Albany County
Village of Green Island, NY: zoning for new construction
The Village of Green Island sets a residential minimum of about 0.069 acres in Residential 1, one of its 6 zoning districts. No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. Power here is Green Island Power Authority territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (518) 629-0368 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Green Island →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial | 0.069 ac | 13 / 3 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Industrial | 0.46 ac | 40 / 50 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Planned Development | — | — | — | — |
| Residential 1 | 0.069 ac | 13 / 3 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential 2 | 0.069 ac | 13 / 3 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Recreational | — | — | — | No |
Commercial - A home is allowed here on the same figures as the R2 district: 1,500 sq ft of land per unit for a one- or two-family, and 1,000 sq ft per unit for a multiple-family building.
- The side yard is a pair: 3 ft on one side and 5 ft for the two combined.
- The 3,000 sq ft lot minimum has a floor beneath it for an existing undersized lot, an absolute minimum of 2,000 square feet.
- A gasoline station breaks the pattern entirely: 20,000 sq ft on a 150 ft by 125 ft lot, with 30 ft front, 30 ft one side, 60 ft both sides and 30 ft rear, and no coverage maximum at all (§ 169-25).
Industrial - The 50 ft side and rear yards carry a footnote saying the yard sizes apply when abutting a residential district, and the schedule prints no other figure for a lot that abuts none, so whether 50 ft is the general requirement or only the abutting one is unsettled.
- One row in the schedule covers every industrial use here.
Planned Development - There are no published dimensions for a planned development district. The standards come from the plan approved for that particular development.
Residential 1 - A two-family house needs the same lot as a one-family: one row covers both, at 3,000 sq ft of lot and 1,500 sq ft of land per dwelling unit.
- The 3,000 sq ft lot minimum carries a footnote setting an absolute minimum of 2,000 sq ft, so an existing undersized lot has a floor below the district figure.
- Multiple-family is not a listed use in this district.
- Nonresidential use shares every figure here, differing only in having no land-per-unit rate.
Residential 2 - One- and two-family share the base row at 1,500 sq ft of land per dwelling unit, and a multiple-family building drops to 1,000 sq ft per unit on the same 3,000 sq ft lot.
- The 3,000 sq ft lot minimum carries a footnote setting an absolute minimum of 2,000 sq ft, so an existing undersized lot has a floor below the district figure.
- Nonresidential use shares the same figures, with no land-per-unit rate.
Recreational - The village's area and bulk schedule publishes no row for this district, so its dimensional standards are not published there.
- Public utilities are listed with no figures and referred instead to § 169-26.
Short-term rentals
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. The village has no local short-term rental law. That is not the same as permission, so check with the village office before counting on a short-term rental here.
Conditions the code attaches:
- New York State's 2025 short-term rental registry, Ch. 99 of the Laws of 2025, requires every host in the state to register the unit whatever the local rules say.
- Chapter 156 requires annual inspection and registration of rental dwellings, and landlord registration under § 156-10 applies to rentals generally.
- The transient-occupancy rules in § 156-8 reach only motels, rooming or lodging houses, dormitories and fraternities, so they neither authorise nor forbid a whole-house rental.
- The village can confirm the current position at (518) 629-0368.
Good to know
- UtilityGreen Island Power Authority territory.
- Zoning codeVillage of Green Island Code Chapter 169, Zoning, with Attachment 2, the Schedule of Area and Bulk Regulations.
- Building dept(518) 629-0368
- Last reviewed2026-09-19
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $202–$265/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $38,775 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Green Island, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Green Island?
Aldo pulls the exact zoning district, setbacks, and build feasibility for any parcel — before you buy. Enter your email to open Aldo and run your free report.
Other Albany County towns
All Albany County zoning: Albany (City) · Cohoes (City) · Watervliet (City) · Berne · Bethlehem · Coeymans · Colonie · Guilderland · Knox · New Scotland · Rensselaerville · Westerlo · Altamont (Village) · Colonie (Village) · Menands (Village) · Ravena (Village) · Voorheesville (Village)
Zoning figures for Village of Green Island are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-09-19) and provided for decision-support only - not legal, engineering, or architectural advice. Setback and dimensional standards often carry conditions and exceptions; verify with the building department at (518) 629-0368 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.