Ulster County
Town of Hardenburgh, NY: zoning for new construction
The Town of Hardenburgh carries 1 zoning district, each setting its own lot size, setbacks and height for what you can build. 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) 586-2970 before you rely on a figure.
Looking specifically at an accessory dwelling unit? See ADU rules for Hardenburgh →
Zoning districts
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Hardenburgh (Town-wide) | 2 ac | 20 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
Town of Hardenburgh (Town-wide) — Front 20 ft, side 30 ft, rear 50 ft; minimum lot 2 acres and 200 ft wide; maximum height 35 ft (§ 3.2). No lot coverage limit is stated. Accessory buildings may stand in the rear setback no closer than 6 ft to a property line (§ 5.2.2.3). TWO ACRES IS THE FLOOR, NOT THE ANSWER, AND FIVE ACRES IS THE DENSITY. § 3.2 itself says these minimums "may be increased by other provisions of this Law", and § 4.2.2(a) requires a lot to meet the minimum in § 4.2.3 column (c) for EVERY resource category it lies in. That table sets both a per-lot area allocation and a minimum lot size: with no resource category, 5 acres of allocation per lot and a 2-acre minimum; within 500 ft of a pond of 10 acres or more, 10 and 10; above elevation 2,500 ft, 10 and 15; on land of 15-25% slope, 10 and 15; on prime agricultural soils, 10 and 2. Designated wetland and its buffer (15), land within 250 ft of a protected stream (10), a designated flood hazard area (15) and land over 25% slope (15) carry an allocation but no minimum of their own — instead such land may make up no more than 25% (wetland) or 50% (the others) of the required minimum lot area of the adjacent category, and no principal structure may stand in a wetland resource area. Where categories overlap, only the GREATEST allocation applies (§ 4.2.1.b). This is Catskill Park mountain land, so a parcel above 2,500 ft or on a steep slope needs 15 acres where the schedule above says 2. Resource category is not a term in the condition vocabulary, so these figures are stated here rather than recorded as per-condition standards. On subdivision the Planning Board may waive a minimum lot size down to two-thirds of the requirement provided the average lot in that category still meets it (§ 4.2.2.b), and any lot of record at adoption may be split into two lots of at least 2 acres each (§ 4.2.2.c). The Town is a SINGLE district administered uniformly town-wide (§ 2.3).
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 was read in full and contains no short-term-rental or transient-rental provision. A bed-and-breakfast inn is a listed use alongside a one- or two-family home, mobile home and home occupation. Note that 'tourist home' appears in this code ONLY in the off-street parking schedule (one space for every two beds) and not in the use table — a parking-schedule row grants no use, so it should not be read as permission. 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 Hardenburgh at (845) 586-2970 before listing.
Good to know
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codehardenburghny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/ZONING1.pdf
- Building dept(845) 586-2970
- Last reviewed2026-08-16
Working out a budget? A standard-finish build here runs $206–$270/sq ft - see the full cost to build a house in Hardenburgh, or what an ADU costs here.
Sizing up a specific parcel in Hardenburgh?
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 · Gardiner · Hurley · Lloyd · Marbletown · Marlborough · New Paltz · Olive · Plattekill · Rochester · Rosendale · Saugerties · Shandaken · Shawangunk · Ulster · Wawarsing · Woodstock
Zoning figures for Town of Hardenburgh are compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-16) 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) 586-2970 before relying on any number. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.