Dutchess County
Town of Clinton, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Clinton run from a 1-acre minimum in Hamlet up to 5 acres in Conservation Agricultural Residential, across 9 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 (845) 266-5230 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Clinton →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Residential 5-Acre | 5 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Agricultural Residential 3-Acre | 3 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Conservation Agricultural Residential | 5 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Hamlet | 1 ac | 45 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Residential Hamlet | 1 ac | 45 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Medium Density Residential | 1 ac | 75 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Clustered Residential | 1 ac | 75 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Office-Light Industry | 3 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 50 ft | No |
| Floodplain | — | — | — | No |
Agricultural Residential 5-Acre, Agricultural Residential 3-Acre - The minimum lot area applies per dwelling unit or establishment, so a second dwelling unit needs the same area again. At least 75% of the lot must be left as open space.
- The front yard is measured from the center line of the road or right-of-way, not the property line, or from the nearest edge of a right-of-way wider than 60 ft (§ 250-23A).
- On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, up to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A).
- Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, separate from the minimum lot width.
- Parking areas have their own setbacks: 50 ft front, 10 ft side and 10 ft rear.
Conservation Agricultural Residential - The minimum lot area applies per dwelling unit or establishment, so a second dwelling unit needs the same area again. At least 75% of the lot must be left as open space.
- The C district carries additional setback and other requirements under § 250-10.
- The front yard is measured from the center line of the road or right-of-way, not the property line, or from the nearest edge of a right-of-way wider than 60 ft (§ 250-23A).
- On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, up to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A).
- Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, separate from the minimum lot width.
- Parking areas have their own setbacks: 50 ft front, 10 ft side and 10 ft rear.
Hamlet, Residential Hamlet - The two side yards must total at least 50 ft, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total. The minimum lot area applies per dwelling unit or establishment, so a second dwelling unit needs the same area again.
- A corner lot needs 150 ft of width instead of 100 ft, and every street frontage on it is a front yard, up to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A).
- At least 50% of the lot must be left as open space.
- The front yard is measured from the center line of the road or right-of-way, not the property line, or from the nearest edge of a right-of-way wider than 60 ft (§ 250-23A).
- Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, separate from the minimum lot width.
- Parking areas have their own setbacks: 50 ft front, 10 ft side and 10 ft rear.
Medium Density Residential - The two side yards must total at least 50 ft, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total. The minimum lot area applies per dwelling unit or establishment, so a second dwelling unit needs the same area again.
- A corner lot needs 150 ft of width instead of 100 ft, and every street frontage on it is a front yard, up to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A).
- At least 65% of the lot must be left as open space.
- The front yard is measured from the center line of the road or right-of-way, not the property line, or from the nearest edge of a right-of-way wider than 60 ft (§ 250-23A).
- Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, separate from the minimum lot width.
- Parking areas have their own setbacks: 50 ft front, 10 ft side and 10 ft rear.
Clustered Residential - The two side yards must total at least 50 ft, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total. The minimum lot area applies per dwelling unit or establishment, so a second dwelling unit needs the same area again.
- A corner lot needs 175 ft of width instead of 100 ft, and every street frontage on it is a front yard, up to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A).
- At least 65% of the lot must be left as open space.
- The front yard is measured from the center line of the road or right-of-way, not the property line, or from the nearest edge of a right-of-way wider than 60 ft (§ 250-23A).
- Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, separate from the minimum lot width.
- Parking areas have their own setbacks: 50 ft front, 10 ft side and 10 ft rear.
Office-Light Industry - Where the lot meets the frontage requirement with direct access on an existing state or county roadway, § 250-14C(1) drops the minimum lot to 1 acre, with a 60 ft front yard, 25 ft side, 50 ft rear and 150 ft lot width.
- Where an industrial lot abuts a residential lot or district, every permitted use and associated activity must be set back 200 ft with a landscaped buffer inside it (§ 250-61).
- Parking areas have their own setbacks of 125 ft front, 20 ft side and 20 ft rear, or 50, 10 and 10 ft where the 1-acre minimum applies.
- At least 30% of the lot must be left as open space.
- The minimum lot area applies per dwelling unit or establishment, so a second one needs the same area again.
- The front yard is measured from the center line of the road or right-of-way, or from the nearest edge of a right-of-way wider than 60 ft (§ 250-23A).
- On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, up to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A).
Floodplain - No dwelling units or establishments are permitted in F. The district covers the flood hazard area on the Town's current Federal Insurance Administration Flood Hazard Boundary Map, so its boundary moves when that map is revised (§ 250-5).
Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Short-term rentals in the Town of Clinton are regulated under § 250-69.1 of the Zoning Law. Confirm the requirements with the Building Department before counting on rental income.
Conditions the code attaches:
- Building Department: (845) 266-5230.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeTown of Clinton Zoning, Chapter 250, Attachment 2: Schedule of Area and Bulk Regulations, updated 2024
- Building dept(845) 266-5230
- Last reviewed2026-08-16
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $215–$282/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $15,489 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Clinton, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Clinton?
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 Dutchess County towns
All Dutchess County zoning: Beacon (City) · Poughkeepsie (City) · Amenia · Beekman · 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 Clinton 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) 266-5230 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.