Putnam County
Village of Brewster, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Village of Brewster run from a 0.17-acre minimum in Single-Family Residential up to 0.46 acres in Residential, across 10 zoning districts in all. Power here is NYSEG territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (845) 279-3760 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Brewster →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Family Residential (min lot 7,500 sf; 60 ft frontage; 20 ft front, 12 ft side, 35 ft rear; 25% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 0.5. Density is 1 dwelling unit per lot plus 1 accessory dwelling per lot. Bed-and-breakfast is a special-exception use) | 0.17 ac | 20 / 12 / 35 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Residential (min lot 20,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 25 ft front, 20 ft side, 25 ft corner side, 40 ft rear; 15% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; density 2.5 dwelling units/acre; FAR 0.1. Single-family dwellings — detached, semi-attached or attached — and cluster development are the permitted uses; bed-and-breakfast is a special-exception use) | 0.46 ac | 25 / 20 / 40 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Professional and Business Office (min lot 7,500 sf; 50 ft frontage; 20 ft front, 15 ft side, 20 ft corner side, 15 ft rear; 40% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 1.0. Density 1 dwelling unit/lot or 1 business/lot. Offices, personal services and single-family dwellings are the permitted uses) | 0.17 ac | 20 / 15 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Business 1 — downtown transit-oriented development (min lot 3,500 sf; 30 ft frontage; 0 ft front / 0 ft side / 0 ft rear base setbacks — but the minimum yard for any use abutting a residential use is 10 ft; 50% lot coverage; 5 stories / 60 ft; density 80 bedrooms/acre; FAR 2.50. Retail, restaurants, offices, art galleries, theaters and multifamily dwellings (residential limited to upper floors) are permitted; drive-through windows are prohibited. § 263-9 grants additional story/height/density/FAR/open-space incentives for TOD projects, so the figures shown are the BASE standards) | 0.08 ac | 0 / 0 / 0 ft | 60 ft | No |
| Business 2 — highway commercial (min lot 10,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 10 ft front, 10 ft side, 30 ft rear; 50% lot coverage; 3 stories / 35 ft; FAR 1.5. Retail, personal services, restaurants, offices, gasoline stations and automobile dealerships/repair (with 1,000 ft separation requirements). No residential use listed) | 0.23 ac | 10 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Business 3 (min lot 5,000 sf; 30 ft frontage; 10 ft front, 10 ft side, 15 ft rear; 50% lot coverage; 3 stories / 35 ft; FAR 2. Density 1 dwelling unit/lot for a single-family home and 64 bedrooms/acre for townhomes. Retail, offices, single- and multiple-family dwellings, townhomes/two-family, community and civic uses are permitted; § 263-11 grants additional story/height/density incentives so the figures shown are BASE standards) | 0.11 ac | 10 / 10 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Mixed-Use (min lot 5,000 sf for residential use, 8.9 acres for nonresidential or mixed use; 50 ft frontage; residential setbacks 20 ft front / 25 ft side / 15 ft rear, nonresidential or mixed-use setbacks 30 ft on all yards, and the minimum yard for any nonresidential/mixed use abutting a residential use is 35 ft; 40% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 1.0. Density is 1 dwelling unit per lot for residential single-family; multifamily/townhome dwelling units may not exceed 32 bedrooms/acre. Single- and multiple-family dwellings, townhomes, artist lofts/studios/galleries, offices and business-incubator/co-working spaces are permitted) | 0.11 ac | 20 / 25 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Office Park (min lot 40,000 sf; 200 ft frontage; 25 ft front, 20 ft side, 10 ft rear; 37.5% lot coverage; base 4 stories / 45 ft, rising to a maximum building height of 70 ft where self-contained parking is provided within the structure; FAR 0.8. Offices, medical clinics/laboratories, pharmacy, physical therapy and research facilities are the permitted uses) | 0.92 ac | 25 / 20 / 10 ft | 45 ft | No |
| Light Manufacturing and Wholesale (min lot 25,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 40 ft front, 15 ft side, 50 ft rear; 50% lot coverage; 3 stories / 35 ft; FAR 0.6. Light manufacturing, warehousing/wholesale, retail, general business, indoor/outdoor and self-storage, and offices are permitted) | 0.57 ac | 40 / 15 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Conservation (min lot 60,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 25 ft front, 15 ft side, 35 ft rear; 5% lot coverage; 2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 0.05. Conservation and recreation areas are the permitted uses — a very low-intensity open-space district) | 1.38 ac | 25 / 15 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
Short-term rentals
Short-term-rental status not confirmed. Short-term rental status not confirmed for the Village of Brewster. Chapter 263 (Zoning) does not list a short-term-rental or transient-occupancy use in any district's Zoning Schedule, and the Village Code has no dedicated rental/short-term-rental chapter; the nearest listed use is 'bed-and-breakfast', a special-exception use in the B3, PB, R and R20 districts, which is not a whole-house short-term rental. Absence of a found STR provision is NOT permission — call the Building Department at (845) 279-3760 to confirm before listing a property. Separately, since 2025 New York State requires every short-term-rental host to register the unit with the State through the county registry, regardless of what the municipality allows.
Good to know
- UtilityNYSEG territory.
- Building dept(845) 279-3760
- Last reviewed2026-07-24
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $222–$291/sq ft - see the full cost to build a house in Brewster, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Brewster?
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Other Putnam County towns
All Putnam County zoning: Carmel · Kent · Patterson · Philipstown · Putnam Valley · Southeast · Cold Spring (Village) · Nelsonville (Village)
Zoning figures for Village of Brewster are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-24) 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) 279-3760 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.