Putnam County
Village of Cold Spring, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Village of Cold Spring run from a 0.09-acre minimum in Older Residential Neighborhoods up to 0.62 acres in Multi-Family Housing — shown as 'MF' in the use table and 'R-MF' in the dimensional table, across 12 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) 265-3611 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Cold Spring →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Older Residential Neighborhoods (min lot 4,000 sf; 45 ft lot width; 80 ft lot depth; 5 ft front, 5 ft one side / 12.5 ft both sides combined, 20 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 30% building coverage. The village's tightest, most historic fabric — a 4,000 sf minimum with 5 ft front and side yards is a genuinely pre-automobile lot pattern. Accessory structures in R-O have their own standards: 5 ft one side / 15 ft both sides, 5 ft rear, 1 1/2 stories / 15 ft. Short-term rentals are a PERMITTED use here subject to Chapter 100) | 0.09 ac | 5 / 5 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Newer Residential Neighborhoods (min lot 7,500 sf; 60 ft lot width; 80 ft lot depth; 25 ft front, 10 ft one side / 20 ft both sides combined, 20 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 30% building coverage. Each lot must also contain a 50 ft x 50 ft square within 50% of the lot — a shape test that a long narrow lot can fail even when it meets the area minimum. Accessory structures: 10 ft one side / 20 ft both sides, 10 ft rear, 1 1/2 stories / 15 ft. Short-term rentals are a PERMITTED use here subject to Chapter 100) | 0.17 ac | 25 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Large Residential Lots (min lot 23,000 sf; 135 ft lot width; 150 ft lot depth; 25 ft front, 10 ft one side / 20 ft both sides combined, 20 ft rear; 3 stories / 35 ft; 20% building coverage. Each lot must also contain a 50 ft x 50 ft square within 50% of the lot. New multi-family buildings are PROHIBITED in R-L except as conversions from a one-family or two-family dwelling by special use permit. Accessory structures: 10 ft one side / 20 ft both sides, 10 ft rear, 1 1/2 stories / 15 ft. Short-term rentals are a PERMITTED use here subject to Chapter 100) | 0.53 ac | 25 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Multi-Family Housing — shown as 'MF' in the use table and 'R-MF' in the dimensional table (min lot 27,000 sf; 100 ft lot width; 200 ft lot depth; 25 ft front, 12 ft one side / 30 ft both sides combined, 30 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 25% building coverage; maximum building length 180 ft. The only district where one-family, two-family and multi-family dwellings are all permitted as of right. Short-term rentals are PROHIBITED here) | 0.62 ac | 25 / 12 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Business 1 — the Main Street core (min lot 5,000 sf; 40 ft lot width; 100 ft lot depth; 0 ft front — buildings meet the sidewalk; 5 ft one side / 10 ft both sides combined, 10 ft rear; 1 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 35% building coverage, the highest in the village. Each lot must contain a 30 ft x 40 ft rectangle within 50% of the lot. Retail, restaurants, bars, offices, hotels and mixed use are the characteristic uses; residential uses require site plan approval. Short-term rentals are a SPECIAL USE here subject to Chapter 100) | 0.11 ac | 0 / 5 / 10 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Business 2 (min lot 12,000 sf; 100 ft lot width; 100 ft lot depth; 10 ft front, 10 ft one side / 20 ft both sides combined, 20 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 30% building coverage. A more auto-oriented commercial district — day care centers and filling stations appear here and nowhere else. Short-term rentals are PROHIBITED here) | 0.28 ac | 10 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Medical and Health Care Facility and Senior Citizen Housing (min lot 3 ACRES; 80 ft lot width; 100 ft lot depth; 25 ft front, 12 ft one side / 30 ft both sides combined, 30 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 25% building coverage; maximum building length 180 ft. Additional standards: minimum lot area per dwelling unit 2,300 sf, minimum livable floor area per dwelling unit 600 sf, and the distance between buildings must be twice the building height. Short-term rentals are PROHIBITED here) | 3 ac | 25 / 12 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Medical and Health Care Facility and Mixed Use (min lot 120,000 sf; 200 ft lot width; 200 ft lot depth; front setback is CONDITIONAL and therefore not recorded as a single figure — 75 ft for a use other than a single-family residence fronting on a Village street, 25 ft or less as permitted by the Planning Board for a single-family residence fronting a Village street or State Highway, and 15 ft or less as permitted by the Planning Board for other uses fronting a State Highway; 10 ft one side / 25 ft both sides combined, 10 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 25% building coverage. Retail at street level is capped at 13,000 sf district-wide and 7,000 sf per building; business and professional office space is capped at 17,500 sf per building. Short-term rentals are PROHIBITED here) | 2.75 ac | - / 10 / 10 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Parks and Recreation (no minimum lot area, width, depth or setbacks are set; maximum height 15 ft; 10% building coverage — the lowest in the village. Athletic fields, court games, parks, playgrounds, conservation areas and wildlife refuges are the permitted uses) | — | — | 15 ft | No |
| Civic Uses (no minimum lot area, width, depth or setbacks are set; maximum height 15 ft; 25% building coverage. Municipal uses and buildings, parks, schools, conservation areas, farmers markets and marinas by special use are the permitted uses) | — | — | 15 ft | No |
| Educational, Religious and Cultural (min lot 4,000 sf; 45 ft lot width; 80 ft lot depth; 5 ft front, 5 ft one side / 12.5 ft both sides combined, 20 ft rear; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; 30% building coverage — dimensionally identical to R-O. Schools, libraries, houses of worship, parks and municipal buildings are the permitted uses) | 0.09 ac | 5 / 5 / 20 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Planned Mixed Use — a single-site Planned Unit Development district covering the former Marathon Battery Factory site (Table 6B carries no figures and refers to § 134-12). The PUD standards are: overall density an average of 7 dwellings per NET acre, with net acreage calculated as gross minus non-buildable land; at least 20% of all dwelling units must be affordable; a minimum 30% of gross acreage assigned to civic uses; and for cottage-court lots a minimum lot width of 60 ft, minimum lot depth of 75 ft, minimum lot area of 7,500 sf, a maximum of 4 dwelling units, maximum gross dwelling unit size 1,200 sf, and 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft. NOTE the setbacks in § 134-12 are stated as MAXIMUMS, not minimums — a form-based build-to rule (maximum front setback 15 ft; side yard 10 ft one side, 15 ft) — so they are the opposite of the minimum-setback fields used elsewhere and are recorded null here rather than misfiled. The district lies wholly or partly within a State-designated Scenic Area of Statewide Significance and State-regulated freshwater wetlands. Short-term rentals are PROHIBITED here) | 0.17 ac | — | 35 ft | Special permit |
Short-term rentals
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules. The Village of Cold Spring regulates short-term rentals under Chapter 100 of the Village Code, cross-referenced by footnote 5 to Table 6A of the Zoning Chapter. STRs are a PERMITTED use (P) in the three residential subdistricts — R-O, R-N and R-L — and a SPECIAL USE (SU) in B-1, in every case subject to Chapter 100's special regulations. They are PROHIBITED in every other district: R-MF, B-2, B-3, B-4, PMU, PR, C and ERC. Chapter 134 defines a Short-Term Rental as distinct from a boardinghouse, rooming home or hotel and requires that it be OWNER-OCCUPIED, with 'Owner-Occupied' defined as occupied as the primary residence for no fewer than a set number of days per year. Read Chapter 100 in full for permit, cap and inspection requirements before listing, and confirm with the Building Department at (845) 265-3611. 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
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Building dept(845) 265-3611
- Last reviewed2026-07-27
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $222–$291/sq ft - see the full cost to build a house in Cold Spring, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Cold Spring?
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Other Putnam County towns
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Zoning figures for Village of Cold Spring are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-27) 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) 265-3611 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.