Albany County
Village of Ravena, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Village of Ravena run from a 0.34-acre minimum in Single Family Residential up to 0.46 acres in Two Family Residential, across 7 zoning districts in all. No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. Power here is National Grid territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (518) 756-8201 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Ravena →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Business | 0.23 ac | — | 60 ft | No |
| Planned Commercial | 0.23 ac | — | — | No |
| Industrial | 0.92 ac | 50 / - / - ft | — | No |
| Community Facility | — | 35 / 35 / 35 ft | — | No |
| Single Family Residential | 0.34 ac | 25 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Two Family Residential | 0.46 ac | 25 / 10 / 15 ft | 30 ft | No |
| Planned Residential | — | — | — | No |
General Business - The schedule publishes only a lot area, a lot width and a height for B-1. Coverage, the setbacks and a minimum floor area are not published.
- Every use requires site plan review.
- The 60 ft height is the tallest in the village.
Planned Commercial - The schedule publishes only a lot area and a lot width for C-1P. Coverage, the setbacks, a minimum floor area and a height are not published.
- Every use requires site plan review, which is what the P in the code denotes.
Industrial - The schedule publishes a front setback only. No side or rear setback figure is published for I-1, and the accessory-building coverage cell reads Total rather than a percentage.
- Every use requires site plan review.
Community Facility - The schedule publishes setbacks only for CF-1. No lot area, lot width, coverage or height is published for it.
- Every use requires site plan review.
Single Family Residential - The 900 sq ft minimum first-floor area shown is the one-storey figure; a house of two to 2 1/2 storeys needs 750 sq ft. A two-family residence and an apartment house are listed here by special permit only, with no separate figures published.
- Accessory buildings are capped at 6% of the lot.
- An accessory building keeps 5 ft from the principal building, 10 ft from the side and rear lot lines, and 4 ft for a shed.
Two Family Residential - The 800 sq ft minimum first-floor area shown is the one-storey figure; a house of two to 2 1/2 storeys needs 650 sq ft. R-2 asks for more land than R-1, 20,000 sq ft against 15,000, although a two-family residence is by right here.
- Row houses, apartment houses and garden apartments are special-permit uses here, with no separate figures published.
- Accessory buildings are capped at 6% of the lot, and keep 5 ft from the principal building, 10 ft from the side and rear lot lines and 4 ft for a shed.
Planned Residential - The schedule publishes no dimensional standards at all for R-3P: area, width, coverage, setbacks, floor area and height are all left to the special permit review.
Short-term rentals
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. Ravena has no local short-term rental ordinance. That is not the same as permission, so confirm with the village before counting on renting a home short term.
Conditions the code attaches:
- Hosts are subject to the 2025 New York State short-term rental registry law.
- The building department can be reached at (518) 756-8201.
Good to know
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Zoning codeVillage of Ravena Chapter 119, Zoning, and its Schedules of District Zoning Regulations at 119 Attachment 1 and Attachment 2.
- Building dept(518) 756-8201
- Last reviewed2026-09-19
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $202–$265/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $8,479 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Ravena, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Ravena?
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) · Green Island (Village) · Menands (Village) · Voorheesville (Village)
Zoning figures for Village of Ravena 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) 756-8201 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.