Ulster County

Town of Woodstock, NY: zoning for new construction

9 districts Min residential lot 0.69–8 ac Stretch code Central Hudson

Woodstock is one of the more regulated towns to build in around the Catskills, and short-term rentals are the reason most people ask about the code first. The town caps STR use at 120 nights a year with annual registration, and residential lots start at 1.5 acres in the R1.5 district. If you're buying land here to build or to rent, the district and the STR rules below are what shape the deal - verify the current standards with the Town Building Department at (845) 679-2113.

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

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Residential 8-Acre (R8)	8 ac	25 / 25 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Residential 5-Acre (R5)	5 ac	25 / 25 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Residential 3-Acre (R3)	3 ac	25 / 25 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Residential 1.5-Acre (R1.5)	1.5 ac	25 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Hamlet Residential (HR)	0.69 ac	20 / 10 / 25 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Hamlet Commercial (HC)	0.23 ac	15 / 10 / 25 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Neighborhood Commercial (NC)	1 ac	15 / 10 / 25 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Light Industrial (LI)	3 ac	100 / 50 / 100 ft	35 ft	No
Floodway (FW)	—	—	—	No

Residential 8-Acre (R8) - In a subdivision the Planning Board may approve lots as small as 2 acres, which is not available by right: at most three undersized lots per parcel, no more lots than a fully conforming subdivision would yield, and a deed and plat restriction barring further subdivision.

At least 85% of the site must be left as open space.
On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide the front setback is measured from the centre line, with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
The height limit is 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
A lot of record predating 2001 that is under the district minimum takes the reduced yards in § 260-26B.
The floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

Residential 5-Acre (R5) - In a subdivision the Planning Board may approve lots as small as 2 acres, which is not available by right: at most three undersized lots per parcel, no more lots than a fully conforming subdivision would yield, and a deed and plat restriction barring further subdivision.

At least 80% of the site must be left as open space.
On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide the front setback is measured from the centre line, with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
The height limit is 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
A lot of record predating 2001 that is under the district minimum takes the reduced yards in § 260-26B.
The floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

Residential 3-Acre (R3) - In a subdivision the Planning Board may approve lots as small as 2 acres, which is not available by right: at most three undersized lots per parcel, no more lots than a fully conforming subdivision would yield, and a deed and plat restriction barring further subdivision.

At least 70% of the site must be left as open space.
On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide the front setback is measured from the centre line, with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
The height limit is 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
A lot of record predating 2001 that is under the district minimum takes the reduced yards in § 260-26B.
The floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

Residential 1.5-Acre (R1.5) - The minimum lot drops to 40,000 sq ft with central water or common sewer and 15,000 sq ft with both, and the minimum width to 100 ft in either case; with both, coverage may reach 25% and the floor area ratio 0.63.

On town-provided central water and common sewer a two-family dwelling needs only the district minimum lot; otherwise § 260-18B(2) applies the per-unit land requirement to each unit.
At least 70% of the site must be left as open space, 60% with central water or common sewer and 50% with both.
On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide the front setback is measured from the centre line, with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
The height limit is 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
A lot of record predating 2001 that is under the district minimum takes the reduced yards in § 260-26B.
The floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

Hamlet Residential (HR) - The minimum lot drops to 25,000 sq ft with central water or common sewer and 10,000 sq ft with both, and the minimum width to 100 ft in either case; coverage may reach 20% and the floor area ratio 0.5 with either, 25% and 0.63 with both.

On town-provided central water and common sewer a two-family dwelling needs only the district minimum lot; otherwise § 260-18B(2) applies the per-unit land requirement to each unit.
At least 40% of the site must be left as open space, 30% with central water or common sewer and 25% with both.
On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide the front setback is measured from the centre line, with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
The height limit is 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
The floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

Hamlet Commercial (HC) - At least 25% of the lot must be kept as open space, and the floor area ratio shown governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide, the front setback is measured from the centre line with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
Height is limited to 2 1/2 stories as well as the 35 ft shown.
One set of dimensional standards applies in HC; the figures do not change with water or sewer service.

Neighborhood Commercial (NC) - The minimum lot drops to 30,000 sq ft with central water or common sewer and 25,000 sq ft with both; coverage may reach 20% and the floor area ratio 0.5 with either, and with both the minimum width is 100 ft, coverage 25% and the ratio 0.63.

On town-provided central water and common sewer a two-family dwelling needs only the district minimum lot; otherwise § 260-18B(2) applies the per-unit land requirement to each unit.
At least 40% of the site must be left as open space, 30% with central water or common sewer and 25% with both.
Adequate space must be left between the front and side lot lines and any structure for sidewalks, curbing, street trees and open space.
On a right-of-way under 50 ft wide the front setback is measured from the centre line, with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
The height limit is 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.
The floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area.

Light Industrial (LI) - No dwelling is permitted in LI. The figures shown apply where the underlying residential district is R1.5; with R3 underneath the minimum lot is 5 acres, and with R5 it is 8 acres, each with greater width and deeper setbacks.

In the R3 and R5 cases the floor area ratio is 0.63 and the front, side and rear setbacks are larger than those shown.
Building coverage is capped at 25% in the R3 and R5 cases.
At least 60% of the lot must be kept as open space in every case.
Floor area ratio governs nonresidential floor area per square foot of site area (260 Attachment 2, note 3).
On a right-of-way under 50 ft, the front setback is measured from the centre line with 25 ft added (§ 260-26A).
Height is limited to 2 1/2 stories as well as 35 ft.

Floodway (FW) - No development is permitted in the FW district, so the usual dimensional figures do not open up a building envelope here. Every residential and commercial use is prohibited.

Confirm with the building department before counting on any construction or use on a parcel in this district.

Short-term rentals

Short-term rentals allowed with registration. Short term rental is allowed with an annual registration, and use is limited to 120 nights per calendar year. There is no requirement that the owner live on the property.

Conditions the code attaches:

Registration runs annually and costs $150 per year.
Registration terms can be confirmed with the building department at (845) 679-2113.

Municipal source

Good to know

Energy codeNew York stretch energy code adopted (January 2023).
UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeTown of Woodstock Code, Chapter 260, Zoning, § 260-16, Schedule of Area and Bulk Regulations
Building dept(845) 679-2113
Last reviewedFeb 2026

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $13,409 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Woodstock, or what an ADU costs here.

Sizing up a specific parcel in Woodstock?

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Other Ulster County towns

All Ulster County zoning: Kingston (City) · Denning · Esopus · Gardiner · Hardenburgh · Hurley · Lloyd · Marbletown · Marlborough · New Paltz · Olive · Plattekill · Rochester · Rosendale · Saugerties · Shandaken · Shawangunk · Ulster · Wawarsing

Zoning figures for Town of Woodstock are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed Feb 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) 679-2113 before relying on any number. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.