with New York State's Group R-2 classification) and those housing primarily transient occupants (aligned with Group R-1). This classification framework determines which regulatory requirements apply to a given building under Part 1 of the code.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers in Ithaca should understand that § 210-7 determines how their building is classified, which in turn governs the full scope of code obligations that apply to their property. A compliant operator generally identifies whether their building falls under the one- and two-family category or one of the multiple-dwelling subcategories—paying close attention to factors such as the number of dwelling units, the number of lodgers residing with a family, and whether occupancy is primarily permanent or transient. Buildings that cross a threshold—such as having more than four lodgers in a unit or adding a third dwelling unit—shift into the multiple-dwelling classification under § 210-7, which typically carries a broader set of regulatory requirements.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 210-7 of Ithaca's Code of Ordinances, the classification of the building where a tenant lives affects which housing code protections and standards apply to that property. Tenants who believe their building may be misclassified—for example, a multi-unit structure treated as a single-family dwelling—may have grounds to raise that classification as relevant in a housing complaint or code-enforcement proceeding. Tenants can contact the City of Ithaca's code enforcement office or a local tenant-rights organization to better understand how their building's classification under § 210-7 may affect their rights.
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 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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