Dutchess County

Village of Wappingers Falls, NY: zoning for new construction

7 districts Central Hudson

The Village of Wappingers Falls carries 7 zoning districts, each setting its own lot size, setbacks and height for what you can build. 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) 297-8773 before you rely on a figure.

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

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Residential	—	10 / 5 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Village Residential	—	5 / 5 / 10 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential Mixed Use	—	15 / 15 / 15 ft	42 ft	No
Village Mixed Use	—	10 / 5 / 10 ft	35 ft	No
Village Commercial	—	0 / 0 / 3 ft	42 ft	No
Commercial Mixed Use	—	10 / 5 / - ft	42 ft	No
Bleachery	—	15 / 5 / 5 ft	55 ft	No

Residential - The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face. Where there is none, it is a range of 10 to 20 ft, and a building may not sit further back than 20 ft.

Height is also capped at 2 stories, and an accessory building at 1 story and 15 ft.
A corner side yard is 5 ft with a 15 ft maximum, and also yields to the prevailing setback.
An attached garage must sit at least 15 ft behind the primary facade and 5 ft behind the secondary facade, and a shed goes in the rear yard.
A covered porch may extend 8 ft into a required front yard, an uncovered porch, stoop, deck or steps 3 ft, and bay windows and balconies up to 40% of its depth (§ 151-23).
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Village Residential - The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face. Where there is none, it is a range of 5 to 15 ft, and a building may not sit further back than 15 ft.

The interior side yard drops to zero for buildings attached across adjacent lots.
A corner side yard is 5 ft with a 15 ft maximum, and also yields to the prevailing setback.
Height is also capped at 2 stories, and an accessory building at 1 story and 15 ft.
An attached garage must sit at least 15 ft behind the primary facade and 5 ft behind the secondary facade, and a shed goes in the rear yard.
A covered porch may extend 8 ft into a required front yard, an uncovered porch, stoop, deck or steps 3 ft, and bay windows and balconies up to 40% of its depth (§ 151-23).
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Residential Mixed Use - A property fronting Channingville Road or Nelson Road takes a 75 ft minimum front yard instead of 15 ft. The Planning Board may approve four stories and 53 ft for those properties and for properties east of Marshall Road fronting Myers Corners Road.

The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face; the 15 ft front yard shown applies only where there is none.
No parking is allowed in the front yard or the side street yard.
Height is also capped at 3 stories.
An attached garage must sit at least 15 ft behind the primary facade and 5 ft behind the secondary facade, and a shed goes in the rear yard.
A covered porch may extend 8 ft into a required front yard, an uncovered porch, stoop, deck or steps 3 ft, and bay windows and balconies up to 40% of its depth (§ 151-23).
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Village Mixed Use - The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face. Where there is none, it is a range of 10 to 25 ft, and a building may not sit further back than 25 ft.

The interior side yard drops to zero for buildings attached across adjacent lots.
A corner side yard is 10 ft with a 20 ft maximum, and also yields to the prevailing setback.
Height is also capped at 2 stories, and an accessory building at 2 stories and 25 ft.
An attached garage must sit at least 15 ft behind the primary facade and 5 ft behind the secondary facade, and a shed goes in the rear yard.
A covered porch may extend 8 ft into a required front yard, an uncovered porch, stoop, deck or steps 3 ft, and bay windows and balconies up to 40% of its depth (§ 151-23).
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Village Commercial - Buildings must be at least two stories and at most three, and must occupy at least 80% of the primary street frontage and 30% of a side street frontage. The Planning Board may approve four stories and 53 ft on West and East Main Street.

The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face; where there is none it is a range of 0 to 12 ft, with a building no further back than 12 ft.
The interior side yard may be no more than 24 ft; a corner side yard is 2 ft with a 12 ft maximum, and also yields to the prevailing setback.
The ground floor ceiling must be between 11 and 15 ft high.
An accessory building is capped at 2 stories and 25 ft.
A covered porch may extend 8 ft into a required front yard, an uncovered porch, stoop, deck or steps 3 ft, and bay windows and balconies up to 40% of its depth (§ 151-23).
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Commercial Mixed Use - The figures shown are for a linear building at the front, at least 24 ft deep and two to three stories. A back building behind it must be set back at least 65 ft from the front, with a 5 ft rear yard, and is limited to one story.

At least 15% of the lot must be greenspace.
No parking is allowed in the front yard or the side yard.
The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face; where there is none it is a range of 10 to 15 ft, with a building no further back than 15 ft.
The linear building has no rear setback.
An accessory building is capped at 2 stories and 25 ft.
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Bleachery - At least 15% of the lot must be greenspace, and no parking is allowed in the front yard or the side street yard. The front yard must be consistent with the prevailing setback on the block face; the 15 ft front yard shown applies only where there is none.

Height is also capped at 4 stories, with an 11 ft minimum ground floor ceiling.
An accessory building is capped at 2 stories and 25 ft.
An attached garage must sit at least 15 ft behind the primary facade and 5 ft behind the secondary facade, and a shed goes in the rear yard.
A covered porch may extend 8 ft into a required front yard, an uncovered porch, stoop, deck or steps 3 ft, and bay windows and balconies up to 40% of its depth (§ 151-23).
No construction or land disturbance is allowed within 25 ft of the high-water mark of the Wappinger Creek or Wappinger Lake (§ 151-19D).

Short-term rentals

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Only a hosted short-term rental is allowed: the resident must live in the detached single-family house as a primary residence and be there during the rental. Unhosted short-term rental is prohibited, and a permit is required under Chapter 124.

Conditions the code attaches:

The rental must be inside the principal building rather than an accessory building, and the resident must keep at least one bedroom.
It may not share a lot with an accessory dwelling unit or a Class 2 home occupation.
New York State's 2025 short-term rental registry separately requires every host to register the unit, whatever the local law says.
Confirm with the Village of Wappingers Falls at (845) 297-8773 before listing.

Good to know

UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeVillage of Wappingers Falls Zoning, Ch. 151, Attachment 3, Tables 5-11 District Development Standards (Dec 2023)
Building dept(845) 297-8773
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 Wappingers Falls, or what an ADU costs here.

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