Saratoga County

Town of Halfmoon, NY: zoning for new construction

12 districts Min residential lot 0.46 ac National Grid

The Town of Halfmoon sets a residential minimum of about 0.46 acres in Residence 2, one of its 12 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) 371-7410 x2260 before you rely on a figure.

Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Halfmoon →

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Agriculture-Residence (single-family dwelling: min lot 20,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 30,000 sf with sewer OR water, 40,000 sf with no utilities; min lot width 100 ft on full utilities, 150 ft otherwise; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 50 ft rear. A FARM is held to a larger standard: 80,000 sf, 150 ft width, 30% coverage, and 50 ft one side / 100 ft both sides. A two-family dwelling is a special-permit use at 40,000 sf regardless of utility service. Permitted uses include farms, equestrian facilities, commercial woodlots and reforestation areas alongside one-family dwellings. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.46 ac	50 / 15 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Residence 1 (min lot 20,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 30,000 sf with sewer OR water, 40,000 sf with no utilities; min lot width 100 ft on full utilities, 150 ft otherwise; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 50 ft rear. Schedule A gives A-R and R-1 a SHARED row — their single-family standards are genuinely identical; the districts differ in what else they permit, not in dimensions. A two-family dwelling is a special-permit use at 40,000 sf regardless of utility service, and its coverage rises to 30% where there are no utilities. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.46 ac	50 / 15 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Residence 2 (Schedule A states 'General — Same as R-1 above', so the dimensional standards are identical to R-1: min lot 20,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 30,000 sf with sewer OR water, 40,000 sf with no utilities; 100 ft lot width on full utilities, 150 ft otherwise; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 50 ft rear. R-2 is a distinct mapped district, not an overlay — what sets it apart is that a MOBILE HOME PARK is a special-permit use here, regulated by the Town's Trailer Ordinance rather than by Schedule A. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.46 ac	50 / 15 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Residence 3 — the Town's multifamily residence district (single-family and two-family dwellings follow the R-1 standards: 20,000 sf on full utilities, 20% coverage, 50 ft rear. The district's own standards apply to larger buildings — a THREE-FAMILY dwelling needs 30,000 sf with public sewer and water, 40,000 sf with one, 50,000 sf with none; a FOUR-FAMILY dwelling needs 40,000 / 50,000 / 60,000 sf on the same ladder. For both, lot width is 150 ft, maximum building coverage 25%, height 35 ft, and yards are 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 30 ft rear — note the rear yard drops from R-1's 50 ft to 30 ft. The recorded figures are the single/two-family case, which is the entry point; step up to the 3- and 4-family figures above for multifamily. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.46 ac	50 / 15 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Professional Office/Residence (min lot 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with sewer OR water, 45,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 70 ft front — the deepest front yard in the Town alongside the Route 146 corridor; 10 ft one side / 25 ft both sides, 30 ft rear; minimum 20% GREEN SPACE, a separate landscaped-area requirement on top of the coverage cap. All uses allowed by special permit in R-1 are also available here. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.57 ac	70 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Commercial (min lot 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with sewer OR water, 45,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review and approval; 35 ft height, and heights above 35 ft may be submitted to the Planning Board as part of the site plan; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. Where a side or rear yard adjoins a residential zone the transition yard requirements of § 165-32F apply instead. The 25,000 sf minimum is itself conditioned on site plan approval and on the ability to meet parking, setback and green-space requirements and to connect to public sewer and water. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.57 ac	50 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Light Industrial-Commercial (min lot 40,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 50,000 sf with sewer OR water, 60,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 30 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. Transition yard requirements under § 165-32F apply where the lot adjoins a residential zone. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.92 ac	50 / 15 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Industrial (min lot 40,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 50,000 sf with sewer OR water, 60,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. Transition yard requirements under § 165-32F apply where the lot adjoins a residential zone. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.92 ac	50 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Clean Manufacturing (shares the M-1 row in Schedule A: min lot 40,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 50,000 sf with sewer OR water, 60,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. IMPORTANT: any RESIDENTIAL use in M-2 must instead meet the Schedule A requirements for residential uses in the R-1/A-R districts, per Schedule A note 8. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.92 ac	50 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Neighborhood Business (min lot 20,000 sf; 100 ft lot width; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 10 ft one side / 25 ft both sides, 30 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. The Planning Board may consider a minimum 10,000 sf lot under the conditions in § 165-17B(3), so this is the one district with an explicit route to a half-size lot. The smallest-lot commercial district in the Town. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.46 ac	50 / 10 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Waterfront Mixed Use (shares the C-1 row in Schedule A: min lot 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with sewer OR water, 45,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. IMPORTANT: any RESIDENTIAL use in W-1 must instead meet the Schedule A requirements for residential uses in the R-1/A-R districts, per Schedule A note 8 — so a dwelling here is held to the 20,000 sf residential standard, not the 25,000 sf commercial one. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.57 ac	50 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Waterfront Commercial (W-2 appears TWICE in Schedule A and the applicable row depends on the use: for uses also permitted in the W-1 District it follows the C-1 row — 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with one, 45,000 sf with none; for uses also permitted in the M-2 District it follows the M-1 row — 40,000 / 50,000 / 60,000 sf on the same utility ladder. Both rows otherwise agree: 150 ft lot width, 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review, 35 ft height with greater heights available through site plan review, 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear, minimum 20% green space. The recorded minimum is the smaller W-1-type figure; step up to 40,000 sf for manufacturing-type uses. RESIDENTIAL uses in W-2 must meet the R-1/A-R residential requirements per Schedule A note 8. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.)	0.57 ac	50 / 15 / 25 ft	35 ft	No

Short-term rentals

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. Short-term rental status not confirmed for the Town of Halfmoon. Chapter 165 (Zoning) defines no short-term-rental, transient-occupancy or tourist-home use, Schedule A lists none, and a review of all 46 chapters of the Town Code found no rental or short-term-rental chapter. The nearest defined use is the BED-AND-BREAKFAST HOMESTAY — a private OWNER-OCCUPIED dwelling with no more than three guest rooms, subordinate to the main residential use, breakfast served to overnight guests only — which is not a whole-house short-term rental. Absence of a found STR provision is NOT permission — call Building & Code Enforcement at (518) 371-7410 x2260 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

UtilityNational Grid territory.
Building dept(518) 371-7410 x2260
Last reviewed2026-07-27

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $204–$268/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $28,700 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Halfmoon, or what an ADU costs here.

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