Two ski resorts, a village you can walk, and trails starting right above town, about an hour from Buffalo. Here is what it is like to own a place here, the kinds of homes people buy, and how to make it work whether you live here, visit, or rent it out.
People come for a ski weekend and start looking at listings by Sunday. The reasons are easy to see once you've spent a few days here.
Skiing and riding at Holiday Valley and HoliMont in winter, then more than 50 miles of trail in the state forests above town, fall color on every hillside, and festivals all year.
Coffee, dinner, and the shops on Washington Street are a stroll apart, and the resorts sit minutes away on either side of town.
Allegany State Park, New York's largest, lies to the south. Griffis Sculpture Park is 15 minutes away, and the Amish Trail winds through the farm country around it.
About an hour from Buffalo and its airport, and a manageable drive from Rochester, Erie, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Ontario.
Most buyers are choosing between being close to the lifts, close to the village, or out where there is room to spread out.
Condos and townhomes around Holiday Valley, where the draw is walking out the door to the lifts.
Houses on the village streets, a walk from coffee, dinner, and the shops on Washington Street.
Chalets and homes on the roads around HoliMont, the private ski club on the other side of town.
Acreage and rural homes past the resorts, for buyers who want quiet, trails, and space more than a short walk.
How you plan to use the place shapes what to buy and what to check. Most owners fall into one of these.
Year-round living in a small town with a small school district, Ellicottville Central, and the outdoors out the back door.
A weekend and holiday place for your family. No rental license needed if it is only ever you and your guests staying there.
Use it when you want it and rent out the weeks you don't. Stays under 30 days count as short-term rentals and need a license.
Leases of 30 days or more fall outside the Town's short-term rental law, a steadier option with fewer rules to track.
Short-term rentals are allowed in both the Town and the Village of Ellicottville with a license. The village sits inside the larger town and each issues its own, so the first step is knowing which one the property is in.
The short version: if rental income is part of the plan, confirm which municipality the property is in and that a license will be available to you before you make an offer. A local agent who works with rentals can check both quickly.
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Yes, for stays under 30 days. The Town of Ellicottville requires an annual short-term rental license under Local Law 1 of 2025, and the Village of Ellicottville requires its own annual license from the Village Code Enforcement Office. Which one applies depends on whether the property sits inside the village or out in the town.
Not in the Town of Ellicottville. The Town's license expires automatically when the property is sold or transferred and cannot be assigned to anyone else, so a buyer has to apply for a new one. Licenses for second homes are also limited, based on how many the Town issued in the law's first year. If rental income is part of your plan, confirm a license is available before you buy.
The Village of Ellicottville sits inside the larger Town of Ellicottville, and each has its own zoning and its own rental rules. The property's tax bills will show it: village properties pay village taxes on top of town and county taxes. Your agent or the town and village offices can confirm it for a specific address.
The Ellicottville Central School District, a small district of roughly 550 students with an elementary school for pre-K through 5th grade and a middle and high school for grades 6 through 12.
Rental rules summarized from the Town of Ellicottville's Local Law 1 of 2025 (adopted February 19, 2025) and the Village of Ellicottville's short-term rental regulations and application. Rules change; confirm with the Town or Village before you buy. This page is general information, not legal advice.