Dutchess County
Town of Amenia, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Amenia run from a 0.92-acre minimum in Hamlet Mixed-Use up to 10 acres in Rural Agricultural, across 8 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 (845) 373-8318 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Amenia →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Agricultural | 10 ac | 40 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Rural Residential | 5 ac | 40 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Hamlet Mixed-Use | 0.92 ac | 25 / 10 / 15 ft | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Hamlet Residential | 0.92 ac | 25 / 15 / 15 ft | 40 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Suburban Residential | 1 ac | 50 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Highway Commercial | 1 ac | 25 / 15 / 50 ft | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Office/Commercial/Industry | 2 ac | 50 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Manufacturing/Industrial | 5 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | No |
Rural Agricultural - Front yard and road frontage are measured from the center line of the road, not the property line; on a county or state highway the front yard is 60 ft and the minimum road frontage 300 ft. Coverage caps all impervious surface, not just building footprint (§ 121-74).
- The coverage cap applies to each lot and to an entire subdivision, including new roads and public areas.
- The Planning Board may adjust the front yard to the average of the closest four parcels.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 6,000 sq ft of footprint, excluding agricultural and residential accessory structures and structures for educational, religious or charitable uses and camps.
- Lots in limited development and conservation subdivisions, and rear lots, may have shorter frontages.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Rural Residential - Front yard and road frontage are measured from the center line of the road, not the property line; on a county or state highway the front yard is 60 ft and the minimum road frontage 400 ft. Coverage caps all impervious surface, not just building footprint (§ 121-74).
- The coverage cap applies to each lot and to an entire subdivision, including new roads and public areas.
- The Planning Board may adjust the front yard to the average of the closest four parcels.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 4,000 sq ft of footprint.
- Lots in limited development and conservation subdivisions, and rear lots, may have shorter frontages.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Hamlet Mixed-Use - The front yard is a build-to line with a 40 ft maximum, so a building may not be set further back, and it is measured from the center line of the road. Lot area is set by infrastructure under § 121-11D, and the minimum shown is the unserviced case of 40,000 sq ft.
- On a county or state highway the minimum front yard is 30 ft.
- The Planning Board may fix a street wall setback in HM and HR.
- The side yard may be zero for a party-wall or zero-lot-line building.
- Coverage caps impervious surface, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 10,000 sq ft of footprint, or 60,000 sq ft for a supermarket, movie theater or other destination use if all special permit impact criteria are satisfied.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Hamlet Residential - The front yard is a build-to line with a 50 ft maximum, so a building may not be set further back, and it is measured from the center line of the road. Lot area is set by infrastructure under § 121-11D, and the minimum shown is the unserviced case of 40,000 sq ft.
- On a county or state highway the minimum front yard is 40 ft.
- The Planning Board may fix a street wall setback in HM and HR.
- The side yard may be zero for a party-wall or zero-lot-line building.
- The coverage figure caps impervious surface.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 1,000 sq ft of footprint.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Suburban Residential - Front yard and road frontage are measured from the center line of the road, not the property line. On a county or state highway the front yard is 75 ft, and minimum road frontage is 200 ft on either a Town road or a county or state highway.
- Coverage caps all impervious surface, not just building footprint.
- The Planning Board may adjust the front yard to the average of the closest four parcels.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 1,000 sq ft of footprint.
- Lots in limited development and conservation subdivisions, and rear lots, may have shorter frontages.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Highway Commercial - Where the lot abuts a residential district the side and rear setbacks rise to 100 ft and a wooded buffer is required. Front yard and road frontage are measured from the road's center line; on a county or state highway the front yard is 35 ft and minimum road frontage 300 ft.
- Coverage caps all impervious surface, not just building footprint.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 40,000 sq ft of footprint.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Office/Commercial/Industry - Where the lot abuts a residential district the side and rear setbacks rise to 100 ft and a wooded buffer is required. Front yard and road frontage are measured from the center line of the road; on a county or state highway the front yard is 150 ft.
- The minimum road frontage is 200 ft on a Town road or a county or state highway.
- Coverage caps all impervious surface, not just building footprint.
- A nonresidential structure may not exceed 200,000 sq ft of footprint.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Manufacturing/Industrial - Where the lot abuts a residential district the side and rear setbacks rise to 100 ft and a wooded buffer is required. Front yard and road frontage are measured from the center line of the road; on a county or state highway the front yard is 200 ft.
- The minimum road frontage is 200 ft on a Town road or a county or state highway.
- Coverage caps all impervious surface, not just building footprint.
- Height is measured above average grade.
Short-term rentals
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. As of June 2026 the Town of Amenia has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the Town of Amenia Building Department before counting on short-term rental income.
Conditions the code attaches:
- Dutchess County occupancy tax registration is required.
- Town of Amenia Building Department: (845) 373-8318.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeTown of Amenia Zoning Law, Chapter 121, Attachment 2: Dimensional Table, adopted July 19, 2007
- Building dept(845) 373-8318
- Last reviewed2026-08-16
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $215–$282/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $28,653 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Amenia, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Amenia?
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Other Dutchess County towns
All Dutchess County zoning: Beacon (City) · Poughkeepsie (City) · Beekman · Clinton · Dover · East Fishkill · Fishkill · Hyde Park · La Grange · Milan · North East · Pawling · Pine Plains · Pleasant Valley · Poughkeepsie · Red Hook · Rhinebeck · Stanford · Union Vale · Wappinger · Washington · Fishkill (Village) · Millbrook (Village) · Millerton (Village) · Pawling (Village) · Red Hook (Village) · Rhinebeck (Village) · Tivoli (Village) · Wappingers Falls (Village)
Zoning figures for Town of Amenia 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 (845) 373-8318 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.