Ulster County
Town of Denning, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Denning run from a 1-acre minimum in H Hamlet District up to 5 acres in R Rural District, across 3 zoning districts in all. No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. 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) 985-2285 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Denning →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H Hamlet District | 1 ac | 25 / 20 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| R Rural District | 5 ac | 40 / 25 / 40 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| P Provincial District | 10 ac | 40 / 25 / 40 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
H Hamlet District - The minimum lot area applies to each dwelling, so it is land per unit. On top of it, § 270A requires a development envelope of 33,000 contiguous square feet of buildable land, with a minimum horizontal dimension of 50 ft in any direction.
- Buildable land excludes wetlands, watercourses, conservation buffers, floodways, slopes over 25%, parts of the lot under 51 ft wide and easement-encumbered land.
- Minimum road frontage is 50 ft on a town road and 50 ft on a county road.
- The front yard is measured from the right-of-way or street line, except where that right-of-way is under 50 ft wide, when it is measured from a line 25 ft from and parallel to its center line.
- A subdivision may include one lot up to 0.2 acre (8,712 sq ft) under the minimum, but no more than one such lot.
R Rural District - A development envelope of at least 50,000 square feet of buildable land, at least 50 ft across, is required. A manufactured home park needs a special permit, and inside one sites are at least 10,000 sq ft, at most 2 units per acre and no more than 50 in a park.
- Buildable land excludes wetlands, watercourses, conservation buffers, floodways, slopes over 25%, parts of the lot under 51 ft wide and land under an easement.
- In a park, homes and accessory structures stand back 200 ft from any street or right-of-way, 150 ft from any property line and 40 ft from the center line of an internal private street.
- A park also needs 75 ft between homes, a 100 ft landscaped buffer around it, and central water and central sewage approved by the Ulster County Department of Health.
- Minimum road frontage is 100 ft on a town road and 100 ft on a county road.
- Where the road right-of-way is under 50 ft wide, the front yard is measured from a line 25 ft from its center line rather than from the street line.
- A subdivision may include one lot up to 0.2 acre (8,712 sq ft) below the minimum, but only one such lot.
P Provincial District - The minimum lot area applies to each dwelling, so it is land per unit. On top of it, § 270A requires a development envelope of 50,000 square feet of buildable land, with a minimum horizontal dimension of 50 ft.
- Buildable land excludes wetlands, watercourses, conservation buffers, floodways, slopes over 25%, parts of the lot under 51 ft wide and easement-encumbered land.
- Minimum road frontage is 150 ft on a town road and 100 ft on a county road.
- The front yard is measured from the right-of-way or street line, except where that right-of-way is under 50 ft wide, when it is measured from a line 25 ft from and parallel to its center line.
- A subdivision may include one lot up to 0.2 acre (8,712 sq ft) under the minimum, but no more than one such lot.
Short-term rentals
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. The Town of Denning has no local short-term rental law. That is not a yes, so confirm with the town before counting on renting a home short term.
Conditions the code attaches:
- New York State's 2025 short-term rental registry, Ch. 99 of the Laws of 2025, requires every host statewide to register the unit regardless of local law.
- Under § 525 an owner-occupied one-family dwelling may be converted to a bed and breakfast on a special use permit, capped at five sleeping rooms and ten transient lodgers.
- That bed and breakfast use is owner-present lodging and does not reach an unhosted whole-house rental.
- Contact the Town of Denning at (845) 985-2285 before listing.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeTown of Denning Zoning Law (Local Law No. 1 of 2019), § 270, Schedule of District Area and Bulk Regulations, effective January 8, 2019
- Building dept(845) 985-2285
- Last reviewedApr 2026
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $8,461 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Denning, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Denning?
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Other Ulster County towns
All Ulster County zoning: Kingston (City) · Esopus · Gardiner · Hardenburgh · Hurley · Lloyd · Marbletown · Marlborough · New Paltz · Olive · Plattekill · Rochester · Rosendale · Saugerties · Shandaken · Shawangunk · Ulster · Wawarsing · Woodstock
Zoning figures for Town of Denning are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed Apr 2026) 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) 985-2285 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.