Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Village of Red Hook, New York

Village of Red Hook’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction, alteration or moving of buildings/structures (including accessory buildings) inside Red Hook village; the quoted rule is the zoning permit issued by the code enforcement officer

  • Zoning permit void six months after issuance unless substantial progress made; renewable once for six months without added fee.
  • Application needs a dimensioned plan to scale; CEO may waive plot plan for certain change-of-use applications.
  • Accessory dwellings separately require a building permit and certificate of occupancy (§ 200-19).

  zoning permit term: 6 months (renewable once for six months)

  “it shall be unlawful to commence the excavation for or the construction of any building or structure, including accessory buildings, or to commence the moving or alteration of any building or structure, including accessory buildings, until the code enforcement officer has issued a permit for such work.”

• InspectionsLimited

  Inspections by the code enforcement officer inside Red Hook village under the zoning chapter

  • Code establishes CEO inspection power and a final inspection before the certificate of occupancy; the full building-code inspection schedule was not opened.

  “who shall have the power to make inspections of buildings or premises necessary to carry out his duties in the enforcement of this chapter.”

• Certificate of occupancyRequired

  Land, buildings or structures erected or altered in use inside Red Hook village

  • CEO must make final inspection within five days after notification of readiness and issue the certificate if conforming; refusal must be in writing.

  CEO final inspection after notice: <= 5 days

  “within five days after notification that a building or structure or premises or part thereof is ready for occupancy or use, it shall be the duty of the code enforcement officer to make a final inspection thereof and issue a certificate of occupancy”

• Local zoningPresent

  All land inside Red Hook village (Dutchess County) limits

  • Administered by the village code enforcement officer; Board of Appeals hears variances.

  “the provisions of this chapter shall be administered and enforced by the code enforcement officer appointed by the village board”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Red Hook village

  • Districts listed: R20,000, R10,000, General Business GB, Gateway Business GWB, Neighborhood Mixed Use NMU, Light Industry Business LIB; zoning map is Attachment 2 to Chapter 200.

  “§ 200-8 residential district r20,000. § 200-9 residential district r10,000. § 200-10 general business district gb.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Accessory dwelling units only (§ 200-19) inside Red Hook village; no minimum for principal dwellings located

  • Accessory unit no larger than 35% of principal dwelling's habitable floor space.

  minimum habitable space, accessory dwelling: >= 500 sq ft

  “and shall provide not less than 500 square feet of habitable space.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Residential District R10,000 (§ 200-9) inside Red Hook village

  • 10,000 sq ft only where served by central sewer; 20,000 sq ft otherwise.
  • Lot width 80 ft (sewered) or 100 ft (unsewered) interior lots.

  minimum area per dwelling unit, central sewer: >= 10000 sq ft · minimum area per dwelling unit, no central sewer: >= 20000 sq ft

  “(3) area per dwelling unit not served by central sewer. the minimum area per dwelling unit not served by central sewer shall be 20,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential District R20,000 (§ 200-8) inside Red Hook village

    “the minimum lot area per dwelling unit shall be 20,000 square feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  Residential Districts R20,000 (§ 200-8 D(11)) and R10,000 (§ 200-9 D(11)) inside Red Hook village; identical text in both

  • Substandard-lot provisions keep the same 15% cap.

  maximum lot coverage: <= 15 percent

  “(11) coverage. the maximum coverage of a lot shall be 15%.”

• Building heightSpecified

  Residential Districts R20,000 (§ 200-8 D(10)) and R10,000 (§ 200-9 D(10)) inside Red Hook village; identical text in both

  maximum height: <= 35 ft or 2 1/2 stories, whichever is less

  “(10) height. no building or structure shall exceed 35 feet in height or 2 1/2 stories, whichever is less.”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling on a lot with a one-family dwelling in the R20,000 and R10,000 districts inside Red Hook village (§ 200-19)

  • Both a building permit and a certificate of occupancy must be obtained before occupancy.
  • Only one accessory dwelling per lot; size capped at 35% of existing habitable floor space of the principal dwelling.
  • Detached accessory dwelling in R20,000 is a special-permit use; structure with an accessory dwelling must meet standard district setbacks.
  • Further subsections of § 200-19 not read.

  accessory dwellings per lot: <= 1 dwelling · maximum size vs principal dwelling habitable floor space: <= 35 percent · minimum habitable space: >= 500 sq ft

  “(1) only one accessory dwelling shall be permitted on a lot as an accessory use to a one-family dwelling unit.”

• Driveway accessLimited

  Driveway location in R20,000 and R10,000 districts inside Red Hook village

  • Only a corner-distance limit found; no driveway permit rule located.

  driveway center line distance from street-line intersection: >= 70 ft

  “no driveway center line shall intersect a street line less than 70 feet from the intersection of any two street lines.”

• Permit processPublished

  Zoning permit and certificate of occupancy procedure inside Red Hook village

  • Fees not located; sign permits and special permits/site plan have separate procedures.

  “if a zoning permit is refused, the code enforcement officer shall state such refusal, in writing, with the cause”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Village of Red Hook or Dutchess County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Red Hook village
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Red Hook village
• Living in an RV — RV occupancy inside Red Hook village
• Camping on your land — Temporary camping inside Red Hook village
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Red Hook village

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.