Chautauqua County, New York
Town of Dunkirk is a town in Chautauqua County, New York. Town of Dunkirk adopts its own zoning, so inside its limits Town of Dunkirk’s rules apply, not the county’s. 18 rules below are quoted from official sources and independently re-checked, most recently on October 29, 2026. Rules for unincorporated land are on the Chautauqua County page.
Land inside the Town of Dunkirk, New York.
“For purpose of this Chapter, the Town of Dunkirk is hereby divided into the following classes of districts:”
Zoning districts inside the Town of Dunkirk.
districts: R-1 Single Family Residential; R-2 General Residential; AR-1 Agriculture/General Residential; C-1 Tourism Commercial; C-2 Highway Business; CR Commercial Residential; M High-Tech/Industrial
“For purpose of this Chapter, the Town of Dunkirk is hereby divided into the following classes of districts: R-1 Single Family Residential District R-2 General Residential District AR-1 Agriculture/General Residential District C-1 Tourism Commercial C-2 Highway Business District CR Commercial Residential M High-Tech/Industrial District”
Manufactured/mobile-home parks inside the Town of Dunkirk.
“It is unlawful within the Town of Dunkirk for any person or persons to construct or operate a manufactured/mobile home park without first securing a written permit from the Town of Dunkirk and complying with the regulations of this Chapter.”
Development located in the floodplain inside the Town of Dunkirk.
“all floodplain development found ongoing without an approved permit shall be subject to the issuance of a stop work order by the zoning enforcement officer.”
Zoning-permit applications for excavation, construction, alteration, or moving of buildings or structures inside the Town of Dunkirk.
“In applying to the Zoning Enforcement Officer for a zoning permit, the applicant shall submit specifications and a dimensioned plan to scale indicating the shape, size, height and location in exact relation to all property lines and to street or road lines of all buildings or structures to be erected, altered or moved and of any building or structure on the lot.”
Town of Dunkirk does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.
Work inside the Town of Dunkirk that must conform to the New York Uniform Code.
“Building permits must be required for any work which is required to conform to the Uniform Code. Certain exceptions are permitted.”
Construction inside the Town of Dunkirk, except New York City is irrelevant to this Town.
“The Uniform Code is applicable in every part of the State (except the City of New York, which was permitted to retain its own code).”
Permitted construction inside the Town of Dunkirk.
“Inspections of certain specified elements of the construction process must be required. Building permits holders must keep work accessible and exposed until inspected and accepted by the municipality.”
Work inside the Town of Dunkirk for which a building permit was required, and changes in general occupancy classification.
“A certificate of occupancy or a certificate of compliance must be required (1) for all work for which a building permit was required and (2) whenever the general occupancy classification of a building is changed.”
Dwellings in the Town of Dunkirk AR-1 Agriculture/General Residential District.
one-story dwelling minimum floor area: >= 900 square feet · two-story dwelling minimum floor area: >= 720 square feet · other dwelling minimum floor area: >= 500 square feet per unit
“minimum floor area one story dwelling 900 square feet two story dwelling 720 square feet other dwellings 500 square feet per unit”
“minimum floor area one story dwelling 900 sq. feet minimum floor area two story dwelling 800 square feet main floor”
Non-lakefront properties in the Town of Dunkirk R-1 Single Family Residential District.
minimum lot area: >= 1 acre (Non-lakefront R-1 properties.) · minimum lot frontage: >= 120 feet (Non-lakefront R-1 properties.)
“the following lot, area and yard requirements apply to non-lakefront properties in the r-1 district: lot requirements minimum lot frontage 120 feet area requirements minimum lot area 1 acre”
“the following lot, area and yard requirements apply to the ar-1 district: lot requirements minimum lot frontage 120 feet area requirements minimum lot area 3 acres”
Properties in the Town of Dunkirk AR-1 Agriculture/General Residential District.
minimum front-yard depth: >= 35 feet · minimum side yard: >= 25 feet · minimum rear-yard depth: >= 75 feet
“yard requirements minimum front yard depth 35 feet minimum side yard 25 feet minimum rear yard 75 feet”
Non-lakefront properties in the Town of Dunkirk R-1 Single Family Residential District.
maximum lot coverage: <= 35 percent · maximum building coverage: <= 20 percent
“minimum lot area 1 acre maximum building coverage 20% maximum lot coverage 35%”
“minimum lot area 3 acres maximum building coverage 35% maximum lot coverage 50%”
Buildings in the Town of Dunkirk AR-1 Agriculture/General Residential District.
maximum building height: <= 40 feet (All uses.)
“maximum building height all uses 40 feet”
“height maximum building height 2 stories not to exceed 35 feet”
We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Dunkirk or Chautauqua County directly.
Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.
Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Dunkirk publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Chautauqua County’s page lists the county offices to call.
Off-grid gear
Going off-grid in Town of Dunkirk means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:
These are affiliate links — we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, Bolthole Index earns from qualifying purchases.
