Alex Giroux / Buying or selling
Understand required and optional checks, then use the address lookup to find local guidance. A separate resource for anyone buying or selling a home.
This directory includes 125 municipalities. It is a starting point, not a completed legal review of every local law. “Required when applicable” means an official source supports the rule. “Confirm with the office” means the exact requirement is still unresolved. No entry means “nothing is required.” Your lawyer and the responsible office should confirm the checklist for your address.
Before you list / know what applies
There is no single test every New York seller must do before listing. A general pre-listing home inspection is usually optional. Local rules, your property and the buyer’s loan can add requirements. Check your address with your lawyer and local offices before setting dates.
Check requirements for my address ↗“I always recommend a pre-listing inspection.” This is advice, not a rule that everyone must follow. It helps you learn about the home before choosing repairs and a price.
New York property disclosure — before the buyer signs. Most covered home sales require a form telling the buyer what you know about the home. Some homes and transfers are exempt. Your lawyer should confirm whether yours is covered. This law does not require you to order new inspections. Share required reports and answer honestly. Read the NY law ↗
Lead paint information — usually for homes built before 1978. For covered sales, give the buyer the required lead information, known reports and EPA pamphlet before they sign. Buyers generally get a 10-day chance to test; they may waive it or agree to a different period. The federal disclosure rule does not require the seller to buy a new lead test or remove lead paint. Other rules may apply to repairs or a known hazard. EPA disclosure rules ↗ · Testing explained ↗
Local safety and permit rules. Required smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, rental certificates, open permits or code violations are not optional just because you are selling. Ask your town, village or city building office what applies to your property.
Cayuga County homes with septic systems. The county requires an inspection and tank pumping before property transfers covered by its rules. Arrange the inspection before pumping. Contact the county early for timing and any exceptions. This is a transfer requirement, not a blanket rule that every home must be tested before its listing goes live. County instructions ↗
City of Ithaca properties. Tell the Building Division you plan to sell. It will check whether you need a transferable Certificate of Compliance, alarm updates or an electrical survey. Its sale guidance requires an electrical survey for a rental being sold when the last survey was more than 10 years ago. Ask the city to confirm your property’s requirements. These city rules do not automatically apply to all of Tompkins County. City sale requirements ↗
Schuyler County private water and septic systems. Contact the Watershed Protection Agency early. It handles property-transfer inspections; ask whether your transfer needs testing, approval or an exemption, and when to apply. County property-transfer help ↗
Other local requirements. Do not assume the same rule applies everywhere. Ask the county health office and your town, village or city building office about private wells, septic systems, rentals, permits and sale inspections. These examples are not a complete local checklist.
A buyer’s loan or your contract can add requirements. Water tests, pest checks, repairs or other reports may be needed to complete a particular sale. Have your lawyer and the buyer’s lender confirm what is needed, when it is due and who pays. This does not make every test a pre-listing requirement.
General home inspection. Alex recommends it, ideally 4–6 weeks before listing. Choose whether to order it unless a rule or agreement requires it. It does not replace a city inspection or the buyer’s inspection.
Radon test. Radon is a gas you cannot see or smell. New York health officials recommend testing homes. That recommendation is not itself a statewide pre-listing test requirement. A contract or specific rule may still require it. NY radon guidance ↗
Roof, chimney, pest, mold or other specialist checks. Usually chosen because of the home’s condition or an inspector’s advice. They may become required by a local order, loan condition or contract. Ask before paying for a test.
Well and septic checks need an address check first. They can be optional in one sale and required in another. Confirm local rules before treating these as optional.
Checked September 7, 2026 against the linked official sources. Before listing, ask: “For this address, what must be done now, before the buyer signs, and before closing?” Your lawyer and the responsible local office should confirm the final list.
Your address / your pre-sale checklist
Enter the home’s address to find its county, town and village or city. Buyers and sellers can use the same checklist to plan what must happen before the sale.
Mailing cities and ZIP codes do not establish legal boundaries. For a village property, check both the village and the town containing the parcel.
Required when applicable
Before work begins; approval before using the system
If you choose or need to repair or replace a septic system, get the county permit first. The county requires a final inspection, approval and Certificate of Completion before the system is put into use. This is a work-related requirement, not a blanket inspection rule for every sale.
Tompkins septic permit procedure ↗Confirm with the office
Start before listing
Ask Whole Health to check your well and septic records and any outstanding orders. Confirm whether your address or planned repairs need a test, permit or approval. A countywide sale-triggered inspection requirement was not verified in this review.
Tompkins Whole Health ↗Village of Trumansburg
Required when applicable
Request 3–5 business days before closing
If the home has a village water/sewer account, the current owner must request the final reading before the sale. The village lists no charge for the reading. It closes your billing account without shutting off water or sewer service. You remain responsible for usage until the final reading and account closure.
Trumansburg final-reading instructions and form ↗Town of Ithaca
Required when applicable
Ongoing rental duty; check before marketing the home as a rental
The town lists operating permits for multiple residences with three or more units, covered long-term rental homes and short-term rentals. Ask Code Enforcement to check the property’s rental registration, permit and fire-inspection status, and what a new owner must do. This does not mean every owner-occupied home needs a sale inspection.
Town of Ithaca operating-permit guidance ↗Town of Dryden
Required when applicable
Before installing a sign or using the home for short-term rental
Town zoning limits signs advertising a property’s sale or rental: one off-building sign up to 10 square feet and one on-building sign up to 50 square feet. Short-term rental use requires town registration before it starts. Have the town confirm the parcel’s jurisdiction and current requirements before posting signs or advertising rental potential.
Town of Dryden zoning, Article IX ↗City of Ithaca
Required when applicable
Contact the city before setting closing dates
Ask the Building Division to check the property file and explain which certificates and alarm updates apply. For a rental being sold, the city requires an electrical survey if the last survey was more than 10 years ago. City rules are different from Town of Ithaca rules.
City of Ithaca sale instructions ↗Village of Cayuga Heights
Required when applicable
Request at least 30 days before closing if no certificate was previously issued
Covered transfers of property with a structure need a drainage compliance certificate. The inspection checks sump pumps, downspouts and other drains for improper sewer connections. Ask Code Enforcement to check existing certificates, exceptions and any temporary waiver before scheduling.
Village code §226-41 ↗Village of Groton
Required when applicable
Resolve with your lawyer and code office before transfer
If the property is subject to unsafe-building proceedings, selling it is not a defense to those proceedings. Ask the village for the property’s open orders and discuss them with your lawyer.
Village code §71-8 ↗Rules researched September 7, 2026. This lookup selects the researched rules; it does not monitor new laws or inspect property records. Additional checks & guidance ↗
The basics / all seven counties
Ask the local building office and county health office to check your address. Gather permits, inspection reports, well and septic records, rental certificates and any notices about problems. Ask what must be fixed or approved before selling.
Alex recommends a general home inspection before listing. Budget about $700 as an estimate; get a quote. It is usually optional and does not replace a required town, sewer or septic inspection.
Ask before making repairs: historic districts, flood areas, shorelines and changes to a well, septic system or building may need special approval. Selling the property does not automatically approve past work.
Property disclosure. Covered New York home sales require the disclosure statement before the buyer signs a binding sale contract. Ask your lawyer about exceptions. This law does not itself require new inspections. NY property disclosure law ↗
Lead information. Most covered homes built before 1978 need lead disclosures, known reports and the EPA pamphlet before the buyer is bound. Buyers generally get a 10-day chance to test unless they waive it or agree to another period. EPA sale disclosure rules ↗
Finish any required transfer inspections and certificates on time. Your contract or the buyer’s loan may also require tests or repairs. Have your lawyer confirm who orders them, who pays and when they are due.
Check county transfer taxes too. Tompkins and Cortland have local transfer-tax requirements. Ask your lawyer for the full tax and recording cost for your sale; the calculator’s automatic tax line estimates only the NYS base tax. Tompkins land services ↗ · Cortland recording requirements ↗
Some rental rules also require notices or inspections after closing. Agree with the buyer and your lawyer on who completes each step.
“I’m selling this address. What is required before I list it, before the buyer signs and before closing? Are any permits or violations still open? Please send me the forms, fees, deadlines and any exceptions that apply.”
Fees are not estimated here because they depend on the office, property and inspection. Request current fees before booking. This page summarizes the linked sources; it does not certify that a home meets every law.