I have a (fairly rural) piece of wooded property in Esopus, in Ulster County, NY. I’m thinking of putting up a small shed (for storing a chainsaw, some camping gear, etc.) before I actually build the main house. I know that some areas of the country don’t require building permits for structures smaller than a certain size–often 120 square feet. Do any New Yorkers know if there’s something similar in Ulster County? Can I put up a small shed without having to go through the trouble and expense of getting a permit?
And, yes, I know I can contact my local planning committee, etc. But does anyone HERE know anything?
I’ve not seen any laws locally that would prevent you from putting up a garden shed type structure as long as it doesn’t have a fixed foundation. You can buy those sheds pre-made or in kit form (or design your own) and they are generally in the 75 to 150 sq ft range. I’m in Otsego County (even further north).
This is an ‘unhelpful’ response in that
a) I don’t know anything at all about your question, and
b) I’m just posting to make a stupid Irish joke, to wit: Seeing as you’re in Ulster the answer will probably be 'NO!.
Having said that, here’s a site with the planning regulations for the TOWN of Ulster:
And IANAL, but section 190.14 says that ‘permitted accessory uses by right’ include tools sheds, however section 190.50 says:
No structure with a floor area greater than one hundred (100) square feet shall be erected,
moved, added to or structurally altered without a building permit issued by the Building
Inspector or an assistant and in conformity with all provisions of this chapter. Unless
specifically exempted, all structures shall comply with bulk and setback requirements of this
chapter.
All this may of course be of no use to you whatsoever, going by your original, specific, request, but as I said, I couldn’t resist the (tired) ‘Ulster says NO!’ joke. My bad.
Thanks to both of you. I actually did come across that PDF last night, and searched it this AM to find:
But the Town of Ulster, though nearby, is, indeed, not where I’m building … it’s a bit more urban (ha!) than the Town of Esopus. Thanks again for the help, though. I’ll keep looking…
and scroll down to:
Building inspector
Zoning enforcement officer
They should answer all your questions.
I’m having a cabin built in Sullivan County so I just went through all this stuff. You also want to make sure what your status is regarding NYC city watershed. If you’re on watershed then you have to get your septic and building plans permitted by NYC DEP. These rural inspectors aren’t terribly busy so you can bet they’ll be keeping an eye on your place once you break ground.