Site check rules & sources

The zoning rules the site check applies to each residential lot, with the code section each one comes from. Rules version 7; code text read on ecode360 in September 2026.

A summary for screening, not the code itself.

These are the rules as the check applies them, simplified and possibly out of date or wrong. Codes change, and many lots have variances, approvals or conditions this page can't show. Before you file any application, have a licensed architect, engineer or land surveyor review your plans against the current code, and confirm with the Building Department for the lot.

Town Code Chapter 255

Town of East Hampton

Residence districts B through A10. Lot size is measured from the tax map.

Setbacks and coverage by lot size

Dimensional table, Part I (§255-11-10, 255 Attachment 4). Side and rear yards are equal.

Lot size up to	House front	House side & rear	Accessory front	Accessory side & rear	Building coverage	Total lot coverage
39,999 sq ft	20 ft	15 ft	30 ft	10 ft	20%, max 5,999 sq ft	50%, max 15,999 sq ft
83,999 sq ft	40 ft	20 ft	50 ft	15 ft	15%, max 8,399 sq ft	40%, max 29,399 sq ft
124,999 sq ft	50 ft	30 ft	60 ft	20 ft	10%, max 9,999 sq ft	35%, max 37,499 sq ft
199,999 sq ft	60 ft	35 ft	70 ft	25 ft	8%, max 13,999 sq ft	30%, max 49,999 sq ft
424,999 sq ft	70 ft	40 ft	80 ft	30 ft	7%, max 25,499 sq ft	25%, max 80,000 sq ft
Larger	80 ft	45 ft	90 ft	35 ft	6%, max 35,599 sq ft	80,000 sq ft

Pre-2004 option by zone

Dimensional table, Part II (255 Attachment 4:2). Only a lot whose house became legally nonconforming under the 2004 zoning change can elect it (table notes 1 and 10), so the check shows it as a second answer on lots with a house, and only when it allows more. The Building Department has to confirm a lot qualifies.

Zone	House front	House side & rear	Accessory front	Accessory side & rear	Building coverage	Total lot coverage
A10	70 ft	40 ft	80 ft	30 ft	6%	18%
A5	70 ft	40 ft	80 ft	30 ft	7%	30%
A3	60 ft	35 ft	70 ft	25 ft	8%	30%
A2	50 ft	30 ft	60 ft	20 ft	10%	35%
A	40 ft	20 ft	50 ft	15 ft	15%	40%
B	20 ft	15 ft	30 ft	10 ft	20%	50%

Other Town rules

House gross floor area: 7% of lot area + 1,500 sq ft, capped at 10,000 sq ft (Part I) or 20,000 sq ft (Part II).255 Attachment 4
House height: 30 ft. Every building also stays under a 45° plane rising from the lot lines.§255-11-72 D
Accessory buildings: under 600 sq ft of floor area, 20 ft tall, and only after a house (or the owner's house on an adjoining lot). No sleeping space, kitchen or plumbing inside.§255-11-20 C, §255-11-23
No structure within 100 ft of a mapped wetland without relief; septic systems 150 ft away.§255-4-30 B–C
A Natural Resources special permit for work within 150 ft of a wetland, or within 100 ft for a plumbing-free accessory building of 150 sq ft or less on a lot with a house.§255-4-20
A 10 ft buffer from scenic and conservation easements, and 5 ft between buildings.§255-11-74 A, §255-11-20 A
Clearing of natural vegetation: the whole lot up to 10,999 sq ft; 75% (at least 10,999 sq ft) up to 19,999; 10,000 sq ft + 25% up to 280,000; then 80,000 sq ft. In the Water Recharge and Harbor Protection overlays: 35% (at least 10,000 sq ft) up to 39,999; 10,000 sq ft + 12.5% up to 280,000; then 45,000 sq ft.§255-2-60 A, §255-3-65 E, §255-3-75 D
Bay and harbor waterfront lots: the water side is the front yard and the street side a rear yard, doubled for accessory buildings. Oceanfront lots are excluded.Dimensional table notes 5 and 9
Flag lots: interior lot lines take side and rear yards, not a front yard.Dimensional table note 3
Buildings need 2 ft of separation from seasonal high groundwater.§255-11-74 E

Village Code Chapter 278

East Hampton Village

Residence districts R-20 through R-160. Yards and heights go by the lot's actual size (§278-3).

Lot size under	House front	House side & rear	House height	Accessory front	Accessory side & rear
10,000 sq ft	25 ft	20 ft	29 ft	35 ft	10 ft
20,000 sq ft	30 ft	22 ft	30 ft	35 ft	10 ft
30,000 sq ft	35 ft	24 ft	32 ft	45 ft	15 ft
40,000 sq ft	40 ft	26 ft	33 ft	45 ft	15 ft
80,000 sq ft	50 ft	34 ft	34 ft	55 ft	20 ft
160,000 sq ft	70 ft	50 ft	35 ft	75 ft	20 ft
Larger	80 ft	55 ft	36 ft	85 ft	20 ft

Coverage by all structures: 20% of the lot, plus 500 sq ft on lots under 40,000 sq ft. One limit covers buildings, pools and other structures.§278-3 A(9)
House gross floor area: 10% of lot area + 1,000 sq ft, capped at 20,000 sq ft.§278-3 A(13)
Accessory buildings: 250 sq ft each except garages, and all accessory buildings together at most 2% of the lot + 200 sq ft. 14 ft tall; garages 16, 18 or 20 ft (lots under 10,000 sq ft, under 20,000 sq ft, larger). No cooking or sleeping facilities.§278-3 D(1)–(3), §278-1
No structure within 150 ft of a mapped wetland; septic systems 200 ft away.§278-3 A(8)
The check keeps 5 ft between buildings, and doesn't apply a height-plane rule in the Village.Modeling assumption

Village Code Chapters 285 and 300

Sag Harbor

The R-20 residence district only.

House yards: 35 ft front, 15 ft side, 30 ft rear. Accessory structures: not in the front yard, 15 ft from side lines and 10 ft from rear lines.Chapter 300, Attachment 2; §300-9.1 A(4)
Building coverage 20% and total coverage 25%. At least 50% of the lot outside buildings and structures stays natural or planted.Chapter 300, Attachment 2
House gross floor area: 2,500 sq ft up to a 6,250 sq ft lot, then 8% of the extra lot area (4,000 sq ft at 25,000 sq ft), capped at 7,000 sq ft.§300-9.10
House height 35 ft, under a sky plane from the lot lines.§300-9.3 D
Accessory buildings: 600 sq ft, one story, 15 ft tall, no plumbing, at most 30% of the rear yard, and only after a house. 10 ft from other buildings.§300-9.1 A(1), A(3), A(4), B(5)–(7)
No structure within 75 ft of a mapped wetland; septic systems 100 ft away.§285-9 A
Waterfront lots: the street side is a rear yard, doubled for accessory buildings.§300-9.1 B(3)

All three codes

Pools

Town: the pool, its deck and its equipment are set back twice the accessory side and rear yard. The pool needs an inspected enclosure at least 4 ft high before it's filled, a drywell for pool water, and surveyor staking before the permit.§255-11-89 B–F
East Hampton Village: accessory side and rear yards are doubled for pools and pool equipment.§278-3 A(5)(c)
Sag Harbor: normal accessory yards, not in the front yard, at most 30% of the rear yard. The pool sits above the seasonal high groundwater, and near wetlands needs a low-chlorine system and cartridge filter.§300-9.1 A(4); Chapter 244
Pools and decks count toward total lot coverage, not building coverage (in East Hampton Village, toward the single all-structures limit). Existing pools are mapped as points, so each is estimated at 1,000 sq ft with its deck.Modeling assumption
The default pool checked is 16 × 34 ft with a 4 ft deck all round (24 × 42 ft). You can check your own size on any lot.Modeling assumption

What the check doesn't model

Any of these can change the answer for a real project.

Driveways and patios toward total lot coverage, and how much of a lot is already cleared.
Suffolk County sanitary design and separation standards, beyond each code's wetland distance for septic systems.
Bluff and ocean dune setbacks, coastal erosion rules, and any variances, special permits or covenants already on record for a lot.
Village historic districts and design review. Town historic districts are flagged, not reviewed.
Commercial and other non-residential zones, and Sag Harbor zones other than R-20.
The height and floor area of existing buildings (only their footprints are mapped). A new house is assumed to be two stories.
Small grade changes: ground elevation comes from terrain data at about 12 ft resolution.

Sources

Town of East Hampton Code Chapter 255, Village of East Hampton Code Chapter 278, and Village of Sag Harbor Code Chapters 244, 285 and 300, read on ecode360 in September 2026.
Town of East Hampton GIS: tax map, building footprints, wetlands, easements, FEMA flood zones, rights-of-way, pools and shoreline.
USGS 3DEP elevation via the AWS Terrain Tiles open dataset.
USDA NRCS SSURGO soils, Suffolk County.