Columbia County

Village of Philmont, NY: zoning for new construction

11 districts Min residential lot 0.25–2 ac Central Hudson

Residential lots in the Village of Philmont run from a 0.25-acre minimum in Hamlet III up to 2 acres in Residential (2-acre), across 11 zoning districts in all. Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. 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) 672-7032 before you rely on a figure.

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

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Residential (2-acre)	2 ac	75 / 40 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential Low Density	1 ac	35 / 25 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet I	0.33 ac	25 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet II	0.5 ac	25 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet III	0.25 ac	25 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Residential High Density	0.25 ac	25 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
General Business	0.09 ac	10 / - / 15 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Manufacturing	0.09 ac	10 / 25 / 10 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Conservation	2 ac	75 / 25 / 30 ft	—	No
Residential-Service-Commercial	2 ac	35 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Manufacturing II	0.33 ac	25 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit

Residential (2-acre), Residential Low Density, Hamlet I, Hamlet II, Hamlet III, Residential High Density, Residential-Service-Commercial, Manufacturing II - The front yard may instead be made consistent with all buildings within 200 ft on either side (§ 160-11B).

Buildings may be no more than 2 1/2 storeys, as well as no taller than 35 ft.

General Business - GB requires no side yard. The front yard may instead be made consistent with all buildings within 200 ft on either side (§ 160-11B).

Buildings may be no more than 2 1/2 storeys, as well as no taller than 35 ft.

Manufacturing - The front yard may instead be made consistent with all buildings within 200 ft on either side (§ 160-11B).

Buildings may be up to 3 storeys, as well as no taller than 35 ft.

Conservation - Buildings are not permitted in C. The code marks both the maximum height and the maximum lot coverage as not permitted, even though it publishes lot and yard figures.

Short-term rentals

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Philmont allows only hosted short-term rentals, with the host's primary residence on the premises, so an unhosted whole-house rental is not available. Each needs a Planning Board special use permit and an annual permit from the Code Enforcement Officer.

Conditions the code attaches:

Short-term rental is a special permit use in R, RLD, H-I, H-II, H-III, RHD, M, M-II and GB, and is prohibited in C.
No more than eight guests, not counting infants under three, four rented bedrooms and two guests to a room, with at least 70 sq ft of habitable floor area for one guest and 100 sq ft for two.
Permits cannot be transferred, expire immediately on any change of ownership, and are permanently revoked after two violations.
Limit of one short-term rental unit per parcel and one per property owner in the village.
Required: at least $1,000,000 of general liability cover rating the premises as a short-term rental, all parking on the parcel, and a local contact within 20 miles who responds within one hour.
The property must be inspected before a permit issues, hosts must register with Columbia County for lodging tax, and the village's residential rental registration also applies.

Municipal source

Good to know

UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeVillage of Philmont Local Laws, Chapter 160 Zoning, Table 3: Bulk Regulations/Coverage Limitations (amended May 2007)
Building dept(518) 672-7032
Last reviewed2026-08-16

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $202–$265/sq ft - see the full cost to build a house in Philmont, or what an ADU costs here.

Sizing up a specific parcel in Philmont?

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