New York Landlord Compliance · End a tenancy
New York Good Cause Eviction 2026: Now 18 Opted-In Localities
A New York landlord who checked whether Good Cause Eviction reached their property a year ago needs to check again. DHCR's May 4, 2026 notice lists 18 localities beyond New York City that have now opted into the law, up from 13 as of February 2025, and that expanded list changes who counts as covered almost everywhere in the Hudson Valley and upstate.
Written by PlatuniThe short answer
- 1.As of DHCR's May 4, 2026 notice, 18 localities beyond New York City have opted into Good Cause Eviction protections under Real Property Law Article 6-A, up from 13 as of February 2025.
- 2.New York City itself has Good Cause Eviction coverage automatically; every other locality has to pass its own local law opting in before the protections apply there.
- 3.The 18 opted-in localities split into 2 Consumer Price Index regions for purposes of the law's reasonable-rent-increase standard: a downstate group tied to the NYC-area CPI, and a larger upstate group tied to the Northeast-region CPI.
- 4.A landlord in a locality that hasn't opted in isn't subject to Good Cause Eviction at all, regardless of what neighboring municipalities have done.
- 5.Each locality's opt-in happens through its own local law, so the exact adoption and effective date varies by municipality rather than following a single statewide timeline.
- 6.This comes from DHCR's Good Cause Eviction Law notice dated May 4, 2026, tracking opt-ins under Real Property Law Article 6-A.
This covers
- · New York landlords and property managers operating outside New York City who need to confirm whether Good Cause Eviction applies to their specific municipality
- · The full current list of 18 opted-in localities and which CPI region each falls under
- · Why opt-in status can change and needs to be rechecked rather than assumed from a prior year's information
Usually exempt
- · A locality not on DHCR's current opted-in list isn't covered by Good Cause Eviction, no matter how close it sits to one that has opted in
- · This article doesn't address the law's own categorical exemptions, such as small owner-occupied buildings, which can take a unit out of coverage even within an opted-in locality
- · This article doesn't resolve every locality's exact local-law adoption date; DHCR's notice confirms current opt-in status but doesn't always detail each municipality's specific effective date, so confirm that directly with the local municipality when it matters for a specific lease
1. Why New York City's coverage works differently from everywhere else
Good Cause Eviction applies automatically in New York City; it doesn't require a separate city opt-in the way every other New York municipality does.
[Cite: Real Property Law Article 6-A]
A landlord moving from NYC into a property in a smaller Hudson Valley or upstate municipality can't assume the same automatic coverage applies; that municipality has to have passed its own local law first.
2. Why the count grew from 13 to 18 in about a year
DHCR's February 2025 notice listed 13 opted-in localities beyond NYC; the May 2026 notice lists 18, reflecting 5 additional municipalities that passed local opt-in laws during that period.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
That growth pattern suggests more municipalities are likely to opt in over time, which means a landlord's compliance check from even a year ago may already be out of date.
3. Which localities fall under the NYC-area benchmark group
The City of New Rochelle, City of White Plains, Village of Croton-on-Hudson, Village of Nyack, and Village of Tarrytown are grouped with the NYC-area CPI region for purposes of the law's reasonable-rent-increase standard.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
These 5 municipalities sit in the lower Hudson Valley, close enough to the city that DHCR applies the same regional CPI figure used for New York City itself.
4. Which localities fall under the upstate benchmark group
The City of Albany, City of Beacon, City of Binghamton, City of Hudson, City of Ithaca, City of Kingston, City of Middletown, City of Poughkeepsie, City of Rochester, Town of Fishkill, Town of Poughkeepsie, Village of Catskill, and Village of New Paltz make up the remaining 13 localities, grouped under the upstate CPI region.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
That's the larger of the 2 groups, spanning a wide geographic range from the Hudson Valley up through the Rochester area, all sharing the same regional CPI figure despite the distance between them.
5. Why the CPI grouping matters beyond just the rent-increase benchmark
Which CPI region a locality falls under determines its specific reasonable-rent-increase benchmark under the law, a separate figure from the simple fact of being covered at all.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
A landlord in an opted-in locality needs 2 pieces of information, not one: confirmation that the locality has opted in at all, and which regional benchmark applies once it has.
6. Why opt-in status isn't static
Each locality's Good Cause Eviction coverage depends on a local law that municipality's own governing body passed; a municipality not currently on the list could opt in later, and this list has already grown once.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
A landlord operating in a municipality that's actively debating a local opt-in law should treat that as a live compliance risk, not a settled question, since the list has changed before and can change again.
7. Why a locality's opt-in doesn't automatically cover every unit in it
Good Cause Eviction includes its own categorical exemptions, for things like small owner-occupied buildings, separate from the question of whether a given municipality has opted in at all.
[Cite: Real Property Law Article 6-A]
A landlord in an opted-in locality still needs to check whether their specific property qualifies for one of the law's exemptions; opting in at the municipal level doesn't mean every rental unit inside that municipality is automatically covered.
8. Why this list is worth rechecking on a regular cycle, not just once
Since DHCR has updated this list at least once already, between the February 2025 and May 2026 notices, a landlord who confirmed opt-in status at one point in time shouldn't treat that confirmation as permanent.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
A property management company with units across multiple Hudson Valley or upstate municipalities should build a recurring check of DHCR's current notice into its compliance calendar, rather than a one-time lookup.
9. Why the local-law mechanism creates some timeline variation
Because each municipality opts in through its own local law, the exact timeline from passage to effective date can vary from one locality to the next, unlike a single statewide law with one uniform effective date.
[Cite: Real Property Law Article 6-A]
A landlord in a locality that recently passed an opt-in law should confirm the specific local effective date with that municipality directly, rather than assuming it matches the date another opted-in locality used.
10. Why a landlord with properties in multiple localities needs a per-property check
Since coverage depends on each individual municipality's own opt-in status, a landlord with properties spread across several towns and villages can't apply a single Good Cause Eviction compliance policy portfolio-wide.
[Cite: DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026]
A property in an opted-in village and a property in a neighboring, non-opted-in town need to be treated under entirely different rule sets, even if they're a short drive apart.
11. What property managers should do now
The practical starting point is checking every property address against DHCR's current opted-in locality list, rather than relying on a check performed before the May 2026 update.
For any property in an opted-in locality, confirming both the applicable CPI region for the rent-increase benchmark and whether the specific unit qualifies for one of the law's categorical exemptions gives a complete compliance picture, not just a yes-or-no on coverage.
Reading this as a tenant?
If you rent outside New York City, Good Cause Eviction only protects you if your specific municipality has passed its own local law opting in. As of DHCR's May 2026 notice, 18 municipalities beyond NYC have done so; if yours isn't on that list, these protections don't currently apply to your tenancy, even if a neighboring town has opted in.
Sources and review
- 1.DHCR Good Cause Eviction Law Notice, May 4, 2026.
- 2.New York Real Property Law, Article 6-A.
Substantive review means an editor re-checked each cited section against the current code, not that the page was re-saved. Corrections: compliance@platuni.com.
Frequently asked questions
How many localities outside NYC currently have Good Cause Eviction protections?
18, as of DHCR's May 4, 2026 notice, up from 13 as of February 2025.
Does New York City need to opt in separately?
No. Good Cause Eviction applies automatically in New York City; every other locality has to pass its own local law to opt in.
Can a locality opt out once it's opted in?
This article doesn't address that scenario; the growth from 13 to 18 localities shows the list expanding, not contracting, but confirm current status directly with DHCR for any specific locality's situation.
Does opting in cover every rental unit in that municipality?
No. The law's own categorical exemptions, such as for small owner-occupied buildings, can still take a specific unit out of coverage even in an opted-in locality.
How often should a landlord recheck opt-in status?
Regularly. DHCR has already updated this list once; a landlord with properties in multiple municipalities should build a recurring check into their compliance process rather than relying on a one-time lookup.
Does every opted-in locality use the same rent-increase benchmark?
No. They split into 2 CPI regions, a downstate group and a larger upstate group, each with its own benchmark percentage.