Requirements taken from official city sources, quoted and dated.
| Program | Rental Dwelling Unit Registration (Rental Registry) + Certificate of Rental Compliance under the Proactive Rental Inspections program |
|---|---|
| Issuing department | Department of Permit and Inspection Services, Rental Registration Office (phone 716-851-4267) |
Only non-owner occupied one- and two-family homes, plus some three-family and mixed-use properties. Verbatim: "The Rental Registration Office, within the Department of Permit and Inspection Services, is responsible for registering all non-owner occupied single and two-family homes. Some three-family and mixed-use dwellings also fall under the purview of the Rental Registration legislation. The ordinance applies to units whether or not they are occupied." And from the inspections page: "All 1 & 2 family non-owner occupied properties are required to register with the Department of Permits & Inspections via the Rental Registration, even if they are vacant."
Verbatim: "The owner of a rental dwelling must pay $100 for a new rental registration application and then every year (including the first) must pay an annual fee of $50 for a single-unit rental dwelling and $100 for a two-unit rental dwelling, starting from January 1st, 2025."
Annually; the registration year runs from January 1 through December 31. Verbatim from the city's official brochure: "The Rental Registry year is January 1st to December 31st. Registration is renewable annually. Bills will be sent in January and will be payable within 30 days." The certificate is valid for one year and transfers to a new owner for the remainder of the term if an application is filed within 30 days of the transfer of ownership.
Yes, but with no published interval. Verbatim: "Properties will be scheduled for proactive inspection by the Department and will be required to maintain a Certificate of Rental Compliance. If a property is inspected and fails to meet the standards for a Certificate of Rental Compliance it will not be permitted to operate as an income property and tenants may not be evicted for non-payment of rent." The city expressly notes the limited coverage: "Because there are over 20,000 rental properties in the City of Buffalo the Department of Inspections will only be able to inspect a limited number of properties every year." Per the brochure, an out-of-cycle inspection is triggered by: a complaint, revocation of the certificate, a determination that the property is abandoned, unpaid taxes/fees, or multiple exterior violations. The first inspection and the first re-inspection are free.
No direct obligation to give the tenant anything was found in the official materials located — treat as unconfirmed. A related requirement on the owner (certification to the city, not to the tenant), verbatim: "requires that landlords certify that they are aware that their property may contain potential lead hazards unless it was built after 1978"; lead violations may lead to "revocation of the property's Rental Registration Certificate and the potential for an Order to Vacate being issued".
Verbatim from the city's official brochure: "If application and payment are not received within 30 days, fees will be doubled. Failure to comply shall be punishable by a penalty of not more than $1,500 or by imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or by both for each offense. Failure to register will also automatically trigger an inspection and will result in issuance of an Order to Vacate the occupants of the dwelling."
"On July 6, 2004 an Ordinance under Chapter 264 - Licensing of Rental Housing Business - was passed unanimously by the Common Council. The Rental Registration Program was implemented in January 2005 to help identify problem properties and absentee landlords. It is used to assist code enforcement efforts to improve the quality of life for tenants and neighbors of rental dwellings." — official city page buffalony.gov/723/Rental-Registration — City of Buffalo Code Chapter 264 — Licensing of Rental Housing Business (Rental Dwelling Unit Registration); adopted by the Common Council on July 6, 2004, program launched in January 2005; codified text — ecode360.com/11767321
Source: https://www.buffalony.gov/723/Rental-Registration · checked 2026-08-14
Every page on this site is free and stays free. The paid version is for people who operate in more than one city: all of your cities in one table, and an email on the day a city changes a fee, a renewal cycle or an inspection rule.
Example City, ST raised its annual rental licence fee
Was $95 per unit, per year
Now $110 per unit, per year
| City | Licence | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo, NY | Conditional | 2026-08-14 |
| San Diego, CA | Required | 2026-08-14 |
| Chicago, IL | Not required | 2026-08-14 |
| Louisville, KY | Required | 2026-08-14 |
Your cities side by side. The paid table adds fee, renewal cycle, inspection rule and penalty in the same row — the same facts you can read on the free pages, without opening fourteen of them.
Every official page linked on this site has been checked daily since 14 August 2026. Change history builds forward from that date — it cannot be reconstructed afterwards, by us or by anyone else.
The portfolio version covers every city you operate in, tracks renewal dates, and tells you when a city changes its fee or inspection cycle. Cities notify their own licence holders — nobody notifies you across all of them.
$149/month when it launches. Leave your email and you will be first in line — no charge until you say yes.