Dutchess County

Town of North East, NY: zoning for new construction

10 districts Min residential lot 0.46–5 ac Central Hudson

North East, the town around Millerton, runs ten districts from a 5-acre agricultural minimum down to 20,000 square feet in Medium Density Residential, with residential coverage generally at 10%. The accessory dwelling rules changed recently and the published code has not caught up - Local Law No. 1 of 2026, adopted in April, repealed the old accessory apartment and ECHO unit sections outright and replaced them with an ADU that needs only a ministerial zoning permit from the Zoning Enforcement Officer and is expressly a rental unit, while the version still published on eCode360 shows the repealed rules, so the code you find online is out of date. No local short-term rental law has been found as of mid-2026, which is usually good news but is not a yes, because a town can bar the use just by leaving it off the list of uses its districts allow, and county occupancy tax registration and New York's statewide host registry apply either way. Confirm the current district and permit type with the Building Department at (518) 789-4041.

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

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Agricultural District	5 ac	75 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Very Low Density Residential District	3 ac	60 / 35 / 35 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Low Density Residential District	1 ac	50 / 10 / 25 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Medium Density Residential District	0.46 ac	30 / 10 / 25 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Boulevard District 4	1 ac	20 / 25 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Boulevard District West	1 ac	20 / 25 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Boulevard District East	1 ac	35 / 30 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Irondale Business District	1 ac	40 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Land Conservation District	1 ac	80 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Light Industrial District	15 ac	100 / 100 / 100 ft	35 ft	No

Agricultural District - No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper, so the buildable minimum is effectively larger on a constrained parcel. Site coverage is capped at 30%, a separate limit from building coverage.

Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
The front yard is 75 ft from the street line, or 100 ft from the street centre line.
Lot width is measured at the building line at the front yard setback.
No driveway may meet a street line less than 70 ft from the intersection of any two street lines.

Very Low Density Residential District - No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper, so the buildable minimum is effectively larger on a constrained parcel. Site coverage is capped at 25%, a separate limit from building coverage.

Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
The front yard is 60 ft from the street line, or 85 ft from the street centre line.
Lot width is measured at the building line at the front yard setback.
No driveway may meet a street line less than 70 ft from the intersection of any two street lines.

Low Density Residential District - No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper, so the buildable minimum is effectively larger on a constrained parcel. Site coverage is capped at 20%, a separate limit from building coverage.

A corner lot needs 210 ft of width instead of 175 ft, measured at the building line at the front yard setback.
The two side yards must total at least 30 ft, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total.
On a corner lot there is one rear yard and one side yard, each at least 10 ft.
Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
The front yard is 50 ft from the street line, or 75 ft from the street centre line.
No driveway may meet a street line less than 70 ft from the intersection of any two street lines.

Medium Density Residential District - Without central sewer, each dwelling unit needs whatever land the Dutchess County Department of Health determines but never less than 20,000 sq ft, and site coverage is capped at 7%; with central sewer, it needs at least 20,000 sq ft and the cap is 15%.

Minimum lot width is 175 ft on an interior lot and 185 ft on a corner lot without central sewer, against 115 ft and 125 ft with it.
No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper.
The two side yards must total at least 30 ft, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total.
On a corner lot there is one rear yard and one side yard, each at least 10 ft.
Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
The front yard is 30 ft from the street line, or 55 ft from the street centre line.

Boulevard District 4 - The front yard is a range of 20 to 30 ft from the street line, and a building may not be set further back than the maximum. A single building may not exceed 10,000 sq ft of footprint, except a grocery store where permitted, which may reach 35,000 sq ft.

Site coverage is capped at 40%, a separate limit from the 15% building coverage.
Height is capped at 2 stories as well as 35 ft.
No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper.
A building may not exceed 75 ft in width at the front yard setback, and every front facade needs a change in plane, material or other substantive visual alteration at least every 40 ft.
A corner lot needs 240 ft of width instead of 200 ft.
The Alternative Land Use Development Performance Modifications at § 180-19D can change any figure that carries a footnote in the schedule.

Boulevard District West - On the north side of Route 44 the front yard is a range of 20 to 30 ft from the street line; on the south side it is 35 to 45 ft, and the side yard for buildings is 30 ft rather than 25 ft. A building may not be set further back than the maximum.

A single building may not exceed 10,000 sq ft of footprint, except a grocery store where permitted, which may reach 35,000 sq ft.
Site coverage is capped at 40%, a separate limit from the 15% building coverage.
Height is capped at 2 stories as well as 35 ft.
No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper.
A building may not exceed 75 ft in width at the front yard setback, and every front facade needs a change in plane, material or other substantive visual alteration at least every 40 ft.
The Alternative Land Use Development Performance Modifications at § 180-19D can change any figure that carries a footnote in the schedule.

Boulevard District East - The front yard is a range of 35 to 45 ft from the street line, and a building may not be set further back than the maximum. A single building may not exceed 10,000 sq ft of footprint, except a grocery store where permitted, which may reach 35,000 sq ft.

Site coverage is capped at 40%, a separate limit from the 15% building coverage.
Height is capped at 2 stories as well as 35 ft.
No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper.
A building may not exceed 75 ft in width at the front yard setback, and every front facade needs a change in plane, material or other substantive visual alteration at least every 40 ft.
A corner lot needs 240 ft of width instead of 200 ft.
The Alternative Land Use Development Performance Modifications at § 180-19D can change any figure that carries a footnote in the schedule.

Irondale Business District - Height is capped at 2.5 stories as well as 35 ft. No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper, so the buildable minimum is effectively larger on a constrained parcel.

A corner lot needs 240 ft of width instead of 200 ft, measured at the building line at the front yard setback.
Parking and loading areas have their own setbacks of 20 ft side and 20 ft rear.
The front yard is measured from the street line.

Land Conservation District - Height is capped at 2.5 stories as well as 35 ft. No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper, so the buildable minimum is effectively larger on a constrained parcel.

Parking and loading areas have their own setbacks of 50 ft side and 50 ft rear.
Lot width is measured at the building line at the front yard setback.
The front yard is measured from the street line.

Light Industrial District - Site coverage is capped at 40%, a separate limit from the 20% building coverage, and height at 2.5 stories as well as 35 ft.

No more than 10% of the minimum lot area may be wetlands, land under water, the 100-year floodplain or slopes of 20% or steeper, so the buildable minimum is effectively larger on a constrained parcel.
Parking and loading areas have their own setbacks of 100 ft side and 100 ft rear.
The front yard is 100 ft from the street line, or 150 ft from the street centre line.
Lot width is measured at the building line at the front yard setback.

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 North East has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the Town of North East Building Department before counting on short-term rental income.

Conditions the code attaches:

Dutchess County occupancy tax registration is required.
Town of North East Building Department: (518) 789-4041.

Good to know

UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeTown of North East, Chapter 180 Zoning, Article V: Schedule of Regulations
Building dept(518) 789-4041
Last reviewed2026-08-16

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $215–$282/sq ft - see the full cost to build a house in North East, or what an ADU costs here.

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