Could Someone Create A New Town In New York State?

Are you sick of living in your town? Would you like to move somewhere and create your own city or village?

Is that even legal in New York State?

On the heels of Elon Musk announcing that he is creating a new town in Texas called Starbase, Texas, I started to wonder if you could do the same thing here in New York State.

Of course, the first question to ask is whether it is even legal to create a new town or village in New York State in 2025. The simple answer is yes, but it is VERY hard to do.

It is legal to create a new town in New York State but there are certain rules you must follow.

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First, you would have to have a charter created by the community for the new town or village.

Then this is where the hard part comes in. You would need to New York State Legislator to enact that charter. Before they do that they would need to hear from other towns and villages impacted by the proposal. So you would need all the neighboring towns and governments to give you their blessing to create your own city.

The problem with that is those places could end up losing tax revenue if they lose property and citizens. So the chances of them letting just have that land without ponying up some money and revenue is slim to none.

If they do agree it then goes back to the State Legislature and then you have to lobby them to pass everything to become a new town.

The last town/city to incorporate in New York State was the town of Rye, New York and they got their charter back in 1942.

So, while it is possible it is highly unlikely that you could create your own town in New York State.