Short-term rentals · Kingston, Ulster County
Can you still get a short-term rental permit in Kingston, NY?
For a whole home in the City of Kingston, not right now. The cap on full-time permits is full, the city isn't taking new registrations for them, and the only way in is a waitlist that moves when someone else's permit lapses. Two smaller permits are still open to anyone who qualifies.
By Ryan Rooney · Published 12 October 2026 · Last checked 12 October 2026 against the City of Kingston's short-term rental fact sheet, its housing page and its registration FAQ
Can I get a whole-home short-term rental permit in the City of Kingston?
Not directly. Whole-home permits (the city calls them STR-F, for "full") are capped, the cap has been reached since 4 March 2024, and as of 12 October 2026 the city's housing page says it is not currently accepting registration for new Full permits. You can join a waitlist, but you need proof of ownership to do it.
How many full permits does Kingston allow?
One percent of the city's housing units. That was 106 permits when registration opened in August 2023. The city's fact sheet now says: "As of September 2026, this cap is set to 112 STR-F permits."
Do full permits ever open up?
Yes, when existing holders don't renew. In December 2025 the city reopened four full permits after non-renewals. Registration was open for a single day, 3 December, with a random draw if more people registered than there were permits, and everyone else went onto the waitlist.
What can I still get?
Two uncapped permits: resident-occupied, for renting part of a home you live in full time, and limited, for renting a whole unit fewer than 30 days a year.
The three permits, side by side
In the City of Kingston a short-term rental is anything rented to transient guests for less than 30 consecutive days. There are three ways to do it legally. Fees are the city's 2026 annual amounts.
| Permit | Covers | Cap | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full STR-F, $650/yr | A whole dwelling unit, rented as a short-term rental | 1% of housing units: 112 as of September 2026. Full. | T4 and T5 zoning transects only |
| Resident-occupied STR-RO, $125/yr | Part of a unit, with a full-time resident living in that same unit | None | Citywide |
| Limited STR-L, $125/yr | A whole unit rented as a short-term rental fewer than 30 days a year | None | Citywide |
One catch on the resident-occupied permit that trips up owners of two-family houses. The fact sheet says that if you live on the property and rent out a different unit on it, you are not eligible for this permit. You have to be living in the unit you're renting part of.
Rules that apply to every permit
- Only one short-term rental is allowed per property.
- No short-term rental is allowed in an accessory dwelling unit.
- The city's Building Safety Department inspects before it approves a permit, and again every two years.
- Permits renew every year. Registration and payment are online only.
- The license number has to appear in every online listing for the unit.
- Renting or advertising without a permit costs $1,000 per day for a first violation, $5,000 for a second and $7,500 for a third or later.
Registration with Ulster County, and the county's occupancy tax, apply on top of the city permit.
First, which Kingston?
A Kingston mailing address doesn't tell you which government's rules apply. Three separate municipalities use it, and they give three different answers:
- City of Kingston: everything above.
- Town of Kingston: a separate, much smaller town with its own law, Chapter 314, which the town posted in March 2024. I have not been able to read its operative terms because the only published copy is an unreadable scan. As of 15 October 2026 the state's local-law database also shows no filing of it, which matters because a town law takes effect only once it is filed. Details are in my permit guide.
- Town of Ulster: no short-term rental law in its code as amended through 30 September 2024, which I read in full. See the guide entry for the caveats.
Check the tax map, not the envelope. The Ulster County Parcel Viewer shows the municipality for any parcel.
If you are buying in the City of Kingston to rent it out
- Don't price in a whole-home rental you don't already have a permit for. The waitlist moves only when someone doesn't renew, and you can't join it until you own the property, because the city asks for proof of ownership.
- Ask in writing whether the seller's permit carries over. The city's fact sheet and registration FAQ don't say whether a full permit transfers on a sale. Ask the Office of Housing Initiatives before you count on it.
- Check the transect. Even with a permit, a full short-term rental is only allowed in the T4 and T5 zones. The city's registration FAQ links the zoning map.
- Run the numbers on the permits you can actually get. A limited permit, under 30 days a year, or a long-term lease is the honest base case. Treat a full permit as upside if it ever comes.
Who to call
- City of Kingston Office of Housing Initiatives (waitlist, permit questions): (845) 334-3928
- Building Safety Department (inspections): (845) 331-1217
- City Hall: 420 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401, (845) 331-0080
- Fact sheet and registration: kingston-ny.gov/housing
How this page stays current. I check the city's fact sheet and housing page periodically, and whenever the city announces permit openings. When something changes, I update the answer at the top and record the change below rather than editing silently.
Change log
12 October 2026: page published. Writing it turned up two things my permit guide had out of date: the cap is now 112, not 106, and the city did reopen four full permits in December 2025. Both are corrected in the guide entry.
Send me the address
I'll tell you which Kingston it's actually in, whether it sits in a zone that allows a full short-term rental, and what the city's public records show for it, so you know what you're pricing before you make an offer.
Ryan Rooney is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Stevens Real Estate at eXp Realty, serving Ulster County and Dutchess County, New York. Born and raised in New Paltz. (845) 447-9274 · rrooney@stevensre.com
Sources, all checked 12 October 2026: City of Kingston Office of Housing Initiatives, "Fact Sheet: Short-term rental regulations in the City of Kingston, New York" (2026 fees, cap as of September 2026); City of Kingston housing page; City of Kingston short-term rental registration FAQ; City of Kingston news release on the registration portal, 15 August 2023; Mid-Hudson News, "City of Kingston opens short-term rental applications for four full-time permits," 6 November 2025. Town of Kingston and Town of Ulster details are from my short-term rental permit guide, which shows its sources. This page reports what the public record shows. It is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the City of Kingston before relying on them.