Dutchess County
Town of Clinton, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Clinton run from a 1-acre minimum in Hamlet up to 5 acres in Conservation Agricultural Residential, across 9 zoning districts in all. Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. 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) 266-5230 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Clinton →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Residential 5-Acre | 5 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Agricultural Residential 3-Acre | 3 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Conservation Agricultural Residential | 5 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Hamlet | 1 ac | 45 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Residential Hamlet | 1 ac | 45 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Medium Density Residential | 1 ac | 75 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Clustered Residential | 1 ac | 75 / 17 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Office-Light Industry | 3 ac | 100 / 50 / 75 ft | 50 ft | No |
| Floodplain | — | — | — | — |
Agricultural Residential 5-Acre, Agricultural Residential 3-Acre — The schedule's area column is headed "Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit or Establishment", so it is land per unit rather than a flat lot minimum: a second dwelling unit needs the figure again. The front yard is measured from the nearest point on the CENTER LINE of the road or right-of-way, not the property line; only where the right-of-way is wider than 60 ft is it measured from the nearest edge of it (§ 250-23A). On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A). Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, published separately from and much smaller than the minimum lot width. Parking areas have their own setbacks, separate from the building setbacks above: 50 ft front, 10 ft side, 10 ft rear. A minimum of 75% of the lot must be left as open space.
Conservation Agricultural Residential — The schedule's area column is headed "Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit or Establishment", so it is land per unit rather than a flat lot minimum: a second dwelling unit needs the figure again. The front yard is measured from the nearest point on the CENTER LINE of the road or right-of-way, not the property line; only where the right-of-way is wider than 60 ft is it measured from the nearest edge of it (§ 250-23A). On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A). Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, published separately from and much smaller than the minimum lot width. Parking areas have their own setbacks, separate from the building setbacks above: 50 ft front, 10 ft side, 10 ft rear. A minimum of 75% of the lot must be left as open space. The C District carries additional setback and other requirements under § 250-10.
Hamlet, Residential Hamlet — The schedule's area column is headed "Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit or Establishment", so it is land per unit rather than a flat lot minimum: a second dwelling unit needs the figure again. The schedule prints "Note 4" rather than a single side yard: there must be two side yards totalling at least 50 ft, and the narrower may not be less than 1/3 of that total — so the narrowest a single side yard can be is about 16 ft 8 in, and it rises with the total. The front yard is measured from the nearest point on the CENTER LINE of the road or right-of-way, not the property line; only where the right-of-way is wider than 60 ft is it measured from the nearest edge of it (§ 250-23A). On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A). Minimum lot width is 100 ft on an interior lot and 150 ft on a corner lot. Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, published separately from and much smaller than the minimum lot width. Parking areas have their own setbacks, separate from the building setbacks above: 50 ft front, 10 ft side, 10 ft rear. A minimum of 50% of the lot must be left as open space.
Medium Density Residential — The schedule's area column is headed "Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit or Establishment", so it is land per unit rather than a flat lot minimum: a second dwelling unit needs the figure again. The schedule prints "Note 4" rather than a single side yard: there must be two side yards totalling at least 50 ft, and the narrower may not be less than 1/3 of that total — so the narrowest a single side yard can be is about 16 ft 8 in, and it rises with the total. The front yard is measured from the nearest point on the CENTER LINE of the road or right-of-way, not the property line; only where the right-of-way is wider than 60 ft is it measured from the nearest edge of it (§ 250-23A). On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A). Minimum lot width is 100 ft on an interior lot and 150 ft on a corner lot. Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, published separately from and much smaller than the minimum lot width. Parking areas have their own setbacks, separate from the building setbacks above: 50 ft front, 10 ft side, 10 ft rear. A minimum of 65% of the lot must be left as open space.
Clustered Residential — The schedule's area column is headed "Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit or Establishment", so it is land per unit rather than a flat lot minimum: a second dwelling unit needs the figure again. The schedule prints "Note 4" rather than a single side yard: there must be two side yards totalling at least 50 ft, and the narrower may not be less than 1/3 of that total — so the narrowest a single side yard can be is about 16 ft 8 in, and it rises with the total. The front yard is measured from the nearest point on the CENTER LINE of the road or right-of-way, not the property line; only where the right-of-way is wider than 60 ft is it measured from the nearest edge of it (§ 250-23A). On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A). Minimum lot width is 100 ft on an interior lot and 175 ft on a corner lot. Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, published separately from and much smaller than the minimum lot width. Parking areas have their own setbacks, separate from the building setbacks above: 50 ft front, 10 ft side, 10 ft rear. A minimum of 65% of the lot must be left as open space.
Office-Light Industry — The schedule's area column is headed "Minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit or Establishment", so it is land per unit rather than a flat lot minimum: a second dwelling unit needs the figure again. The schedule prints TWO complete rows for the I District. The base row here is the general case of 3 acres. Where the lot meets the frontage requirement AND that frontage has direct access on an existing state or county roadway, § 250-14C(1) drops the minimum to 1 acre, and the schedule's second row applies with it: 60 ft front yard, 25 ft side, 50 ft rear, 150 ft lot width and 50/10/10 ft parking setbacks. That trigger is the class of road the lot reaches, so it is stated here beside the figures it governs. Floor area ratio is capped at 1.5 on both rows. The front yard is measured from the nearest point on the CENTER LINE of the road or right-of-way, not the property line; only where the right-of-way is wider than 60 ft is it measured from the nearest edge of it (§ 250-23A). On a corner lot every street frontage is a front yard, to a maximum of two (§ 250-21A). Minimum lot frontage is 40 ft, published separately from and much smaller than the minimum lot width. Parking areas have their own setbacks, separate from the building setbacks above: 125 ft front, 20 ft side, 20 ft rear. A minimum of 30% of the lot must be left as open space. Where an industrial lot abuts a residential lot or district, every permitted use and associated activity must be set back 200 ft with a landscaped buffer inside it (§ 250-14C(3), § 250-61).
Floodplain — The District Schedule of Area and Bulk Regulations publishes no dimensional standards for the Floodplain District. Its single row reads "No dwelling units or establishments permitted." The district boundary is the flood hazard area on the current Federal Insurance Administration Flood Hazard Boundary Map for the Town, and it moves when that map is revised (§ 250-5).
Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Short-term rentals regulated under § 250-69.1 of the Town of Clinton Zoning Law.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/11844501
- Building dept(845) 266-5230
- Last reviewed2026-08-16
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $215–$282/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $15,489 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Clinton, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Clinton?
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 Dutchess County towns
All Dutchess County zoning: Beacon (City) · Poughkeepsie (City) · Amenia · Beekman · Dover · East Fishkill · Fishkill · Hyde Park · La Grange · Milan · North East · Pawling · Pine Plains · Pleasant Valley · Poughkeepsie · Red Hook · Rhinebeck · Stanford · Union Vale · Wappinger · Washington · Fishkill (Village) · Millbrook (Village) · Millerton (Village) · Pawling (Village) · Red Hook (Village) · Rhinebeck (Village) · Tivoli (Village) · Wappingers Falls (Village)
Zoning figures for Town of Clinton are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-16) 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) 266-5230 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.