Columbia County

Town of Claverack, NY: zoning for new construction

9 districts Min residential lot 1–12 ac Central Hudson

Residential lots in the Town of Claverack run from a 1-acre minimum in Hamlet Residential up to 12 acres in Mobile Home Park, across 9 zoning districts in all. No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. Power here is Central Hudson territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (518) 672-4471 before you rely on a figure.

Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Claverack →

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Rural Conservation	5 ac	80 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Rural Residential	2 ac	50 / 20 / 40 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Rural Agricultural	5 ac	50 / 20 / 40 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet Residential	1 ac	30 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Mobile Home Park	12 ac	300 / 15 / 50 ft	20 ft	No
Highway Commercial	1 ac	70 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet Business	0.5 ac	30 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet Business 1	1 ac	30 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Commercial Industrial Park	1 ac	40 / 25 / 20 ft	35 ft	No

Rural Conservation - The 5 acres shown is a density of one dwelling per five acres, not a lot minimum. A lot may be as small as Columbia County water and waste treatment standards allow, if the parcel as a whole stays within that density (§ 6.3.1).

The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.
On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 80 ft.
Minimum lot frontage is 200 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.
Building footprint is set at 3,500 sq ft for a commercial or manufacturing building, 5,000 sq ft for a multifamily structure of 3 or more units and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

Rural Residential - The 2 acres shown is a density of one dwelling per two acres, not a lot minimum. A lot may be as small as Columbia County water and waste treatment standards allow, if the parcel as a whole stays within that density (§ 6.3.1).

The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.
On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 25 ft.
Minimum lot frontage is 150 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.
Building footprint is set at 3,500 sq ft for a commercial or manufacturing building and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

Rural Agricultural - The 5 acres shown is a density of one dwelling per five acres, not a lot minimum. A lot may be as small as Columbia County water and waste treatment standards allow, if the parcel as a whole stays within that density (§ 6.3.1).

The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.
On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 25 ft.
Minimum lot frontage is 150 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.
Building footprint is set at 3,500 sq ft for a commercial or manufacturing building and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

Hamlet Residential - With public sewage or water, the minimum lot size drops to 0.5 acre.

On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 20 ft.
Minimum lot frontage is 80 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.
The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.
Building footprint is set at 5,000 sq ft for a multifamily structure of 3 or more units and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

Mobile Home Park - Minimum lot frontage is 300 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width shown.

On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 25 ft.
The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.
Building footprint is set at 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

Highway Commercial - Building footprint is set at 20,000 sq ft for retail and 45,000 sq ft for non-retail, 2,500 sq ft for a multifamily structure of 3 or more units, and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 70 ft.
Minimum lot frontage is 100 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.
The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.

Hamlet Business - On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 20 ft, and minimum lot frontage is 80 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.

Building footprint is set at 6,000 sq ft for a commercial or manufacturing building, 5,000 sq ft for a multifamily structure of 3 or more units and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.
The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.

Hamlet Business 1 - On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 40 ft, and minimum lot frontage is 100 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.

Building footprint is set at 6,000 sq ft for a commercial or manufacturing building, 5,000 sq ft for a multifamily structure of 3 or more units and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.
The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.

Commercial Industrial Park - Building footprint is set at 100,000 sq ft for a commercial or manufacturing building and 10,000 sq ft for an institutional structure.

On a corner lot, the side yard abutting the side street is 40 ft.
Minimum lot frontage is 150 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width.
The density is the parcel's total development potential: once it is used up through subdivision, no further subdivision is allowed (§ 6.3.2).
A residential subdivision, special exception or site plan may earn up to 30% more dwelling units than the table allows (§ 6.4).
That bonus is earned by preserving 50% or more of a parcel as agricultural land, by moderately-priced housing or by traditional neighbourhood design.

Short-term rentals

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. The Town of Claverack has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the building department before counting on short-term rental income.

Conditions the code attaches:

Columbia County occupancy tax applies.
Building department: (518) 672-4471.

Good to know

UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeTown of Claverack Zoning Law (Local Law 3 of 2015), Table 2: Dimensions & Density
Building dept(518) 672-4471
Last reviewed2026-08-16

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $202–$265/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $16,346 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Claverack, or what an ADU costs here.

Sizing up a specific parcel in Claverack?

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: Hudson (City) · Ancram · Austerlitz · Canaan · Chatham · Clermont · Copake · Gallatin · Germantown · Ghent · Hillsdale · Kinderhook · Livingston · New Lebanon · Stockport · Stuyvesant · Taghkanic · Chatham (Village) · Kinderhook (Village) · Philmont (Village) · Valatie (Village)

Zoning figures for Town of Claverack are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-16) 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) 672-4471 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.