Orange County
Town of Chester, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Chester run from a 1-acre minimum in Suburban Residential 1 up to 3 acres in Agricultural Residential, across 12 zoning districts in all. Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Power here is Orange & Rockland territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (845) 469-7000 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Chester →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Residential (3 Acre) | 3 ac | 100 / 40 / 100 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Suburban Residential 1 (1 Acre) | 1 ac | 60 / 30 / 60 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Suburban Residential 2 (1 Acre) | 1 ac | 60 / 30 / 60 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Suburban Residential 6 | 1 ac | 60 / 30 / 60 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Local Business | 2 ac | 80 / 30 / 30 ft | 50 ft | No |
| Local Business — Senior Living | 0.5 ac | 25 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| General Commercial | 1 ac | 75 / 20 / 50 ft | 40 ft | No |
| Research/Office | 0.75 ac | 35 / 20 / 40 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Office Park | 2 ac | 60 / 20 / 50 ft | 45 ft | No |
| Industrial Park | 2 ac | 50 / 50 / 50 ft | 45 ft | No |
| Agricultural/Industrial | 2 ac | 100 / 50 / 50 ft | 60 ft | No |
| Industrial | 3 ac | 100 / 75 / 100 ft | 45 ft | No |
Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. Short-term rentals regulated under Local Law No. 4 of 2023, effective August 1, 2023. Permit required.
Good to know
- UtilityOrange & Rockland territory.
- Building dept(845) 469-7000
- Last reviewed2026-07-08
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $211–$276/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $240,000 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Chester, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Chester?
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 Orange County towns
All Orange County zoning: Middletown (City) · Newburgh (City) · Port Jervis (City) · Blooming Grove · Cornwall · Crawford · Deerpark · Goshen · Greenville · Hamptonburgh · Highlands · Minisink · Monroe · Montgomery · Mount Hope · New Windsor · Newburgh · Palm Tree · Tuxedo · Wallkill · Warwick · Wawayanda · Chester (Village) · Cornwall-on-Hudson (Village) · Florida (Village) · Goshen (Village) · Greenwood Lake (Village) · Harriman (Village) · Highland Falls (Village) · Kiryas Joel (Village) · Maybrook (Village) · Monroe (Village) · Montgomery (Village) · Otisville (Village) · South Blooming Grove (Village) · Tuxedo Park (Village) · Walden (Village) · Warwick (Village) · Washingtonville (Village) · Woodbury (Village)
Zoning figures for Town of Chester are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-08) 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) 469-7000 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.