NYC Local Law 18 at three years: what the short-term rental data shows

Key points

• Local Law 18 requires NYC hosts of stays under 30 days to register with the Office of Special Enforcement (OSE). Platforms cannot process bookings for unregistered listings.
• More than 3,500 hosts now hold active approvals, after more than 460 new registrations in FY26 (July 2025 to June 2026).
• 76% of registered hosts own their unit, and 68% of registered units are in one- and two-family homes.
• 67% of summonses went to corporate entities such as LLCs, and FY26 saw the first 17 registrations revoked.

New York City's short-term rental registration law is often held up, for better or worse, as the model other US cities might copy. September 2026 marks three years since booking platforms began complying with it², and the city has published fresh numbers. Here is what the law requires and what the data says.

What Local Law 18 requires

New York adopted Local Law 18, the Short-Term Rental Registration Law, on 9 January 2022¹. In short¹²:

• Hosts must register with the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement (OSE) and operate within the city's existing housing laws.
• Booking services such as Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com must verify a registration before processing a transaction, and cannot process bookings for unregistered short-term rentals.
• Rent-regulated and NYCHA units cannot be registered.
• Building owners can put their buildings on a Prohibited Buildings List to block registrations there.

The underlying rule is much older than the registration system. Since the late 1960s, city law has limited rentals of under 30 days in homes to two guests staying with a permanent occupant². Rentals of 30 consecutive days or more, and approved "Class B" multiple dwellings, are exempt from registration¹.

What the latest report shows

OSE's FY26 report covers July 2025 to June 2026²:

The report also says 82% of denied applications were denied only after applicants got detailed instructions and at least 90 days to fix problems, and that 74% of those denials involved failing to prove the applicant was the permanent occupant².

What it means for operators

For professional operators, the message is plain: the whole-unit short-term rental model in New York apartments is effectively closed off, and enforcement is aimed at companies. What remains legal is mostly owner-occupied home sharing, stays of 30 days or more, and approved Class B buildings.

That pushes serious operators toward mid-term stays (30 nights plus) for corporate, medical and relocation guests, where pricing, contracts and payments work differently from nightly bookings.

Why operators outside New York should care

The design of LL18, where platforms must check a registration before taking a booking, is what gives it teeth. Registration systems with platform verification are spreading, including England's planned register with a reference number on every listing (see our explainer). Operators in any city should expect registration numbers to become a standard part of listing data.

If you build software for US operators

Registration IDs, permitted-stay rules and minimum-night limits are becoming inputs that booking engines and channel managers have to respect per unit. Tools that model the switch from nightly to 30-night-plus stays, including pricing and occupancy, are useful in any market that tightens the rules.

Sources

1. NYC Office of Special Enforcement: Registration Law
2. NYC Office of Special Enforcement: New Report Reveals Number of New Yorkers Registered to Host Legal Short-Term Rentals Surpassed 3,500 for First Time
3. NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice: Celebrating Three Years of Local Law 18's Success (9 September 2026)

Last checked 24 September 2026. This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.