The Adirondack Park is the defining question
Six million acres, roughly half of it private land, governed by a state agency with authority over land use. The APA classifies private land into categories, and the classification determines the minimum acreage per principal building — from small lots in hamlet areas to 42.7 acres per dwelling in resource management classification.
This is not a subtle constraint. A large parcel in resource management classification may support only one dwelling regardless of its size, and subdivision is correspondingly limited. Determine the classification before making an offer, and where a project is contemplated, understand whether it requires an APA permit as well as local approval.
Agricultural districts and their trade
Agricultural district enrollment provides real protections: preferential assessment, limits on local regulation that would restrict farm operations, and protection against certain nuisance claims. It also carries obligations, and conversion out of agricultural use can trigger payments.
Verify enrollment status and understand what conversion would cost before buying with development intent.
Water and shoreline
New York regulates development near protected streams and wetlands through DEC permitting, and freshwater wetlands of certain sizes carry adjacent area restrictions. On any parcel near water, check both the state wetland maps and local regulation before assuming a building envelope.
What to verify
APA classification if the parcel is inside the Blue Line. Agricultural district enrollment. DEC wetland and stream protection status. Legal access, and septic feasibility where building is planned. The risk scorecard covers the fundamentals.