Columbia County

Town of Ghent, NY: zoning for new construction

9 districts Min residential lot 0.23–2 ac Central Hudson

Residential lots in the Town of Ghent run from a 0.23-acre minimum in Village Residence up to 2 acres in Rural Residence Agriculture 2, 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) 392-4644 before you rely on a figure.

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

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Rural Residence Agriculture 1	1 ac	50 / 20 / 40 ft	35 ft	As of right
Rural Residence Agriculture 2	2 ac	75 / 40 / 40 ft	35 ft	As of right
Village Residence	0.23 ac	30 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	As of right
Hamlet Residence	0.46 ac	30 / 20 / 40 ft	35 ft	As of right
Hamlet Business	0.11 ac	10 / 10 / 20 ft	35 ft	No
Village Business	0.46 ac	20 / 20 / 20 ft	35 ft	No
Commercial 1	0.92 ac	40 / 15 / 80 ft	35 ft	No
Commercial 2	0.92 ac	40 / 15 / 80 ft	35 ft	No
Commercial 3	0.92 ac	40 / 25 / 20 ft	35 ft	No

Rural Residence Agriculture 1 - A required minimum density of three acres per lot applies on top of the 1 acre minimum lot. Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.

On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 25 ft.
Minimum frontage is 60 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.
Accessory building dimensions are set by § 190-27A(3).

Rural Residence Agriculture 2 - A required minimum density of five acres per lot applies on top of the 2 acre minimum lot. Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.

On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 50 ft.
Minimum frontage is 60 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.
Accessory building dimensions are set by § 190-27A(3).

Village Residence - The minimum lot area is 10,000 sq ft with public sewage and 20,000 sq ft without it; the figures shown assume public sewage. Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.

On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 30 ft.
Minimum frontage is 60 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.
Accessory building dimensions are set by § 190-27A(3).

Hamlet Residence - Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line. The 20,000 sq ft lot area applies with or without public sewage.

On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 50 ft.
Minimum frontage is 60 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.
Accessory building dimensions are set by § 190-27A(3).

Hamlet Business - A single building may have a footprint of at most 3,500 sq ft, and the maximum open land area of preserved vegetation or landscaping is 20% of the lot.

Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.
On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 10 ft.
Minimum frontage is 40 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.

Village Business - A single building may have a footprint of at most 20,000 sq ft, and the maximum open land area of preserved vegetation or landscaping is 30% of the lot.

Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.
On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 20 ft.
Minimum frontage is 50 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.

Commercial 1, Commercial 2 - A single building may have a footprint of at most 50,000 sq ft, and the maximum open land area is 40% of the lot.

Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.
On a corner lot the side yard along the side street is 15 ft.
Minimum frontage is 60 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).
Parking is permitted within a required setback.

Commercial 3 - On a lot of 2 acres or more the front yard is 60 ft, the combined side yards 60 ft, the corner side yard 25 ft and the rear yard 100 ft. The figures shown are for a lot under 2 acres.

The single side yard is 25 ft on any lot size, and on a lot under 2 acres the corner side yard along the side street is 20 ft.
A single building may have a footprint of at most 100,000 sq ft, and the maximum open land area is 40% of the lot.
Setbacks are measured from a point 25 ft from the centre line of any town, county or subdivision roadway, not from the property line.
Minimum frontage is 60 ft, separate from the lot width.
Where public sewage is not available, a lot cannot be built on without space for a private sanitary waste disposal system.
Ground-mounted solar energy facilities count toward total lot coverage (§ 190-15E(2)).

Short-term rentals

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. The Town of Ghent 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 use.

Conditions the code attaches:

The Town has a general rental property inspection chapter (Chapter 136) but no permit or registration requirement specific to short-term rentals.
Building department: (518) 392-4644.

Good to know

UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeTown of Ghent Zoning, Chapter 190, Appendix B: Table of Dimension Regulations (March 2024)
Building dept(518) 392-4644
Last reviewed2026-06-02

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $202–$265/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $2,656 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Ghent, or what an ADU costs here.

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