Rensselaer County
Town of Nassau, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Nassau run from a 1-acre minimum in Hamlet District up to 2 acres in Rural Residential District, across 4 zoning districts in all. No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. Power here is National Grid territory. The district table below has the setbacks, height limits and coverage - confirm the specifics with the building department at (518) 766-3044 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Nassau →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Residential District | 2 ac | 75 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | No |
| General Business District | 2 ac | 75 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Hamlet District | 1 ac | 25 / 25 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Waterfront Residential District | 1 ac | 50 / 50 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
Short-term rentals
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. No local short-term-rental law found for the Town of Nassau. The Town's code IS reachable online, contrary to what was previously assumed here: townofnassau.org publishes the full 135-page 2011 Zoning Law (adopted by the Town Board 2011-09-08) plus a complete local-law index running through Local Law #1 of 2026. Read in full 2026-08-27. No local law regulates short-term rental, transient occupancy, rental registration or rental licensing — the index runs to zoning, subdivision, solar, cannabis opt-outs, grasslands, tax exemptions, sewer use, littering, dogs and code administration. THE USE TABLE IS CLOSED AND IT HAS A TRANSIENT-HOUSING CATEGORY. Schedule B carries the note 'Any use not specifically listed below is prohibited', and the definitions reinforce it: 'PROHIBITED USE: Any use which is not listed specifically, or through similar use, as a permitted, special permit or accessory use in the District Schedule of Use Regulations shall be considered a prohibited use under this Local Law.' Under the heading HOUSING - TRANSIENT the Schedule lists five uses across the five districts (Rural-Residential, Waterfront Residential, Hamlet, General Business, Aquifer Overlay): Camp, Group home, Bed & Breakfast, Hotel and Motel. BED & BREAKFAST IS SITE PLAN APPROVAL IN ALL FIVE DISTRICTS — AND IT IS OWNER-OCCUPIED BY DEFINITION: 'An owner-occupied dwelling used for renting accommodations to transient, fee-paying guests and providing not more than one meal (breakfast) daily to lodging guests only.' Hotel is a special permit in Rural-Residential, Waterfront Residential and Hamlet, site plan approval in General Business and not permitted in the Aquifer Overlay; Motel is a special permit in Rural-Residential and Waterfront Residential and not permitted in Hamlet. Neither hotel nor motel describes a house: 'HOTEL: A building in which lodging is provided and offered to the public for compensation, and which is open to transient guests and with access to units primarily from interior lobbies, courts...'. SO A NON-OWNER-OCCUPIED WHOLE-HOUSE SHORT-TERM RENTAL HAS NO LISTED USE IN NASSAU, and the only door left open is the 'or through similar use' clause in the definition of prohibited use, which is a discretionary interpretation by the Town rather than a right. That reading has not been confirmed with the Town, so this stays a dated negative finding and not a ban. Separately, New York State's 2025 STR registry requires every host statewide to register the unit through the Rensselaer County registry regardless of what the municipality allows. Confirm with the building department at (518) 766-3044 before listing. Municipal source
Good to know
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Building dept(518) 766-3044
- Last reviewed2026-08-05
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $200–$262/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $6,858 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Nassau, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Nassau?
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 Rensselaer County towns
All Rensselaer County zoning: Rensselaer (City) · Troy (City) · Berlin · Brunswick · East Greenbush · Hoosick · North Greenbush · Poestenkill · Sand Lake · Schaghticoke · Schodack · Stephentown · Castleton-on-Hudson (Village) · East Nassau (Village) · Hoosick Falls (Village) · Nassau (Village)
Zoning figures for Town of Nassau are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-05) 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 (518) 766-3044 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.