Municipal Land Use Laws
To the best of our knowledge, the following are the most up-to-date municipal zoning and land use laws for municipalities in Lewis County.
Town of Croghan
Town of Denmark
Town of Diana
Town of Greig
Town of Greig Comprehensive Plan
In progress
Town of Harrisburg
Town of Lewis
Town of Leyden
Town of Lowville
Town of Lyonsdale
Town of Martinsburg
Town of Montague
Town of New Bremen
Town of New Bremen Usafe Buildings Law
Town of Osceola
Town of Pinckney
Town of Turin
Town of Watson
Town of West Turin
Village of Castorland
Village of Constableville
Village of Copenhagen
Village of Croghan
The Village of Croghan Zoning Code –IN PROGRESS
Hamlet of Harrisville
Village of Lowville
Village of Lyons Falls
Village of Turin
Village of Port Leyden
Village of Port Leyden Comprehensive Plan- IN PROGRESS
Village of Port Leyden Zoning Code- IN PROGRESS
Updates in Progress!
Village of Croghan Zoning Law
In response to the Village of Croghan’s request for zoning, our department began developing the Village’s first zoning law in the fall of 2024. A Zoning Commission was established, consisting of village residents, business owners, and other key stakeholders, to provide recommendations tailored to the Village’s unique character and needs. The Commission drew inspiration from neighboring communities, adapting best practices to fit Croghan’s specific context. This project is being completed entirely in-house and is anticipated to be adopted by the Village Board in
2025.

Town of Watson Zoning & Subdivision Law Update
The Town of Watson partnered with the Lewis County Planning & Community Development Department to land a $90,000 NYS DOS Smart Growth Grant to update their Zoning & Subdivision Laws. LaBella Associates will be working with the Town’s Zoning Advisory Committee to update the laws. The Committee began meeting in June 2024.

Town of Greig Comprehensive Plan
The Town of Greig partnered with the Lewis County Planning & Community Development Department to secure at $58,258 NYS DEC Adirondack Smart Growth Grant to create the Town’s first Comprehensive Plan. This project kicked off in December 2024 and is on track to be adopted by Q2 2026.

Town of Diana Zoning Update
The Town of Diana’s zoning update began in Q4 2024 and is also being completed by LaBella Associates. After two unsuccessful attempts at securing grant funding, our department leveraged the Town of Watson’s contract to reduce costs and bypass the need to meet grant-related Smart Growth guidelines. Project funding is shared equally between our department, utilizing community development funds, and the Town of Diana. Completion is expected by Q4 2025.
Village of Lowville Zoning Update
Following the Village of Lowville’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award in January 2024, revisions to the zoning code were identified as necessary to streamline development processes within the Village Center, aligning with the DRI boundary. Our department collaborated with Tim Widrick, former Lewis County Codes Officer and current Village Board Member, along with the Tug Hill Commission, to develop strategies for implementation. The revised zoning law was officially filed with the NYS Department of State
in December 2024. A revision has subsequently been adopted in May of 2025 to address items that potentially needed clarification.
The Village of Lowville intends to seek a Department of State Smart Growth grant to assist with a comprehensive overhaul of the entire code, including providing standards for all permittable uses.

Town of Croghan
In January 2024, the Town of Croghan requested assistance in updating its zoning law to incorporate new regulations for solar development, mining, and battery energy storage. Over nine months, our department worked closely with Town officials and Zoning Enforcement Officers to finalize these amendments, including the adoption of a Solar Energy Overlay District, developed in partnership with Clarkson C3G.

Village of Port Leyden
Estimated Completion: Spring 2026
The Village of Port Leyden will be working with the Lewis County Planning Department to establish and adopt their first Comprehensive Plan and subsequently a comprehensive zoning code. A zoning commission has been established and they will be put to work once the Comprehensive Plan has been established. This project is being completed entirely in house.
Lewis County Comprehensive Plan

Lewis County recognizes the need for a comprehensive and strategic approach to the complex issues faced in the 21st Century. This collection of small towns and villages needs to be able to effectively leverage its assets and overcome challenges in order to continuously improve the quality of life of its citizens. This County Comprehensive Plan is designed to play a foundational role in that effort over the next 10 to 15 years.
The Plan provides an overall framework for future public and private investment and decision making in the county. Investment can take many forms, such as, but not limited to, financial, civic, and creative resources. It is this collective investment by residents, businesses, institutions, churches, volunteer organizations, and county and local government that will shape the physical, social, and economic character of the community. The Plan articulates an overall vision for the county and the means to achieve the objectives set forth. This Plan will function at two levels. First, upon adoption it will become the primary policy document for Lewis County government that provides a path forward on a host of issues critical to the future of the region, the most significant being the utilization and deployment of resources. County level policies, which are outlined in detail in Chapter 3, are relatively broad statements that provide a framework for the future of Lewis County. This Comprehensive Plan provides a necessary level of continuity and consistency to assist county officials and staff in working towards common objectives on topics such as tourism, recreation, economic development, infrastructure and regional coordination, among others. At the county level, future decisions and investments shall be in accordance with this document, as it is the adopted policy of Lewis County. Furthermore, by state law, all plans for capital projects at the local, county, and state level shall take the contents of this Plan into consideration prior to action or implementation.
The second functional level of this Plan is the provision of guidance and recommendations on issues common to all communities. Plan policies provide recommendations on opportunities for county municipalities to work together in leveraging resources, learning from each other, and solving problems collectively. This Plan uncovers opportunities seldom discussed at the individual town or village level for intermunicipal cooperation or the leveraging of common resources.
This Plan is not a regulatory document at the local level; Lewis County does not have the authority to impose policies presented in this Plan upon county municipalities beyond the jurisdictional areas it currently enforces, such as County highways. County municipalities are not required to approve or adopt this Comprehensive Plan. However, significant effort was taken to provide a level of continuity across the county, especially within the County Character Area Plan (see Chapter 4). This portion of the document has the greatest impact on linking together the County’s 26 municipalities under a common framework. The County Character Area Plan provides recommendations and guidance on land use issues to towns and villages; yet, it does not provide regulations that are enforceable at the county level. However, the towns and villages can utilize this Plan as a starting point in their own discussions regarding the future of their communities, as they work to make Lewis County the premier rural county in New York State.