Troubling Dutchess County Accessory Structure Permit Regulation (buying a house, buying)

[mattomatto]

I'm considering buying a property in Dutchess County and I noticed the following zoning regulation on building accessory structures that I find concerning.

"No accessory structure shall be located closer to the street than the principal structure."


For small properties I can see the logic, but does this rule apply regardless of property size? If you bought a 100 acre property and the primary structure is as far away from the road as possible, can it possibly be true that the entire 100 acres is now 100% unbuildable for a shed/barn/garage?

I ask because I'm considering buying a house on a 15 acre property with exactly this setup. And I think it's a mistake to buy if the entire property is truly unbuildable.

I suspect this may fall into the "it depends" category, in which case - who would be the right person to hire to help me answer this question? (Sorry for the basic questions but I'm new at this zoning stuff)

[Tioga]

The zoning regulation you mention is not totally unique to your area. Similar regs (to some degree..more or less) apply , even in more rural upstate counties. The big difference in more rural areas of NY), is that a variance is almost always given, when the home owner provides the required info to the local govt. And of course, there are generally less zoning regs overall..esp. for Agricultural zoned properties. Add to that, a lot less HOA's upstate (many of which, have their own..way over the top) property use regulations.