Montauk, New York

Montauk is a hamlet within the Town of East Hampton, so short-term rental rules come from the Town rather than a separate village government. All rentals, including short-term, must register with the East Hampton Town Rental Registry (Chapter 199 of the Town Code), obtain a Rental Registry Number, and display that number in every advertisement. Registration costs $100 and is valid for two years, requiring a notarized registration form, a notarized self-inspection safety checklist, and a copy of the property’s Certificate of Occupancy.

The central restriction is a frequency cap: a property may be rented for less than two weeks no more than twice in any six-month period, regardless of owner occupancy, effectively making high-turnover Airbnb-style rentals illegal here. Longer-term rentals of two weeks or more are not subject to that cap. There is no owner-occupancy or primary-residence requirement, but the twice-in-six-months limit applies to every property.

Suffolk County adds a 5.5% hotel/motel occupancy tax on stays of 30 days or less, effective June 1, 2023, including private-home Airbnb-style rentals, and operators must separately register with the county and obtain a Certificate of Authority. Enforcement is rated strict and aggressive: failing to register, or omitting the registry number from an ad, carries fines from $150 up to $15,000, and a first-offense violation can bring $3,000 to $15,000 in fines and up to six months imprisonment, with violations chargeable per day. New York State also launched a statewide STR registry in 2025 that operates alongside East Hampton’s local rules.