Short-term-rental rules
Can you Airbnb in Highlands, NY?
Researched and reviewed by Jake Lee, FounderCurrent as of July 2026How this atlas is maintained
The Town of Highlands (Orange County: Fort Montgomery / Highland Falls area) has no short-term-rental law. Its Chapter 210 zoning code has no STR, transient-rental, vacation-rental, or tourist-home use or definition, and the code-wide chapter list has no rental-registration or STR chapter. The only transient-lodging uses regulated are bed-and-breakfasts (Sec. 210-10D(18), owner-resident, up to 10 bedrooms) and hotels. Do not confuse this town with the separate Town of Highland in Sullivan County, which does have an STR ordinance. County occupancy tax and NY State rules still apply.
The operator's read
Can I run a short-term rental in Highlands, NY?
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No permit requirement, cap or night ceiling is recorded for Highlands in the sources we hold, which puts it at the easier end of Orange County. The full sourced record is below.
- What does Highlands actually require?
- Highlands's record does not set out a permit or registration step. That is not the same as there being none, so we confirm the current position with the municipality before listing.
- What stands in the way in Highlands?
- No cap, night ceiling or owner-occupancy requirement is recorded for Highlands. Among towns that permit short-term rentals at all, that is the easier end.
- What does it cost to get permitted in Highlands?
- Highlands's ordinance does not publish a fee schedule in the sources we hold. We confirm current fees with the municipality before you budget for them.
- How long does approval take in Highlands?
- Highlands's ordinance sets no published processing time, which is true of most towns in this region. We confirm the clerk's current turnaround before you commit to a date, because an unbooked opening season costs more than the permit does.
What would you do with a property in Highlands?
Straightforward by the standards of this region. The work in Highlands is the paperwork and then the operating standard, not the permission. That makes it a reasonable place to buy for nightly stays.
What the rules say in Highlands
- Town Code Ch. 210 (Zoning): article list (Art. I General Provisions/Terminology through Art. IX) contains no short-term-rental, transient, vacation-rental, or tourist-home use or definition.
- Ch. 210, Sec. 210-10D(18) regulates bed-and-breakfasts in residential and business zones (owner residency required, one parking space per bedroom plus two, max 10 bedrooms, breakfast-only) as a special-exception use; this does not reach ordinary short-term rentals.
- The code-wide chapter list (Parts I and II) has no dedicated short-term-rental, rental-registration, or licensing chapter.
Sources: Town of Highlands Code, Ch. 210 Zoning (eCode360); Town of Highlands Code, full chapter list (eCode360). Last reviewed 2026-07.
How short-term rentals are regulated in New York
- New York has no single statewide short-term-rental ban. Towns, villages, and cities set their own rules through local ordinances and zoning, so rules can differ sharply between neighboring municipalities in the same county.
- Short stays in New York are generally subject to state and local sales tax, and many counties add a local occupancy (hotel/motel) tax, often collected by the booking platform on the host's behalf.
- Common local controls include permits or registration, primary-residence requirements, and zoning limits on which districts allow short-term use. In New York, a town and a village inside it can each have their own rule.
- Rules change. An ordinance can be added or amended at any time. Always confirm the current rule with the municipality before listing.
Thinking about a short-term rental in Highlands?
Palisade Stays launches and runs short-term rentals for owners end to end. Tell us about your property and we'll see if it's a fit.
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