Aldo

Ulster County

Town of New Paltz, NY: zoning for new construction

11 districts Min residential lot 0.11–3 ac Central Hudson

New Paltz splits into 11 zoning districts, and the residential minimums run from about a tenth of an acre in the village-scale zones up to 3 acres out in the agricultural A-3. The town is friendlier to accessory dwellings than most of its neighbors - an ADU is allowed by right in eight of those districts under §140-17, with owner-occupancy required and a 350 sq ft floor. Short-term rentals aren't banned, but non-owner-occupied ones have to register under Chapter 110, so confirm the fee with the Building Department at (845) 255-0604 before you count on rental income.

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

Zoning districts

District Min lot Setbacks F / S / R Max height ADU
Agricultural (A-1.5) 1.5 ac 50 / 20 / 50 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
Agricultural (A-3) 3 ac 50 / 20 / 50 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
Residential (R-1) 1.01 ac 50 / 20 / 50 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
Business-2 (B-2) 0.17 ac 35 / - / 25 ft 40 ft Special permit
Light Industrial (I-1) 0.34 ac 50 / 25 / 50 ft 40 ft No
Floodplain Watershed (FW) 3 ac 50 / 25 / 50 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
Floodplain Fringe (FF) 3 ac 50 / 25 / 50 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
General Floodplain (GF) — 50 / 25 / 50 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
Main Street Mixed Use (MSMU) 0.17 ac 25 / 10 / 25 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted
Gateway Business (GB) 0.17 ac 35 / 20 / 25 ft 30 ft Special permit
Gateway Hamlet (GH) 0.11 ac 15 / 10 / 25 ft 35 ft Occupancy restricted

Agricultural (A-1.5), Agricultural (A-3) - A second coverage rule applies on top of the building coverage: at least 65% of the lot has to stay open space, and impervious surface is capped at 35%.

  • Clustering is available in A1.5, A3 and R1 at the Planning Board's discretion under § 121-25 and Town Law § 278.
  • It has to be submitted for any subdivision of 15 or more acres, or 4 or more lots.
  • It caps the lot yield at the conforming lot count and states no reduced lot minimum of its own.

Residential (R-1) - A 0.5 acre lot is permitted where municipal water and sewer are provided. The minimum lot area is otherwise 1.01 acres as printed in the schedule, not a round acre.

  • At least 65% of the site must be left as open space and impervious coverage is capped at 35%.
  • Clustering is at the Planning Board's discretion under § 121-25 and Town Law § 278, and must be submitted for any subdivision of 15 or more acres or of four or more lots.
  • Clustering caps yield at the conforming lot count and sets no reduced lot minimum of its own.

Business-2 (B-2) - The 35 ft front setback rises to 65 ft in the part of B2 east of the Village of New Paltz boundary. Multiple dwellings are permitted, but on a different set of standards: a 10 acre site, or 5 acres for adaptive reuse.

  • Multiple dwellings are held to the R-V standards under § 140-20: 300 ft of lot width, 500 ft of depth, 200 ft of frontage on an arterial or collector road.
  • Those multiple-dwelling yards are 75 ft front and 75 ft side or rear, and 100 ft where the lot adjoins a single-family district.
  • Land per dwelling unit is set by bedroom count: 2,500 sq ft for a studio, 3,000 for one bedroom, 4,000 for two bedrooms, 5,000 for three and 6,000 for four.
  • No side yard is required, but any side yard provided has to be at least 12.5 ft.
  • Side and rear yards are 50 ft along the NYS Thruway right-of-way.
  • Townhouses are permitted.

Light Industrial (I-1) - A second coverage rule applies on top of the building coverage: at least 35% of the lot has to stay open space, and impervious surface is capped at 65%. Height is also capped at 3 stories.

Floodplain Watershed (FW), Floodplain Fringe (FF) - At least 65% of the lot has to stay open space and impervious surface is capped at 35%. This is a floodplain district, governed by § 140-19 and Chapter 82.

General Floodplain (GF) - The schedule states no minimum lot area for GF. At least 65% of the lot has to stay open space, and impervious surface is capped at 35%.

  • This is a floodplain district, governed by § 140-19 and Chapter 82.

Main Street Mixed Use (MSMU) - The 25 ft front setback applies on state roads, and grows by 1 ft for every foot of building height over 25 ft, to a maximum of 40 ft. On local and county roads the front is 0 to 10 ft minimum and 20 ft maximum.

  • Every principal building must have at least two occupiable stories, to a maximum of 3.
  • Any building's footprint is capped at 7,500 sq ft.
  • More than one building is allowed on a lot.
  • Impervious coverage is capped at 85% for redevelopment of a developed site and 65% for an undeveloped site.
  • Side and rear yards are 50 ft along the NYS Thruway right-of-way.

Gateway Business (GB) - Height is two stories and 30 ft, but a third story to 35 ft is allowed where the building meets LEED silver or higher.

  • At least 35% of the lot has to stay open space, and impervious surface is capped at 65%.
  • Any building's footprint is capped at 10,000 sq ft.
  • Side and rear yards are 50 ft along the NYS Thruway right-of-way.

Gateway Hamlet (GH) - The front setback has a maximum as well as a minimum: 15 ft minimum and 35 ft maximum. At least 30% of the lot has to stay open space, and impervious surface is capped at 70%.

  • Any building's footprint is capped at 5,000 sq ft.
  • Height is also capped at 3 stories.

Short-term rentals

Short-term rentals allowed with registration. The town requires a rental registration to rent a home short term, under Chapter 110. The same registration covers long-term rentals that are not owner occupied.

Conditions the code attaches:

Municipal source

Good to know

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $2,605 on top - see the full cost to build a house in New Paltz, or what an ADU costs here.

Sizing up a specific parcel in New Paltz?

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Other Ulster County towns

Zoning figures for Town of New Paltz 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) 255-0604 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.

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