Ulster County
Town of Gardiner, NY: zoning for new construction
Gardiner is the town where the Shawangunk Ridge writes the zoning, and it does it in steps - SP-1 sets a 5-acre minimum at 10% lot coverage, SP-2 moves up to 10 acres with a 25-foot height limit and 5% coverage, and SP-3 tops out at a 20-acre minimum with 3% coverage, so the higher you go the less you're allowed to put down. Off the ridge it loosens considerably: Rural Agricultural is 5 acres, and the two hamlet districts sit around a tenth of an acre with coverage running up to 70%. An accessory apartment is permitted by right under §220-12C with no explicit size cap written into the code, which is unusual for Ulster and worth knowing before you plan a second unit. The town was still drafting short-term rental regulations as of 2024, so find out where that landed with the town at (845) 255-9675 before you count on rental income.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Gardiner →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RA Rural Agricultural | 5 ac | 30 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| HM Hamlet Mixed-Use | 1.8365 ac | 10 / 10 / 15 ft | 45 ft | As of right |
| HR Hamlet Residential | 1.8365 ac | 10 / 15 / 15 ft | 40 ft | As of right |
| CLI Commercial/Light Industrial | 2 ac | 40 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| HC Highway Commercial | 2 ac | 30 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| SP-1 Shawangunk Ridge Protection | 5 ac | 75 / 50 / 100 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| SP-2 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Middle Slope) | 10 ac | 75 / 50 / 100 ft | 25 ft | Special permit |
| SP-3 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Upper Slope) | 20 ac | 75 / 50 / 100 ft | 25 ft | Special permit |
RA Rural Agricultural — The recorded width is the minimum ROAD FRONTAGE for a conventional subdivision on a TOWN road; the table publishes no lot width at all. Minimum road frontage on a county or state road is 300 ft. The setbacks shown are for CONVENTIONAL development (§ 220-74); in an open space development they are set by § 220-20E and the minimum lot size by § 220-11D. Maximum base density in an open space development is 2 acres per dwelling unit before bonuses. Maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure 6,000 sq ft. The coverage figure is MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, not building coverage (§ 220-74). It applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots. An applicant may exceed it using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
HM Hamlet Mixed-Use — THE BASE ROW IS THE UNSERVICED CASE, AND IT IS 80,000 SQ FT. The Dimensional Table prints no acreage for HM — the cell carries footnote 4, which sends the reader to § 220-11D, where the minimum runs 80,000 sq ft with neither utility, 40,000 with water only, 20,000 with sewage only and 10,000 with both. § 220-11E caps the result at 8 dwelling units per acre of buildable land however the lot-size and density provisions combine, counting a studio as 0.5 of a unit, a one-bedroom as 0.67 and a two-bedroom as 0.75. Front yard is a MINIMUM/MAXIMUM range: 10 ft to 25 ft on a town or private road and 15 ft to 35 ft on a county or state road, and a build-to line may be set to hold the street wall. The side yard may be 0 for a party-wall or zero-lot-line building and may be reduced by the Planning Board to suit hamlet context (table note 11). Minimum road frontage 40 ft on a town road and 50 ft on a county or state road. Maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure 10,000 sq ft, which may rise to 60,000 for a supermarket, cinema or similar destination use meeting the special permit impact criteria (table note 12). The coverage figure is MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, not building coverage (§ 220-74). It applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots. An applicant may exceed it using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
HR Hamlet Residential — THE BASE ROW IS THE UNSERVICED CASE, AND IT IS 80,000 SQ FT. The Dimensional Table prints no acreage for HR — the cell carries footnote 4, which sends the reader to § 220-11D, where the minimum runs 80,000 sq ft with neither utility, 40,000 with water only, 20,000 with sewage only and 10,000 with both. § 220-11E caps the result at 8 dwelling units per acre of buildable land however the lot-size and density provisions combine, counting a studio as 0.5 of a unit, a one-bedroom as 0.67 and a two-bedroom as 0.75. Front yard is a MINIMUM/MAXIMUM range: 10 ft to 25 ft on a town or private road and 15 ft to 40 ft on a county or state road, and a build-to line may be set to hold the street wall. The side yard may be 0 for a party-wall or zero-lot-line building and may be reduced by the Planning Board to suit hamlet context (table note 11). Minimum road frontage 40 ft on a town road and 50 ft on a county or state road. Maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure 1,000 sq ft. The coverage figure is MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, not building coverage (§ 220-74). It applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots. An applicant may exceed it using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
CLI Commercial/Light Industrial — The recorded width is the minimum ROAD FRONTAGE for a conventional subdivision on a TOWN road; the table publishes no lot width at all. Minimum road frontage on a county or state road is 200 ft, and the front yard there is 125 ft against 40 ft on a town road. WHERE THE LOT ABUTS A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT the side and rear setbacks become 100 ft with a wooded buffer, for structures, driveways, parking and any paved area (table note 7). Maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure 200,000 sq ft. The coverage figure is MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, not building coverage (§ 220-74). It applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots. An applicant may exceed it using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
HC Highway Commercial — The recorded width is the minimum ROAD FRONTAGE for a conventional subdivision on a TOWN road; the table publishes no lot width at all. Minimum road frontage on a county or state road is 300 ft, and the front yard there is 40 ft against 30 ft on a town road. WHERE THE LOT ABUTS A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT the side and rear setbacks become 100 ft with a wooded buffer, for structures, driveways, parking and any paved area (table note 7). Maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure 60,000 sq ft. The coverage figure is MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, not building coverage (§ 220-74). It applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots. An applicant may exceed it using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
SP-1 Shawangunk Ridge Protection — The recorded width is the minimum ROAD FRONTAGE for a conventional subdivision on a TOWN road; the table publishes no lot width at all. Minimum road frontage on a county or state road is 300 ft. Maximum base density in an open space development is 5 acres per dwelling unit before bonuses; open space lot sizes and setbacks are set by §§ 220-11D and 220-20E. Maximum footprint for a nonresidential structure 6,000 sq ft. The coverage figure is MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, not building coverage (§ 220-74). It applies to each lot and to a whole subdivision including new roads, does not apply to agricultural uses or pre-existing nonconforming lots, and the Planning Board may waive it for HM lots. An applicant may exceed it using partially permeable materials under § 220-11C.
SP-2 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Middle Slope), SP-3 Shawangunk Ridge Protection (Upper Slope) — SP-2 and SP-3 are NOT in the § 220-11 Dimensional Table — their dimensional regulations are in § 220-16, which this pass did not read. The figures here are unchanged and are not sourced from the Dimensional Table.
Short-term rentals
Short-term-rental status not confirmed. The Town of Gardiner was actively drafting STR regulations as of 2024 — status may have changed. Contact Town of Gardiner at (845) 255-9675 to confirm current requirements before purchasing with STR income as a financial assumption. Municipal source
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/GA1939
- Building dept(845) 255-9675
- Last reviewedApr 2026
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft , and a conforming lot adds about $44,164 on top - see the full cost to build a house in Gardiner, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Gardiner?
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) · Denning · Esopus · Hardenburgh · Hurley · Lloyd · Marbletown · Marlborough · New Paltz · Olive · Plattekill · Rochester · Rosendale · Saugerties · Shandaken · Shawangunk · Ulster · Wawarsing · Woodstock
Zoning figures for Town of Gardiner 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) 255-9675 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.