Ulster County
Town of Denning, NY: zoning for new construction
Residential lots in the Town of Denning run from a 1-acre minimum in H Hamlet District up to 5 acres in R Rural District, across 3 zoning districts in all. No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. 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) 985-2285 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Denning →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H Hamlet District | 1 ac | 25 / 20 / 30 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| R Rural District | 5 ac | 40 / 25 / 40 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| P Provincial District | 10 ac | 40 / 25 / 40 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
H Hamlet District — Schedule note 2 applies the minimum lot area to EACH DWELLING, so the district figure is land per unit. Minimum road frontage 50 ft on a town road and 50 ft on a county road. THE LOT AREA IS NOT ENOUGH ON ITS OWN: § 270A requires a minimum DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE of 33,000 contiguous square feet in the Hamlet District — a buildable area excluding wetlands, watercourses, conservation buffers, floodways, slopes over 25%, parts of the lot under 51 ft wide and easement-encumbered land — with a minimum horizontal dimension of 50 ft in any direction. Front yard is measured from the abutting right-of-way or street line, except where that right-of-way is under 50 ft wide, from a line 25 ft from and parallel to its centre line (schedule note 5). Schedule note 3 tolerates a lot up to 0.2 acre (8,712 sq ft) under the minimum to absorb modern survey corrections, but no more than one such lot in any subdivision. It is an allowance, not a second standard, so no reduced figure is recorded.
R Rural District — Schedule note 2 applies the minimum lot area to EACH DWELLING, so the district figure is land per unit. Minimum road frontage 100 ft on a town road and 100 ft on a county road. § 270A requires a minimum DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE of 50,000 square feet of buildable land, excluding wetlands, watercourses, conservation buffers, floodways, slopes over 25%, parts of the lot under 51 ft wide and easement-encumbered land, with a minimum horizontal dimension of 50 ft. Front yard is measured from the abutting right-of-way or street line, except where that right-of-way is under 50 ft wide, from a line 25 ft from and parallel to its centre line (schedule note 5). Schedule note 3 tolerates a lot up to 0.2 acre (8,712 sq ft) under the minimum to absorb modern survey corrections, but no more than one such lot in any subdivision. It is an allowance, not a second standard, so no reduced figure is recorded.
P Provincial District — Schedule note 2 applies the minimum lot area to EACH DWELLING, so the district figure is land per unit. Minimum road frontage 150 ft on a town road and 100 ft on a county road. § 270A requires a minimum DEVELOPMENT ENVELOPE of 50,000 square feet of buildable land, excluding wetlands, watercourses, conservation buffers, floodways, slopes over 25%, parts of the lot under 51 ft wide and easement-encumbered land, with a minimum horizontal dimension of 50 ft. Front yard is measured from the abutting right-of-way or street line, except where that right-of-way is under 50 ft wide, from a line 25 ft from and parallel to its centre line (schedule note 5). Schedule note 3 tolerates a lot up to 0.2 acre (8,712 sq ft) under the minimum to absorb modern survey corrections, but no more than one such lot in any subdivision. It is an allowance, not a second standard, so no reduced figure is recorded.
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 Town Zoning Law (2019) was read in full and contains no short-term-rental, transient-rental or rental-registration provision. What it does regulate is a related use: § 525 permits an owner-occupied one-family dwelling to be converted to a BED AND BREAKFAST ESTABLISHMENT — 'transient housing accommodation less than one month in length' — ON A SPECIAL USE PERMIT, capped at five sleeping rooms and ten transient lodgers, with no sleeping rooms above the second story and breakfast served only to those occupying the transient quarters. That is an owner-present lodging use and does not reach an unhosted whole-house rental. Absence of a found STR law is not 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 Denning at (845) 985-2285 before listing.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codewww.denningny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/TOD-ZONING-LAW-2019.pdf
- Building dept(845) 985-2285
- Last reviewedApr 2026
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $8,461 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Denning, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Denning?
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 Ulster County towns
All Ulster County zoning: Kingston (City) · Esopus · Gardiner · Hardenburgh · Hurley · Lloyd · Marbletown · Marlborough · New Paltz · Olive · Plattekill · Rochester · Rosendale · Saugerties · Shandaken · Shawangunk · Ulster · Wawarsing · Woodstock
Zoning figures for Town of Denning are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed Apr 2026) 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) 985-2285 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.