NY tourist city moves to tax short-term rentals like hotels

Key Takeaways

Geneva City Council is considering extending the city’s 3% occupancy tax to short-term rentals beginning in 2027
The Finger Lakes city also wants Ontario County to rejoin New York’s short-term rental registry and share tax revenue with municipalities
A separate resolution would ask the state to let Geneva raise its occupancy tax ceiling from 3% to 5%

Short-term rental hosts could soon be taxed more like hotels in one of New York’s best-known Finger Lakes tourism destinations.

Geneva, a small city on the north shore of Seneca Lake – located about 46 miles southeast of Rochester – is considering extending its 3 percent hotel occupancy tax to short-term rentals starting in 2027.

City leaders also want a bigger share of the tax revenue generated by those stays.

Geneva City Council is preparing to vote on a package of short-term rental changes that could bring the city’s 3 percent occupancy tax to vacation rentals in 2027.

Geneva sits on the north shore of Seneca Lake, where short-term rentals have become a growing part of the tourism economy alongside hotels, wineries, and lakefront attractions.

One of the resolutions would direct city staff to update Geneva’s short-term rental registry so it better matches New York’s state requirements.

That could include registration numbers, booking-platform verification, insurance requirements, and additional safety provisions.

That change would not happen immediately. The tax itself would still need a separate council vote and could require a public hearing before taking effect.

Geneva also wants a bigger share of STR tax revenue

The city is also looking beyond its own tax.

A second resolution would ask Ontario County to rejoin New York’s short-term rental registration system after opting out in May.

New York city eyes 2027 occupancy tax on short-term rentals, weighs 5% rate — © 2026 REWire Media LLC. All rights reserved.

Geneva also wants the county to return 50% of net short-term rental occupancy tax revenue to the municipality where the stay took place.

City officials argue that local governments are the ones maintaining the roads, parks, public safety services and lakefront infrastructure visitors use while they are in town.

Mayor Jim Cecere raised the revenue-sharing issue earlier this month as Ontario County considered its own short-term rental tax structure, according to FingerLakes1.com.

Geneva is also asking Albany for permission to go higher.

A third resolution would seek state authorization to raise the city’s maximum occupancy tax rate from 3% to 5%.

Auburn and Batavia have already received state approval for a 5% rate, while Canandaigua has made a similar request.

Even if state lawmakers approve Geneva’s request, the rate would not automatically jump to 5%. City Council would still have to vote separately on any increase.

Essentially, Geneva is moving closer to treating vacation rentals like the rest of the local lodging industry when it comes to taxes and registration.

None of the resolutions would create an immediate tax bill on their own, but approval would set the process in motion for changes that could arrive next year.