Syracuse, N.Y., Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27 § 27-133
Registration
Operative Text
(a) To obtain a rental registry certificate, an owner of a one-family and/or two-family non-owner occupied dwelling must, at the time of registration:
(1) Complete the rental registry certificate application form as described in section 27-134 , and disclose all required information to the satisfaction of the division of code enforcement;
(2) Pay all required fees, pursuant to section 27-132 above;
(3) Have no open cases with the division of code enforcement on the property being registered;
(4) Complete an affidavit of compliance, pursuant to section 27-140 below;
(5) Be current on all taxes and water bills for the property being registered;
(6) Have no pending nuisance abatement proceedings or orders of closure for the property being registered;
(7) The property being registered must pass an exterior and interior inspection conducted by employees of the division of code enforcement. Interior inspections shall be conducted either with consent of the property owner, property manager, or tenant(s), or pursuant to an inspection warrant issued by a court of competent jurisdiction in accordance with the procedures outlined below. This shall not be construed to require a person to consent to an inspection of the property in order to determine compliance with applicable code provisions; and
(b) The rental registry certificate application form and affidavit of compliance shall be signed by an owner of the property or a property manager, registered with the city of Syracuse, who is also employed by the owner to manage the registered property.
(c) Owners of one-family and/or two-family non-owner occupied dwellings that are required to be registered pursuant to section 27-131 (a) shall file the rental registry certificate application form during the following time periods, determined by the property's location within one of the city's four (4) quadrants used by the department of public works for the yard waste and construction debris pick-up schedule, as set forth and defined in section 14-21 (b) of the Revised General Ordinances of the city of Syracuse, as amended:
(1) Properties located within the southeast quadrant shall have their rental registry certificate application forms filed between January 1 and February 15 every odd year.
(2) Properties located within the southwest quadrant shall have their rental registry certificate application forms filed between July 1 and August 15 every odd year.
(3) Properties located within the northwest quadrant shall have their rental registry certificate application forms filed between January 1 and February 15 every even year.
(4) Properties located within the northeast quadrant shall have their rental registry certificate application forms filed between July 1 and August 15 every even year.
A map of the quadrants shall be made available at the division of code enforcement.
(d) Owners must obtain the rental registry certificates for each one-family and/or two-family non-owner occupied dwelling rented or leased within the city of Syracuse no later than the deadlines for the issuance of rental registry certificates set forth herein. For rental registry applications filed by the deadlines set forth in section 27-132 (c) above, the deadlines for the issuance ("issuance deadlines") of rental registry certificates by the division of code enforcement are as follows:
(1) Rental registry certificates for properties located in the southeast quadrant shall be issued no later than June 30 every odd year.
(2) Rental registry certificates for properties located in the southwest quadrant shall be issued no later than December 31 every odd year.
(3) Rental registry certificates for properties located in the northwest quadrant shall be issued no later than June 30 every even year.
(4) Rental registry certificates for properties located in the northeast quadrant shall be issued no later than December 31 every even year.
(e) Any owner of a one-family or two-family non-owner occupied dwelling who registers a one-family or two-family non-owner occupied dwelling outside of the designated time period as set forth in section 27-132 (c) above, and the property being registered has not undergone any ownership or character changes, shall pay one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) in addition to an administrative surcharge in an amount to be determined by the director of the division of code enforcement.Syracuse Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27, art. 9 § 27-133 establishes the requirements that owners of non-owner-occupied one- and two-family dwellings must satisfy to obtain a rental registry certificate from the city's Division of Code Enforcement. Eligibility depends on completing an application and affidavit, paying fees, having no open code violations or nuisance proceedings, being current on taxes and water bills, and passing both an exterior and interior inspection. Registration windows are staggered on a biennial schedule based on which of the city's four geographic quadrants the property falls in, and late filers face a $150 surcharge plus an additional administrative fee.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Syracuse Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27, art. 9 § 27-133, compliant property owners typically resolve any open code enforcement cases, clear outstanding tax and water bill balances, and confirm there are no pending nuisance abatement proceedings before submitting a rental registry certificate application. Operators also identify which city quadrant their property sits in and submit the application during the correct biennial filing window — missing that window triggers a $150 late fee plus a director-determined administrative surcharge. The application and affidavit of compliance must be signed by the property owner or a city-registered property manager employed by the owner, and the property must pass both exterior and interior inspections conducted by Division of Code Enforcement staff.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Syracuse Rev. Gen. Ord. ch. 27, art. 9 § 27-133 requires that a landlord hold a valid rental registry certificate for any non-owner-occupied one- or two-family rental property in Syracuse, which means the property must have passed code inspections and met several compliance thresholds before it can be legally rented. Tenants have the right to withhold consent to an interior inspection — the ordinance explicitly states that nothing in this section requires a person to consent to an inspection — and inspections without consent may only proceed under a court-issued warrant. Tenants who believe their landlord may not hold a current certificate can inquire with the Division of Code Enforcement or reach out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand what options may be available to them.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 1, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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