Ulster County
Town of Gardiner, NY: zoning for new construction
Gardiner is the town where the Shawangunk Ridge writes the zoning, and it does it in steps - SP-1 sets a 5-acre minimum at 10% lot coverage, SP-2 moves up to 10 acres with a 25-foot height limit and 5% coverage, and SP-3 tops out at a 20-acre minimum with 3% coverage, so the higher you go the less you're allowed to put down. Off the ridge it loosens considerably: Rural Agricultural is 5 acres, and the two hamlet districts sit around a tenth of an acre with coverage running up to 70%. An accessory apartment is permitted by right under §220-12C with no explicit size cap written into the code, which is unusual for Ulster and worth knowing before you plan a second unit. The town was still drafting short-term rental regulations as of 2024, so find out where that landed with the town at (845) 255-9675 before you count on rental income.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Gardiner →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RA Rural Agricultural | 5 ac | 30 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| HM Hamlet Mixed-Use | 1.84 ac | 10 / 10 / 15 ft | 45 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| HR Hamlet Residential | 1.84 ac | 10 / 15 / 15 ft | 40 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| CLI Commercial/Light Industrial | 2 ac | 40 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| HC Highway Commercial | 2 ac | 30 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| SP-1 Shawangunk Ridge Protection | 5 ac | 75 / 50 / 100 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| SP-2 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Middle Slope) | 10 ac | 75 / 50 / 100 ft | 25 ft | No |
| SP-3 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Upper Slope) | 20 ac | 75 / 50 / 100 ft | 25 ft | No |
RA Rural Agricultural - The coverage figure is maximum impervious surface, not building coverage (§ 220-74). The width shown is the minimum road frontage for a conventional subdivision on a town road; the table publishes no lot width at all.
- Minimum road frontage on a county or state road is 300 ft.
- The setbacks shown are for conventional development (§ 220-74); in an open space development they are set by § 220-20E and the minimum lot size by § 220-11D.
- Maximum base density in an open space development is 2 acres per dwelling unit before bonuses.
- The maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure is 6,000 sq ft.
- The impervious surface limit applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, and does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots.
- An applicant may exceed the impervious surface limit using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
HM Hamlet Mixed-Use - The minimum lot runs 80,000 sq ft with neither utility, 40,000 with common or municipal water only, 20,000 with sewage disposal only, and 10,000 with both (§ 220-11D).
- Density is capped at 8 dwelling units per acre of buildable land however the lot and density rules combine, counting a studio as 0.5 of a unit, a one-bedroom as 0.67 and a two-bedroom as 0.75.
- With sewage disposal only, the Planning Board may cut the minimum to 7,500 sq ft in the Town Center hamlet area if well tests paid for by the applicant show no adverse effect on surrounding wells.
- The Planning Board may cut the both-utilities minimum for inclusionary housing, over-sized infrastructure, municipal support services or transferred development rights, but never below 6,000 sq ft.
- The coverage figure is maximum impervious surface rather than building coverage (§ 220-74), and it applies to a whole subdivision including new roads as well as to each lot.
- The front yard is a range of 10 ft to 25 ft on a town or private road and 15 ft to 35 ft on a county or state road, and the side yard may be 0 for a party-wall or zero-lot-line building.
- A nonresidential footprint is capped at 10,000 sq ft, rising to 60,000 for a supermarket, cinema or similar destination use that meets the special permit impact criteria.
HR Hamlet Residential - The minimum lot runs 80,000 sq ft with neither utility, 40,000 with common or municipal water only, 20,000 with sewage disposal only, and 10,000 with both (§ 220-11D).
- Density is capped at 8 dwelling units per acre of buildable land however the lot and density rules combine, counting a studio as 0.5 of a unit, a one-bedroom as 0.67 and a two-bedroom as 0.75.
- With sewage disposal only, the Planning Board may cut the minimum to 7,500 sq ft in the Town Center hamlet area if well tests paid for by the applicant show no adverse effect on surrounding wells.
- The Planning Board may cut the both-utilities minimum for inclusionary housing, over-sized infrastructure, municipal support services or transferred development rights, but never below 6,000 sq ft.
- The coverage figure is maximum impervious surface rather than building coverage (§ 220-74), and it applies to a whole subdivision including new roads as well as to each lot.
- The front yard is a range of 10 ft to 25 ft on a town or private road and 15 ft to 40 ft on a county or state road, and the side yard may be 0 for a party-wall or zero-lot-line building.
- The footprint of a nonresidential structure is capped at 1,000 sq ft.
CLI Commercial/Light Industrial - Where the lot abuts a residential district the side and rear setbacks become 100 ft with a wooded buffer, for structures, driveways, parking and any paved area.
- On a county or state road the minimum road frontage is 200 ft and the front yard is 125 ft, against 40 ft on a town road.
- The coverage figure is maximum impervious surface, not building coverage (§ 220-74).
- The width shown is the minimum road frontage for a conventional subdivision on a town road; the table publishes no lot width at all.
- The maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure is 200,000 sq ft.
- The impervious surface limit applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, and does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots.
- An applicant may exceed the impervious surface limit using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
HC Highway Commercial - Where the lot abuts a residential district the side and rear setbacks become 100 ft with a wooded buffer, for structures, driveways, parking and any paved area.
- On a county or state road the minimum road frontage is 300 ft and the front yard is 40 ft, against 30 ft on a town road.
- The coverage figure is maximum impervious surface, not building coverage (§ 220-74).
- The width shown is the minimum road frontage for a conventional subdivision on a town road; the table publishes no lot width at all.
- The maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure is 60,000 sq ft.
- The impervious surface limit applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, and does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots.
- An applicant may exceed the impervious surface limit using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
SP-1 Shawangunk Ridge Protection - The coverage figure is maximum impervious surface, not building coverage (§ 220-74). The width shown is the minimum road frontage for a conventional subdivision on a town road; the table publishes no lot width at all.
- Minimum road frontage on a county or state road is 300 ft.
- Maximum base density in an open space development is 5 acres per dwelling unit before bonuses.
- Lot sizes and setbacks in an open space development are set by §§ 220-11D and 220-20E.
- The maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure is 6,000 sq ft.
- The impervious surface limit applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, and does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots.
- An applicant may exceed the impervious surface limit using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
SP-2 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Middle Slope), SP-3 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Upper Slope) - The dimensional regulations for this district are at § 220-16 rather than in the § 220-11 dimensional table.
Short-term rentals
Short-term-rental status not confirmed. The short-term rental rules here are not confirmed. The town was drafting short-term rental regulations as of 2024, so confirm the current requirements before counting on that income.
Conditions the code attaches:
- Contact Town of Gardiner at (845) 255-9675 for the current requirements.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeTown of Gardiner Code, Chapter 220 (Zoning), § 220-11B, Dimensional Table
- Building dept(845) 255-9675
- Last reviewedApr 2026
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $44,164 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Gardiner, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Gardiner?
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 Ulster County towns
All Ulster County zoning: Kingston (City) · Denning · Esopus · Hardenburgh · Hurley · Lloyd · Marbletown · Marlborough · New Paltz · Olive · Plattekill · Rochester · Rosendale · Saugerties · Shandaken · Shawangunk · Ulster · Wawarsing · Woodstock
Zoning figures for Town of Gardiner 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) 255-9675 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.