Bulletin: Geneva, NY News Today
Three resolutions before City Council on September 2 would modernize the city's STR registry, extend the hotel occupancy tax to short-term stays, and ask Albany for authority to raise the cap to 5%
Geneva Moves to Apply Its 3% Occupancy Tax to Short-Term Rentals for the First Time
Photo by Marie Martin on Unsplash
The City of Geneva City Council will vote on September 2 on a package of three resolutions that would bring short-term rentals for the first time under the same occupancy tax the city has long collected from hotels and motels.
The measures direct staff to update the city's rental registry so it matches New York State rules, to draft legislation applying the existing 3% occupancy tax to short-term stays, and to ask the state to lift the city's maximum rate to 5%.
What the three resolutions do
The first resolution directs officials to modernize Geneva's short-term rental registry so it aligns with the state framework in Real Property Law Article 12-D which could mean state-style registration numbers on listings, booking-service verification, insurance provisions and safety standards that the current city code does not spell out.
The second resolution asks staff to prepare legislation applying the city's current 3% occupancy tax to short-term rentals though approving it on Wednesday does not impose the tax on anyone. A separate local law, a public hearing and another council vote must all happen before a single dollar is collected.
Geneva Resolution 49-2026 asks Ontario County to rejoin New York’s short-term rental registration system and proposes returning 50% of net STR occupancy-tax revenue to the municipality where it was generated. | Source: https://www.cityofgenevany.gov/
Meanwhile, the third resolution requests state legislation raising Geneva's maximum occupancy tax rate from 3% to 5% which would put the city on the same footing as Auburn and Batavia, both of which already hold 5% authority, and Canandaigua which has asked for the same. A memo from Mayor Jim Cecere notes that obtaining 5% authority "would not require Council to immediately impose it."
The county question
Ontario County opted out of the state's short-term rental registration system in May 2026 and Geneva now wants the county to reverse that decision and rejoin. The city is also asking the county to return 50% of net short-term rental occupancy tax revenue generated by properties inside city limits after documented county administrative costs on the grounds that Geneva supplies the streets, sidewalks, parks, public safety and lakefront facilities that guests actually use. The county is expected to consider its own STR tax structure in September and the city wants its position on record before that discussion starts.
Who is affected
Every operator already licensed under Ordinance 1-2024 would fall under the tax once a local law is adopted including hosts listing on Airbnb and Vrbo. Geneva counted 97 active short-term rentals when licensing began in early 2025. None of the three measures carries an immediate cost and the city says the first revenue would arrive in 2027 at the earliest.
⦾ Status: Three resolutions up for a council vote September 2, 2026; no tax is imposed yet.
⦾ Proposed tax: Existing 3% occupancy tax extended to STRs, subject to a later local law, public hearing and vote
⦾ Requested cap: 5%, pending state legislation
⦾ Registration required: Yes, existing two-year city license at $250 per dwelling unit
⦾ Night cap: None
⦾ Earliest revenue: 2027
⦾ Platform responsibility: Under state law, booking services must verify registration and collect state and local sales tax; no local occupancy tax collection duty yet
Government Websites by CivicPlus®
Geneva’s 2026 Adopted Budget
The City of Geneva’s adopted 2026 budget outlines municipal spending, revenues, and financial priorities including the process for potential tax revenue changes such as a short-term rental occupancy tax.
In case you missed it:
Jasmine Ruth Albatana
Jasmine Ruth Albatana
Jasmine Ruth Albatana
Social Listening 🎧: Podcast
Policy talk doesn’t just happen in the news cycle—it can also live in long-form audio. Strisker’s Podcast Signal turns hours of episodes into actionable insight, indexing transcripts so you can surface key mentions of STRs, data centers, ordinances, and local decision-makers in seconds.
Stay Updated with Strisker!
Strisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short Term Rental movement (and now Data Centers!) movement across the world.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
We're always looking for ways to improve Bulletins.
Was this one useful to you? Other topics you'd like to see get covered?
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading this Bulletin? Feel free to forward this along. We want to make sure operators and stakeholders are aware of regulatory changes in their area.