Dutchess County

Town of Washington, NY: zoning for new construction

9 districts Min residential lot 0.25–10 ac Central Hudson

The Town of Washington, which holds Millbrook, zones for large parcels - Rural Residential is a 10-acre minimum, the two low-density districts sit at 5, and even the high-density residential district asks for a full acre, all of them at 10% lot coverage. There is no use called an ADU in this code, and the two things that do the job behave differently: a barn conversion is a special permit that requires a building already standing on January 1, 1989 and at least 800 square feet, while Accessory Residential Housing is the purpose-built route and carries the constraint that decides most projects, since it has to maintain the minimum acreage density for a single-family residence, so 20 acres in the 10-acre zones and 10 acres in the 5-acre zones. Short-term rentals have needed a town permit under Chapter 115 since January 2024, the number of permits is capped, and the law presumes a dwelling is an STR from the advertising alone, so a listing is itself evidence of the use. The town has not adopted the stretch energy code; confirm your district with the town at (845) 677-3419.

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

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Rural Residential 10-Acre	10 ac	100 / 100 / 75 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Rural Residential Special 10-Acre	10 ac	100 / 100 / 75 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Low Density Residential 5-Acre	5 ac	100 / 75 / 75 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Low Density Residential Special	5 ac	100 / 75 / 75 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Medium Density Residential 2-Acre	2 ac	75 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
High Density Residential 1-Acre	1 ac	50 / 30 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet Mixed-Use	1 ac	50 / 30 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Land Conservation	10 ac	100 / 100 / 75 ft	15 ft	No
Hamlet (floating district)	0.25 ac	20 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	No

Rural Residential 10-Acre, Rural Residential Special 10-Acre - Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft, and the lot needs at least 400 ft of road frontage, a separate requirement from lot width.

Rear lot frontage is governed by § 165-68.

Low Density Residential 5-Acre, Low Density Residential Special - Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft, and the lot needs at least 300 ft of road frontage, a separate requirement from lot width.

Rear lot frontage is governed by § 165-68.

Medium Density Residential 2-Acre, High Density Residential 1-Acre - Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft, and the lot needs at least 200 ft of road frontage, a separate requirement from lot width.

Rear lot frontage is governed by § 165-68.

Hamlet Mixed-Use - The figures shown are for residential uses. A non-residential use needs half an acre, 100 ft of lot width, an 80 ft front yard, a 15 ft side yard and a 50 ft rear yard, with coverage up to 60%.

A residential building is also capped at 2 1/2 stories; the non-residential cap is 35 ft.
Minimum road frontage is 100 ft.
Rear lot frontage is governed by § 165-68.

Land Conservation - Height is capped at 1 story as well as 15 ft, the lowest in the Town, and the lot needs at least 400 ft of road frontage, a separate requirement from lot width.

Rear lot frontage is governed by § 165-68.

Hamlet (floating district) - H is a floating district under § 165-13 that applies only once the Town Board maps it, replacing the district previously in place. The quarter-acre minimum is a floor, and the lot must have any greater area the Dutchess County Department of Health requires.

On an unsewered lot, the Health Department's requirement is usually a great deal more.
The front and side yards also have maximums of 50 ft each, build-to limits on top of the minimums shown.
Height is capped at 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
Minimum road frontage is 50 ft.
Rear lot frontage is governed by § 165-68.

Short-term rentals

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. A short-term rental needs a Town permit under Chapter 115, adopted 1-31-2024, and § 115-3 caps how many permits may be issued. Advertising the property is itself treated as evidence of short-term rental use (§ 115-2).

Conditions the code attaches:

§ 115-4 sets the application requirements and § 115-5 the operating standards.
New York State's 2025 short-term rental registry separately requires every host to register the unit, regardless of local law.
Town of Washington: (845) 677-3419.

Good to know

UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeTown of Washington Code, Chapter 165 (Zoning), Appendix B, Schedule of Area and Bulk Regulations, updated Aug 2024
Building dept(845) 677-3419
Last reviewed2026-08-16

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $215–$282/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $8,033 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Washington, or what an ADU costs here.

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