Short-term rentals · Town of Denning, Ulster County
Does Denning, NY have a short-term rental moratorium?
No. As of 27 October 2026 there is no moratorium in force. It expired on 11 August 2026 after both of its allowed extensions were used. A replacement law is in draft. The town board did not set a hearing date at its 14 October meeting; the supervisor said one will be announced soon.
By Ryan Rooney · Published 12 October 2026 · Last checked 27 October 2026 against the town's posted minutes through the 14 October 2026 meeting and its legal notices page
Is there a short-term rental moratorium in Denning?
No. Local Law 1 of 2025 paused Planning Board review of short-term rental special use permit applications for twelve months from February 2025. The town extended it twice by resolution, to 11 August 2026. The law allowed exactly two extensions, and the town board has taken no moratorium action since.
Does Denning have a short-term rental law?
Not a dedicated one yet. Short-term rentals are handled as a special permit use under the town's 2019 Zoning Law, §530, "Short Term Residential Rentals", and the Planning Board decides the applications.
Is there a cap on short-term rentals in Denning?
Not in force. Caps of 35 and then 25 have come up in Planning Board discussion this year. Those are proposals in a draft, not law.
When could that change?
Draft short-term rental amendments to the zoning law, modelled on the Town of Olive's rules, were reported to the town board on 9 September 2026 as reviewed and approved by the Planning Board. At the 14 October 2026 meeting, asked where the amendments stand, the supervisor said final adjustments were being made and the public hearing would be announced soon. No date was set. The next town board meeting is Tuesday 10 November 2026.
Why so many sources still say Denning has a moratorium
Each extension got written up. The expiry wasn't, because nothing happened. There was no vote and no notice, and the 11 August minutes don't mention the moratorium at all. So the last thing anyone published was "extended through August 11, 2026", and the summaries that copied it had nothing newer to update to. The AI search answers I checked in early October were still describing the moratorium as active.
I traced it through the town board's own minutes instead, one meeting at a time. That is the record below, with a link to each set of minutes so you can check my reading against the source.
The timeline, from the town's own minutes
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Feb 2025 | Public hearing held, then Local Law 1 of 2025 adopted by Resolution 29 of 2025 on a unanimous roll call. It pauses actions on special use permit applications for short-term rental uses for twelve months, and allows two further extensions of up to three months each by resolution. The hearing record notes six special use permits issued for short-term rentals, about 26 operating on a list from Ulster County, and 470 residential properties in town (333 year-round, 137 seasonal). | Minutes |
| 10 Feb 2026 | First extension, Resolution 30 of 2026: three months, 11 February to 11 May 2026. The Planning Board report lists "35 maximum cap" among the issues under discussion. | Minutes |
| 12 May 2026 | Second and final extension, Resolution 38 of 2026: 12 May to 11 August 2026. | Minutes |
| 9 Jun 2026 | Planning Board report: the board is looking to finalize the short-term rental zoning updates, which "has to be completed by August." | Minutes |
| 14 Jul 2026 | The supervisor reports that Olive's supervisor gave Denning permission to use Olive's short-term rental template. Planning Board report: "Cap suggested to be 25." The town also sent a certified cease-and-desist letter to an owner renting without a permit. | Minutes |
| 11 Aug 2026 | The moratorium's last day. A draft zoning amendment on short-term rentals goes to the town board for review, with the Planning Board to start its review on 20 August. No moratorium action is recorded. | Minutes |
| 9 Sep 2026 | "It was reported that the Planning Board reviewed the Draft STR amendments and approved them." The public hearing date is to be set at the October meeting. | Minutes |
| 14 Oct 2026 | Asked about the status of the short-term rental amendments, the supervisor said "Final adjustments being made and Public Hearing will be announced soon." He also wants a ban on drone use by renters added to the rules. No hearing date was set. | Minutes |
| 10 Nov 2026 | Next town board meeting, 6:00 pm at Denning Town Hall, after the hearing on the 2027 budget. Not yet held when this page was last checked. | Minutes page |
The town's legal notices page shows no hearing notice for a new short-term rental law as of 27 October 2026. The 2025 moratorium hearing was noticed there, so that is where I would expect the next one to appear.
What applies today
A short-term rental in Denning still needs a special use permit from the Planning Board. That much is clear from the town's own record: the moratorium was on special use permit review for short-term rentals, the Planning Board holds public hearings on those permits, and the table of contents of the town's 2019 Zoning Law lists §530, "Short Term Residential Rentals". What I could not do is read §530 itself: the text would not extract from the town's PDF. So I can't tell you from the source what it requires, or whether a permit survives a sale. Ask the code enforcement officer, and get the answer in writing.
One trap if you research this yourself. Ulster County's online statute library serves Denning's 1990 zoning law, which has no short-term rental provision at all. Read that copy and you would conclude the town has never regulated this.
The town does enforce. The minutes record a call to the property manager of an unpermitted rental after a large gathering in June 2026, and a cease-and-desist letter to another owner in July. Registration with Ulster County for its hotel and motel tax is a separate obligation from the town permit: the June minutes note that the unpermitted property was not registered with the county either.
What the new law may look like, and what is still unknown
Denning's draft text has not been published, so all I can tell you is what the minutes say it draws on. The template is the Town of Olive's Chapter 114, which I read for my permit guide. Under Olive's rules:
- Owner-occupied rentals are uncapped. Non-owner-occupied rentals are capped, and the number is reset each January. Olive's figure for 2026 is 24.
- Permits expire on 1 January. Renewal is annual, with an inspection and a water test every year.
- Non-owner-occupied rentals are limited to 180 rental days a year.
- The host has to live within 30 miles and be able to respond in person within an hour.
- Operating without a permit costs $500 a day.
None of that is Denning law, and Denning can change any of it. For scale, though: about 26 rentals were operating in February 2025, and six of them held permits. If a cap of 25 counted all of them, there would be little or no room for anyone new.
What I don't know yet: the final cap, whether existing permit holders keep their permits, whether a permit can pass to a buyer, and when the law takes effect. Nobody knows those until the draft is published and goes to hearing.
If you are buying in Denning now
- Ask for the permit, not the booking history. A strong rental record tells you the house rents. It doesn't tell you the house holds a special use permit. In February 2025 the town counted six permits against about 26 rentals operating.
- Call the code enforcement officer before you sign. Ask whether the parcel holds a permit, whether it survives a sale under the current zoning law, and whether the draft would change that.
- Assume the new law arrives before your first full season. Price the house as a house you would use. Treat rental income as upside until the law is adopted and you know where you stand under it.
- Get a lawyer's read on grandfathering. Whether an existing permit carries over is a legal question about a law that isn't written yet. I can tell you what the town record shows. I can't tell you how a court would read it.
Who to call
- Code Enforcement Officer and Building Inspector: M. Martinez-Riddle, (845) 366-9900, ceo@denningny.gov
- Town Hall: (845) 985-2411, 1567 Denning Road, Claryville, NY 12725
- Minutes and agendas: denningny.gov
How this page stays current. I check the town's minutes and legal notices after each town board meeting. This year the minutes have posted anywhere from one to four weeks after each meeting. When something changes, I update the answer at the top, add a row to the timeline, and record the change below rather than editing silently.
Change log
27 October 2026: checked the 14 October minutes and the legal notices page. No hearing date set yet. Answer, timeline and FAQ updated.
12 October 2026: page published.
Denning is one of 147 municipalities in my short-term rental permit guide, which shows the source for each one.
Looking at a house in Denning?
Send me the address or the tax map number. I'll tell you what the town record shows for that parcel, what the draft law could mean for it, and what I would ask the town before you make an offer.
Ryan Rooney is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Stevens Real Estate at eXp Realty, serving Ulster County and Dutchess County, New York. Born and raised in New Paltz. (845) 447-9274 · rrooney@stevensre.com
Sources: Town of Denning town board minutes for 11 February 2025, 10 February 2026, 12 May 2026, 9 June 2026, 14 July 2026, 11 August 2026, 9 September 2026 and 14 October 2026; the town's legal notices page, Building Department page and 2019 Zoning Law, retrieved 12 October 2026, with the 14 October minutes and the legal notices page re-checked 27 October 2026. Town of Olive figures are from Olive Chapter 114 and the town's 2 January 2026 organizational meeting, as documented in my short-term rental permit guide. This page reports what the public record shows. It is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the Town of Denning before relying on them.