Rensselaer County
Town of Stephentown, NY: zoning for new construction
The Town of Stephentown sets a residential minimum of about 1 acres in Residential, one of its 4 zoning districts. 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) 733-9195 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Stephentown →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 1 ac | 50 / 25 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Commercial | 2 ac | 50 / 25 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Industrial | 10 ac | 100 / 100 / 100 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Rural Use | 1 ac | 50 / 25 / 25 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 as of 2026-08-26; the Land Use Regulations (Local Law No. 1 of 2014, as amended) were read in full and define no short-term rental. BUT THE USE TABLE CARRIES THE CLOSEST THING AND IT IS PERMISSIVE: 'Bed and Breakfast or Tourist Home' is a listed commercial use, permitted with conditions (P*) in R-1, permitted outright (P) in the Commercial, Industrial and Rural districts, and excluded (X) only in Environmentally Fragile. A TOURIST HOME is defined as 'a building where, for compensation, lodging, meals or both are provided or offered for transient guests' — with NO owner-occupancy or owner-present requirement anywhere in the definition, which is what makes it broader than the bed-and-breakfast it is paired with. Whether the Town reads a whole-house short-term rental as a tourist home is the question to put to it, and it is the question that decides the parcel. Absence of a dedicated STR law is not itself permission. New York State's 2025 short-term rental registry (Ch. 99 of the Laws of 2025) separately requires every host statewide to register the unit regardless of local law. Confirm with Town of Stephentown at (518) 733-9195 before listing.
Good to know
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Building dept(518) 733-9195
- Last reviewed2026-08-05
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $200–$262/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $5,613 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Stephentown, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Stephentown?
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 · Nassau · North Greenbush · Poestenkill · Sand Lake · Schaghticoke · Schodack · Castleton-on-Hudson (Village) · East Nassau (Village) · Hoosick Falls (Village) · Nassau (Village)
Zoning figures for Town of Stephentown 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) 733-9195 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.