Rensselaer County
Town of Berlin, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Berlin run from a 1-acre minimum in Residential up to 3 acres in Rural Use, across 5 zoning districts in all. Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Power here is National Grid territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (518) 658-0211 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Berlin →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 1 ac | 50 / 25 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential | 2 ac | 50 / 50 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Commercial | 1 ac | 25 / 25 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Industrial | 2 ac | 100 / 50 / 100 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Rural Use | 3 ac | 75 / 100 / 75 ft | 35 ft | No |
Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Berlin has no short-term rental law, but a tourist home, which offers lodging or meals for compensation to transient guests, needs a special permit and site plan review in R-1, R-2 and RU. The code does not say whether the town treats a rental listing as a tourist home.
Conditions the code attaches:
- A tourist home is permitted with site plan review in C and is prohibited in I.
- A bed and breakfast, a private dwelling renting one to four rooms to transient guests, needs a special permit and site plan review in R-1, R-2 and RU and site plan review in C, and is prohibited in I.
- The code defines a transient as a person staying briefly, generally less than one week, and the Building Inspector assigns a use the schedule does not list to the category that best applies.
- A special permit with site plan review is a discretionary process with a hearing, not a filing.
- Get the Building Department's position in writing at (518) 658-0211 before counting on short-term rental income.
- New York State's 2025 short-term rental registry requires every host to register the unit through the Rensselaer County registry.
Good to know
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Zoning codeTown of Berlin Land Use Regulations, Local Law No. 2 of 1988, District Schedule of Area and Bulk Regulations
- Building dept(518) 658-0211
- Last reviewed2026-08-05
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $200–$262/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $3,448 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Berlin, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Berlin?
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 Rensselaer County towns
All Rensselaer County zoning: Rensselaer (City) · Troy (City) · Brunswick · East Greenbush · Hoosick · Nassau · North Greenbush · Poestenkill · Sand Lake · Schaghticoke · Schodack · Stephentown · Castleton-on-Hudson (Village) · East Nassau (Village) · Hoosick Falls (Village) · Nassau (Village)
Zoning figures for Town of Berlin are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-05) 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 (518) 658-0211 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.