Ticks in New York
Ticks are active in New York whenever the ground is not frozen, led by the Lyme-carrying deer tick. TickZone scores all 1011 New York towns every morning, so risk stays local: pick your town for today's number, a 7-day outlook, and what's driving it.
Tick season in New York
Tick season in New York runs whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November, with two peaks. Nymph deer ticks, the poppy-seed-sized stage that causes most Lyme cases, peak from late May through July. Adult deer ticks make a second push in October and November, and on any winter day above about 40 F they can quest again. American dog ticks are busiest from April through July.
| Life stage | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer tick nymphs | ||||||||||||
| Deer tick adults | ||||||||||||
| American dog tick | ||||||||||||
| Lone star tick |
Those are averages, and any single week can run hotter or colder than the calendar suggests. The daily score on every town page folds the season, the weather, and local habitat into one number each morning, so it is the safer way to time yard work, hikes, and pet prevention.
Highest-risk towns in New York (2026)
New York's highest structural tick risk concentrates in Otsego County, which holds 7 of the state's top 10 towns (560 CDC-reported Lyme cases per 100k). The top 10 towns run 75 to 95 percent forest, ranked at peak season so the list stays stable.
- 1Roseboom Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 2Maryland Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 3Oneonta (town) Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 4Otego Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 5Decatur Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 6Middlefield Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 7Butternuts Otsego CountyHigh at peak
- 8Colchester Delaware CountyHigh at peak
- 9Hancock Delaware CountyHigh at peak
- 10Tompkins Delaware CountyHigh at peak
All New York towns, by county
Albany County · 13 towns · 136/100k Lyme
Allegany County · 30 towns · 315/100k Lyme
Bronx County · 1 towns
Broome County · 17 towns · 163/100k Lyme
Cattaraugus County · 37 towns · 192/100k Lyme
- Allegany
- Allegany Reservation
- Ashford
- Carrollton
- Cattaraugus Reservation
- Coldspring
- Conewango
- Dayton
- East Otto
- Ellicottville
- Farmersville
- Franklinville
- Freedom
- Great Valley
- Hinsdale
- Humphrey
- Ischua
- Leon
- Little Valley
- Lyndon
- Machias
- Mansfield
- Napoli
- New Albion
- Oil Springs Reservation
- Olean (city)
- Olean (town)
- Otto
- Perrysburg
- Persia
- Portville
- Randolph
- Red House
- Salamanca (city)
- Salamanca (town)
- South Valley
- Yorkshire
Cayuga County · 24 towns · 117/100k Lyme
Chautauqua County · 30 towns · 99/100k Lyme
Chemung County · 12 towns · 109/100k Lyme
Chenango County · 22 towns · 400/100k Lyme
Clinton County · 15 towns · 118/100k Lyme
Columbia County · 19 towns · 251/100k Lyme
Cortland County · 16 towns · 180/100k Lyme
Delaware County · 19 towns · 539/100k Lyme
Dutchess County · 22 towns · 377/100k Lyme
Erie County · 30 towns · 33/100k Lyme
Essex County · 18 towns · 326/100k Lyme
Franklin County · 20 towns · 80/100k Lyme
Fulton County · 12 towns · 118/100k Lyme
Genesee County · 15 towns · 35/100k Lyme
Greene County · 14 towns · 356/100k Lyme
Hamilton County · 9 towns · 118/100k Lyme
Herkimer County · 20 towns · 249/100k Lyme
Jefferson County · 23 towns · 175/100k Lyme
Kings County · 1 towns
Lewis County · 17 towns · 224/100k Lyme
Livingston County · 17 towns · 167/100k Lyme
Madison County · 16 towns · 176/100k Lyme
Monroe County · 21 towns · 50/100k Lyme
Montgomery County · 11 towns · 139/100k Lyme
Nassau County · 5 towns · 44/100k Lyme
New York County · 1 towns
Niagara County · 16 towns · 14/100k Lyme
Oneida County · 28 towns · 133/100k Lyme
Onondaga County · 21 towns · 100/100k Lyme
Ontario County · 18 towns · 166/100k Lyme
Orange County · 24 towns · 263/100k Lyme
Orleans County · 10 towns · 37/100k Lyme
Oswego County · 24 towns · 185/100k Lyme
Otsego County · 25 towns · 560/100k Lyme
Putnam County · 6 towns · 318/100k Lyme
Queens County · 1 towns
Rensselaer County · 16 towns · 263/100k Lyme
Richmond County · 1 towns
Rockland County · 5 towns · 173/100k Lyme
Saratoga County · 21 towns · 97/100k Lyme
Schenectady County · 6 towns · 74/100k Lyme
Schoharie County · 16 towns · 425/100k Lyme
Schuyler County · 8 towns · 306/100k Lyme
Seneca County · 10 towns · 101/100k Lyme
St. Lawrence County · 33 towns · 153/100k Lyme
Steuben County · 34 towns · 218/100k Lyme
Suffolk County · 12 towns · 195/100k Lyme
Sullivan County · 15 towns · 393/100k Lyme
Tioga County · 9 towns · 288/100k Lyme
Tompkins County · 10 towns · 321/100k Lyme
Ulster County · 21 towns · 457/100k Lyme
Warren County · 12 towns · 299/100k Lyme
Washington County · 17 towns · 438/100k Lyme
Wayne County · 15 towns · 64/100k Lyme
Westchester County · 25 towns · 116/100k Lyme
Wyoming County · 16 towns · 81/100k Lyme
Yates County · 9 towns · 268/100k Lyme
New York tick questions
- Are there ticks in New York?
- Yes. New York has ticks in every county, led by the deer tick (blacklegged tick) that spreads Lyme disease, along with the American dog tick and the lone star tick. They are active whenever the ground is not frozen, and today 969 of the state's 1011 towns are at moderate or high tick risk on TickZone's daily score.
- What types of ticks live in New York?
- New York has the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which carries Lyme disease; the American dog tick; and the lone star tick, which is established in the state and causes alpha-gal syndrome. See the New York tick identification chart for photos and how to tell them apart.
- When does tick season start and end in New York?
- In New York, ticks are active whenever the ground is not frozen, roughly March through November. Nymph deer ticks peak in June and July and cause most Lyme cases, and adult ticks have a second peak in the fall. On any winter day above freezing, adult ticks can still bite.
- When is flea and tick season?
- Flea and tick season generally runs from early spring through late fall, peaking in the warm summer months. In New York, start prevention for pets and people in March and keep it up through November, since ticks can bite on any mild day.
- Which tick carries Lyme disease in New York?
- The deer tick, also called the blacklegged tick, is the tick that spreads Lyme disease in New York. The American dog tick and lone star tick do not carry Lyme.