Direct answer: In New York City, the mayor is elected to a four-year term and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. After serving two consecutive terms, a former mayor must wait at least one full term before running again. This two-term limit has been in place since a 1993 measure and was reaffirmed by a public referendum in 2010, though there have been historical exceptions and changes in the past (e.g., living under prior rules before the current two-term standard).

Details and context:

• Term length: Four years per mayoral term. This is the standard cycle for NYC mayoral elections, with elections held in November and the new term starting January 1 following the election year.

• Term limit: Two consecutive terms. After two terms, a former mayor must wait out a term before seeking another term, effectively preventing non-consecutive but frequent returns unless the terms gap is observed.

• Historical notes: NYC’s term-limit landscape has shifted over time. A notable change occurred in 2010 when the council approved extending terms or adjusting limits, but a subsequent public referendum reaffirmed two-term limits for the mayor and other officers, shaping the current framework. Prior configurations allowed different arrangements, but the contemporary rule is two consecutive four-year terms.

If you’d like, I can pull up the exact language from the NYC Charter and summarize the current provisions as they appear in the official code.