Columbia County
City of Hudson, NY: zoning for new construction
Hudson is a dense small city and it zones like one - lot minimums across its twelve districts run from about 0.09 to 0.28 of an acre, so you're working with village-scale parcels, not rural acreage. Short-term rentals are among the most restricted in the region: the city caps total licenses at 25 city-wide, requires owner-occupancy, and adopted a moratorium on new licenses in 2024 that the 2025 ordinance tightened further. If a rental is central to your plan here, that cap is the first thing to check - call the Building Department at (518) 828-3133.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Hudson →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-Family Residential | 0.11 ac | 20 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| One- or Two-Family Residential | 0.09 ac | 15 / 7.5 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Multiple Dwelling Residential | 0.18 ac | 10 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Multiple Dwelling (High-Density) | 0.14 ac | 10 / 10 / 30 ft | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Institutional-Residential Conservation | 0.23 ac | 20 / 15 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Riverfront Gateway | 0.14 ac | 10 / 10 / 30 ft | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Core Riverfront | 0.14 ac | 10 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Recreational Conservation | 0.28 ac | 20 / 15 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| City Core Commercial | — | — | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Commerce District | 0.11 ac | - / - / 20 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| General Commercial | 0.23 ac | - / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Industrial | — | - / 10 / 10 ft | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
One-Family Residential - The Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street, instead of the figure shown.
- The minimum lot area is for one family on one lot, not a figure per dwelling unit.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
One- or Two-Family Residential - The Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street, instead of the figure shown.
- The figures shown apply to one- or two-family dwellings.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Multiple Dwelling Residential - The figures shown are for multiple dwellings. Each dwelling unit needs 400 sq ft of usable open space, and the maximum building length is 160 ft.
- A one- or two-family dwelling takes a different column: 0.0918 acres on 40 ft of width, with a 15 ft front, 7.5 ft side and 30 ft rear yard, 35% coverage and 2,400 sq ft per dwelling unit.
- An attached dwelling needs 20 ft of lot width per unit, 35 ft for an end unit including a 15 ft side yard, and 2,000 sq ft per dwelling unit with no total lot area stated.
- New office buildings, or buildings combining office and residential use, need 10,000 sq ft on a 100 ft lot, with a 10 ft front, 15 ft side and 30 ft rear yard and 30% coverage.
- The Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street, instead of the figure shown.
- Density and lot count are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C, and Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Multiple Dwelling (High-Density) - The side yard is ten feet or half the building height, whichever is greater. Each dwelling unit needs 300 sq ft of usable open space, and the maximum building length is 160 ft.
- A one- or two-family dwelling takes a different column: 0.0918 acres on 40 ft of width, with a 15 ft front, 7.5 ft side and 30 ft rear yard, 35 ft of height, 35% coverage and 2,400 sq ft per unit.
- An attached dwelling needs 20 ft of lot width per unit, 2,000 sq ft per dwelling unit with no total lot area stated, and 400 sq ft of usable open space per unit.
- The figures shown are for multiple dwellings; one- or two-family dwellings and attached dwellings have separate standards.
- The Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street, instead of the figure shown.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Institutional-Residential Conservation, Recreational Conservation - Each dwelling unit needs 500 sq ft of usable open space, and the Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Riverfront Gateway - The side yard is ten feet or half the building height, whichever is greater. Each dwelling unit needs 300 sq ft of usable open space, and the maximum building length is 160 ft.
- The Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street, instead of the figure shown.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Core Riverfront - Each dwelling unit needs 400 sq ft of usable open space, and the Planning Board may approve a front yard that conforms with the prevailing building setback on the property's street.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
City Core Commercial - No side yard is required, but one that is provided must be at least ten feet. Within 25 ft of a residence district boundary the side yard becomes 10 ft and the rear yard 30 ft.
- Height is also limited to four stories.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Commerce District - No side yard is required, but one that is provided must be at least ten feet. Within 25 ft of a residence district boundary the side yard becomes 10 ft and the rear yard 30 ft.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
General Commercial - Within 25 ft of a residence district boundary the side yard becomes 15 ft and the rear yard 30 ft. Area devoted to manufacturing is capped at 10,000 sq ft.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Industrial - Height is limited to two feet for each foot of distance from any property line, up to 45 ft. Within 25 ft of a residence district boundary the side and rear yards both become 40 ft.
- Density and the number of lots a parcel may be subdivided into are calculated on net parcel size under § 325-18C.
- Article V sets alternative dimensions for conservation development and incentive zoning.
Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Hudson requires owner occupancy for a short-term rental, and licenses are capped at 25 city-wide with a maximum of 15 per planning district. A moratorium on new licenses was adopted in June 2024.
Conditions the code attaches:
- The home must be the owner's primary residence, for a minimum of 50 days a year.
- Nonhosted rentals are limited to 60 days a year.
- An updated ordinance passed in September 2025 sets a 183-day owner-occupancy threshold and a 300 ft separation.
- The rules are Local Law No. 7 of 2020, Chapter 275-40.2, the STR registry.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeCity of Hudson Zoning, Chapter 325, Attachments 1 and 2: Schedule of Bulk and Area Regulations (May 2012)
- Building dept(518) 828-3133
- Last reviewed2026-06-02
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $202–$265/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $24,800 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Hudson, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Hudson?
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 Columbia County towns
All Columbia County zoning: Ancram · Austerlitz · Canaan · Chatham · Claverack · Clermont · Copake · Gallatin · Germantown · Ghent · Hillsdale · Kinderhook · Livingston · New Lebanon · Stockport · Stuyvesant · Taghkanic · Chatham (Village) · Kinderhook (Village) · Philmont (Village) · Valatie (Village)
Zoning figures for City of Hudson are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-06-02) 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) 828-3133 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.