Saratoga County

Village of South Glens Falls, NY: zoning for new construction

7 districts Min residential lot 0.31–3 ac National Grid

Residential lots in the Village of South Glens Falls run from a 0.31-acre minimum in R-2 Residential Zone carries its own note saying it is a summary 'included for reference purposes only' and 'not part of Ch. 153', and it is in fact WRONG on lot width: it prints 80 ft for R-1 and R-2 where the definitive § 153-10 table gives a 90 FT BASE MINIMUM and 80 ft only WITH CLUSTERING. Anyone sizing a lot off the attachment rather than the section is 10 ft short. Every figure recorded here is taken from § 153-10, not from the attachment. § 153-10 states lot width twice — a base minimum and a lower 'with clustering' figure — so clustering in this Village buys FRONTAGE RELIEF, not lot-area relief. Minimum lot area, yards, depth and coverage are unchanged by clustering; only the width moves. No accessory apartment or ADU provision exists in Ch. 153; the two-family conversion is the route to a second unit here.) up to 3 acres in ARC-1 Aquifer Resource Conservation Zone while the DIMENSIONS are ARC-1's own. Read the two sections together; neither alone gives the answer. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IS THEREFORE PERMITTED HERE, unlike in RC-1, but at roughly one tenth the density and one quarter the coverage of R-1. Special uses are a parking area for more than five vehicles and a motor vehicle repair garage — both aquifer-recharge concerns, which is the point of the district. NOTE THE SEPARATE APD AQUIFER PROTECTION DISTRICT listed as the Village's eighth zone in § 153-4: it is an overlay with no row in § 153-10 and no dimensional standards of its own, and it is omitted here rather than stubbed. No accessory apartment provision exists in Ch. 153.), across 7 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) 793-1455 before you rely on a figure.

Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for South Glens Falls →

Zoning districts

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
R-1 Residential Zone (the Village's low- to moderate-density single-family district: a 13,500 SQ FT minimum lot — just under 1/3 acre — with 25 ft front and rear yards, a 10 ft single side yard and 20 ft combined, a 90 FT minimum lot width, a 150 ft minimum lot depth, 40% maximum lot coverage and a 2 1/2-story, 30 FT height limit. THE 30 FT HEIGHT IS THE LOWEST IN THE VILLAGE and the only figure that separates R-1 from R-2 on the dimensional table — the two districts are otherwise identical, so the difference between them is entirely about USE (R-2 adds two-family dwellings, churches, libraries and schools) and about the 10 ft of height. THE ATTACHED SUMMARY SCHEDULE UNDERSTATES THE LOT WIDTH — USE § 153-10. Attachment 3 ('Schedules I and II') carries its own note saying it is a summary 'included for reference purposes only' and 'not part of Ch. 153', and it is in fact WRONG on lot width: it prints 80 ft for R-1 and R-2 where the definitive § 153-10 table gives a 90 FT BASE MINIMUM and 80 ft only WITH CLUSTERING. Anyone sizing a lot off the attachment rather than the section is 10 ft short. Every figure recorded here is taken from § 153-10, not from the attachment. § 153-10 states lot width twice — a base minimum and a lower 'with clustering' figure — so clustering in this Village buys FRONTAGE RELIEF, not lot-area relief. Minimum lot area, yards, depth and coverage are unchanged by clustering; only the width moves. Note that under § 153-10's Special Note 1, any proposed use in the C or C-2 Districts on a parcel ABUTTING an R-1 parcel must meet R-1's side and rear yard setbacks rather than its own — so R-1's 10/20 and 25 ft figures reach ACROSS the district line and govern the commercial neighbour. No accessory apartment or accessory dwelling unit exists anywhere in Ch. 153.)	0.31 ac	25 / 10 / 25 ft	30 ft	No
R-2 Residential Zone (dimensionally IDENTICAL to R-1 except for height — a 13,500 SQ FT minimum lot, 25 ft front and rear yards, 10 ft single and 20 ft combined side yards, 90 FT minimum width, 150 ft depth, 40% coverage — but 2 1/2 stories at 40 FT rather than 30 ft. THE WHOLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN R-1 AND R-2 IS USE AND TEN FEET OF HEIGHT. R-2 is the Village's density district: § 153-6B states it is intended to 'conserve, maintain and allow two-family residential dwellings' and to accommodate new and existing residential development at moderately high densities with a mixture of housing types, and TWO-FAMILY DWELLINGS ARE A PRINCIPAL PERMITTED USE here — not a special use. THE ATTACHED SUMMARY SCHEDULE UNDERSTATES THE LOT WIDTH — USE § 153-10. Attachment 3 ('Schedules I and II') carries its own note saying it is a summary 'included for reference purposes only' and 'not part of Ch. 153', and it is in fact WRONG on lot width: it prints 80 ft for R-1 and R-2 where the definitive § 153-10 table gives a 90 FT BASE MINIMUM and 80 ft only WITH CLUSTERING. Anyone sizing a lot off the attachment rather than the section is 10 ft short. Every figure recorded here is taken from § 153-10, not from the attachment. § 153-10 states lot width twice — a base minimum and a lower 'with clustering' figure — so clustering in this Village buys FRONTAGE RELIEF, not lot-area relief. Minimum lot area, yards, depth and coverage are unchanged by clustering; only the width moves. No accessory apartment or ADU provision exists in Ch. 153; the two-family conversion is the route to a second unit here.)	0.31 ac	25 / 10 / 25 ft	40 ft	No
C Commercial Zone (the Village's central-business and highway commercial district and BY FAR ITS SMALLEST LOT — 4,000 SQ FT, less than a tenth of an acre and under a third of the residential minimum — with only 12 ft front and rear yards, a 40 FT minimum lot width, a 100 ft minimum depth, 60% maximum coverage and a 45 ft height with NO STORY LIMIT STATED. BUT READ SPECIAL NOTE 1 BEFORE SIZING ANYTHING: any proposed use on a C or C-2 parcel ABUTTING an R-1 parcel must meet R-1's SIDE AND REAR YARD SETBACKS — 10 ft single side, 20 ft combined, 25 ft rear — instead of its own. On a small downtown lot that backs onto R-1, the zero side yard and 12 ft rear yard evaporate and the envelope collapses; check the abutting district before assuming the C figures. Mixed-use buildings are a SPECIAL USE here (any combination of residential and commercial), and Ch. 153 defines a MIXED-USE BUILDING as a multistory structure using street-level interior space for retail, service or office with upper-level residential occupancy in the same building — so the residential floor must sit ABOVE the commercial one; a side-by-side arrangement does not qualify. Motels are a principal permitted use with site plan review. No accessory apartment provision exists in Ch. 153.)	0.09 ac	12 / 0 / 12 ft	45 ft	No
C-2 Mixed-Use Zone (13,500 SQ FT minimum lot — the same as the residential districts and more than three times the C district's 4,000 — with a 25 ft front yard, a 20 ft rear yard, NO single side yard requirement but a 10 FT COMBINED side yard, a 90 ft minimum width, a 150 ft depth, 40% coverage and 45 ft of height with no story limit. ITS SIDE YARD RULE IS UNIQUE IN THE VILLAGE: a 10 ft COMBINED requirement with no single-side minimum means the whole 10 ft may be taken on one side and the building may sit on the opposite lot line. Mixed-use buildings are the special use here. THE COMBINATION OF A 13,500 SQ FT LOT AND 45 FT OF HEIGHT AT 40% COVERAGE IS THE VILLAGE'S LARGEST BUILDABLE ENVELOPE BY VOLUME — roughly 5,400 sq ft of footprint over four-plus storeys — which makes C-2, not C, the district to look at for a multistorey mixed-use building on a single lot. THE ATTACHED SUMMARY SCHEDULE UNDERSTATES THE LOT WIDTH — USE § 153-10. Attachment 3 ('Schedules I and II') carries its own note saying it is a summary 'included for reference purposes only' and 'not part of Ch. 153', and it is in fact WRONG on lot width: it prints 80 ft for R-1 and R-2 where the definitive § 153-10 table gives a 90 FT BASE MINIMUM and 80 ft only WITH CLUSTERING. Anyone sizing a lot off the attachment rather than the section is 10 ft short. Every figure recorded here is taken from § 153-10, not from the attachment. Special Note 1 applies here as it does in C: abutting an R-1 parcel imports R-1's side and rear setbacks. No accessory apartment provision exists in Ch. 153.)	0.31 ac	25 / 0 / 20 ft	45 ft	No
M-1 Industrial Zone (a 21,780 SQ FT — exactly HALF-ACRE — minimum lot with a 12 ft front yard, a 20 ft rear yard, 12 ft single and 24 ft combined side yards, a 100 ft minimum width, a 200 ft minimum depth, 60% coverage and THE TALLEST LIMIT IN THE VILLAGE BY A WIDE MARGIN: 3 STORIES AND 80 FT, nearly double the 45 ft allowed in either commercial district and more than twice R-1's 30 ft. The 3-story-but-80-ft pairing is unusual — it implies tall single-storey volumes (warehouse, manufacturing bays) rather than more floors. Light industrial, assembly, treatment, packaging and warehousing are permitted with site plan review, expressly excluding uses that by odor, noise, dust or smoke would be a nuisance or endanger neighbouring property; research and laboratory uses and distribution plants are also permitted, and OUTDOOR STORAGE is a special use. THE 12 FT FRONT YARD IS THE SHALLOWEST IN THE VILLAGE ALONGSIDE THE C DISTRICT, so the deep 200 ft lot is meant to be used front-to-back. No accessory apartment provision exists in Ch. 153, and no dwelling use is listed here.)	0.5 ac	12 / 12 / 20 ft	80 ft	No
RC-1 Resource Conservation Zone (a 43,560 SQ FT — ONE ACRE — minimum lot with THE DEEPEST FRONT YARD IN THE VILLAGE AT 80 FT, a 50 ft rear yard, 25 ft single and 50 ft combined side yards, a 150 ft minimum width, a 200 ft depth, and A 10% MAXIMUM LOT COVERAGE — a quarter of the residential districts' 40% and a sixth of the commercial 60%. It also lists NO accessory uses whatsoever — an em-dash in that column.)	1 ac	80 / 25 / 50 ft	—	No
ARC-1 Aquifer Resource Conservation Zone (a 3-ACRE minimum lot — nearly TEN TIMES the residential minimum and the largest in the Village — with 25 ft front and rear yards, 25 ft single and 50 ft combined side yards, a 200 FT base minimum lot width dropping to 90 FT WITH CLUSTERING, a 200 ft depth, A 10% MAXIMUM LOT COVERAGE and a 2 1/2-story, 30 ft height. ARC-1 IS A USE-BORROWING DISTRICT, NOT A USE-DEFINING ONE: § 153-9 provides that all principal permitted uses and all permitted accessory uses in an ARC-1 Zone 'shall be restricted to' those provided for in an R-1 Zone — so the USE list is R-1's (one-family detached dwellings, public schools, parks and playgrounds) while the DIMENSIONS are ARC-1's own. Read the two sections together; neither alone gives the answer. RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT IS THEREFORE PERMITTED HERE, unlike in RC-1, but at roughly one tenth the density and one quarter the coverage of R-1. Special uses are a parking area for more than five vehicles (excluding driveways) and a motor vehicle repair garage — both aquifer-recharge concerns, which is the point of the district. NOTE THE SEPARATE APD AQUIFER PROTECTION DISTRICT listed as the Village's eighth zone in § 153-4: it is an overlay with no row in § 153-10 and no dimensional standards of its own, and it is omitted here rather than stubbed. No accessory apartment provision exists in Ch. 153.)	3 ac	25 / 25 / 25 ft	30 ft	No

Short-term rentals

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. NO SHORT-TERM-RENTAL PROVISION EXISTS IN THE VILLAGE OF SOUTH GLENS FALLS ZONING LAW. A full-text read of Chapter 153 as amended in its entirety in 2019 returns NO occurrence of 'short-term rental', 'bed-and-breakfast', 'tourist home', 'transient' or any equivalent — the Village has legislated on the subject not at all, and unlike most of its Saratoga neighbours it does not even carry a bed-and-breakfast use to reason from. THE ONE TRANSIENT USE IN THE CODE IS THE MOTEL, a principal permitted use with site plan review in BOTH the C and C-2 districts, which tells you the Village accommodates lodging commercially but has never addressed it in a dwelling. Recorded 'unknown' rather than 'prohibited': whole-house rental of a permitted one-family dwelling is arguably the residential use itself, and absence of a found provision is NOT permission. Note the interaction with § 153-19A(2) — conversions to two-family and multiple-family dwellings are authorised in R-2 with a 1.5-space-per-unit parking requirement, so a conversion done for short-stay rather than lease occupancy would still have to satisfy that parking standard. Get a written answer from the Building Inspector at (518) 793-1455 x105 before underwriting short-term rental income here. Separately, New York State has required every short-term-rental host to register the unit with the State through the county registry since 2025 regardless of what the municipality allows, and Saratoga County HAS adopted a county-level short-term-rental programme: a 3% occupancy tax and a MANDATORY county registry, covering any room or space in a dwelling let for under 30 consecutive days. Registration runs two years, an unregistered host faces fines of up to $500, and the booking platform is separately liable for processing an unregistered listing — so Airbnb and Vrbo will delist. The City of Saratoga Springs runs its own registry alongside it.

Good to know

UtilityNational Grid territory.
Building dept(518) 793-1455
Last reviewed2026-08-02

Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $204–$268/sq ft - see the full cost to build a house in South Glens Falls, or what an ADU costs here.

Sizing up a specific parcel in South Glens Falls?

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 Saratoga County towns

City of Mechanicville

6 districts

City of Saratoga Springs