Lake Placid, NY short-term rental market report (2026)
Essex County, New York. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesStrict (4/5)
- 4-BR typical value$393K
- FEMA riskRelatively Low
- Demand drivers within 50 mi2
- People within 300 mi46.0 million
- ClimateSki-plus-summer
Everything STR HUB holds on Lake Placid, NY in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated. The Opportunity Score here is partial: it was calculated without revenue data, with the cash-flow component assumed to be below average, so it can understate the market.
Can you operate in Lake Placid?
| Rule | What we hold on file |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Village of Lake Placid and Town of North Elba (joint STR law, Local Law No. 1 of 2023) |
| Permit or licence | Short-Term Rental Permit (hosted or unhosted category) under joint Local Law No. 1 of 2023; unhosted permits capped and limited to specific zoning districts (Rural Countryside, North Lake/South Lake residential, parts of Gateway Corridor without Old Military Road frontage, Whiteface Inn PDD, HOA-free condos/townhomes); hosted permits allowed in all zoning districts, town and village. |
| Cap on rentals | Unhosted permits capped at 165 townwide; as of recent local reporting only ~3 unhosted and ~16 hosted town permits remained available — unhosted category effectively full. |
| Owner occupancy | Not a blanket requirement, but 'hosted' permits (owner/representative present) face far fewer zoning restrictions than capped, zone-limited 'unhosted' permits. |
| Lodging and sales taxes | Essex County Room Occupancy Tax registration required as part of the permit application, plus the statewide 4% NYS sales tax on STR occupancy. |
Rules for Lake Placid last verified September 20, 2026. Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Tightening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
Permit fees are scheduled to increase effective June 1, 2026 (amount unconfirmed).
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
We have not verified revenue figures for this market yet.
Home values in Essex County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Essex County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
2 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Lake Placid. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Outdoor activities
- Adirondack High Peaks (Keene Valley)
- When
- Late spring through fall; peak on summer weekends and during foliage.
- STR angle
- Peak-baggers return year after year to finish the list, producing loyal repeat guests. Cabins near the Route 73 trailheads with early check-in flexibility, boot-drying space and parking are what hikers ask for.
- Whiteface Mountain & Lake Placid
- When
- Winter ski season, roughly December through March, heavily weekend- and holiday-driven.
- STR angle
- A two-time Winter Olympic village with year-round sporting events on top of skiing. There is no slope-side lodging, so Lake Placid village condos and Wilmington cabins take the stays.
When they come
Ski-plus-summer climate: at least three months bring six inches or more of snowfall, and May to September is comfortable. 5 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F, and 6 months average six inches or more of snow. Warmest month: July (average high 75°F). Coldest: January (average low 9°F).
- Jan26°9°ColdSnow
- Feb28°11°ColdSnow
- Mar37°20°ColdSnow
- Apr49°31°CoolSnow
- May62°43°Comfortable
- Jun70°53°Comfortable
- Jul75°60°Comfortable
- Aug73°58°Comfortable
- Sep66°51°Comfortable
- Oct56°41°Cool
- Nov41°27°ColdSnow
- Dec33°20°ColdSnow
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 26 | 28 | 37 | 49 | 62 | 70 | 75 | 73 | 66 | 56 | 41 | 33 |
| Average low (°F) | 9 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 43 | 53 | 60 | 58 | 51 | 41 | 27 | 20 |
| Precipitation (in) | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
| Snowfall (in) | 19.1 | 19.2 | 13.4 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 10.5 | 14.0 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 3.9 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 7.7 | 9.9 | 10.5 | 11.3 | 10.9 | 9.0 | 6.4 | 5.1 | 3.5 |
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Onondaga County, NY | 472,637 |
| Hillsborough County, NH | 422,733 |
| Albany County, NY | 315,041 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| River flooding | Relatively Moderate | 76.9 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 72.8 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 68.7 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 65.7 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 24.8 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 23.8 |
| Hail | Very Low | 12.4 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. FEMA does not model coastal flooding for this county, which is not the same as zero risk. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Essex County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Lake Placid pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Lake Placid's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from New York, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Lake Placid on the map
Open Lake Placid on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Lake Placid STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Lake Placid?
STR HUB rates Lake Placid's short-term rental rules 4/5 (Strict) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). That rating was derived from the regulation text we hold and has not yet been reviewed by a person. Permit rule on file: Short-Term Rental Permit (hosted or unhosted category) under joint Local Law No. 1 of 2023; unhosted permits capped and limited to specific zoning districts (Rural Countryside, North Lake/South Lake residential, parts of Gateway… Cap on file: Unhosted permits capped at 165 townwide; as of recent local reporting only ~3 unhosted and ~16 hosted town permits remained available — unhosted category effectively full. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Lake Placid?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Essex County is valued at $392,753 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $299,484, with all-home values up 9.1% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What brings visitors to Lake Placid?
2 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Lake Placid: Adirondack High Peaks (Keene Valley) and Whiteface Mountain & Lake Placid. Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
What natural hazards affect Lake Placid?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Essex County "Relatively Low" overall, with a score of 62.7 out of 100 (a national percentile). The highest-scoring hazards we track there are river flooding and earthquake. It is a county-wide index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination.
When is the weather best in Lake Placid?
5 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F (May, June, July, August and September). Ski-plus-summer climate: at least three months bring six inches or more of snowfall, and May to September is comfortable. These are 2019-2023 climate normals, not booking data.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research (official source: northelba.villageoflakeplacid.ny.gov).
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Essex County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
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