The Short Answer
Port Washington is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of North Hempstead, not a village. The incorporated Villages of Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates share its peninsula, and part of Flower Hill does too. The Port Washington Union Free School District covers almost all of the hamlet and all four villages. On LIRR weekday timetables through February 28, 2027, morning trains reach Penn Station or Grand Central Madison in 36 to 49 minutes.
The north end of the peninsula between Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor, which the Village of Port Washington North calls the Cow Neck peninsula, holds the hamlet of Port Washington and four villages that share the 11050 ZIP code and a school district. Each village has its own mayor, building department and village tax. In the hamlet, the Town of North Hempstead and a set of special districts fill those roles.
For the wider picture, see our guide to North Shore towns, villages and hamlets and our Port Washington and Sands Point page.
Is Port Washington, NY a Village?
No. Port Washington is an unincorporated hamlet governed by the Town of North Hempstead, and the Census Bureau counts it as the Port Washington census-designated place. It has no mayor, no village board and no village tax.
The Town’s building department administers the State and Town codes for the unincorporated areas, so it issues permits for hamlet homes. Town roadways, in the Highway Department’s words, are “located in the unincorporated areas only, outside Village limit lines.” Sewer, water, garbage, police and commuter parking come from special districts. The Town’s Receiver of Taxes bills the Town, County, school and special district taxes for every parcel, in a village or not.
What Villages Are in Port Washington, NY?
The Town of North Hempstead lists four incorporated villages under the Port Washington community: Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates. It lists the Village of Flower Hill under Manhasset, Port Washington and Roslyn together, and Flower Hill draws its services from districts in all three.
| Place | Type of government | Who issues building permits |
|---|---|---|
| Port Washington | Hamlet (not incorporated), governed by the Town of North Hempstead | Town of North Hempstead building department |
| Sands Point | Incorporated village, 1910 | Village of Sands Point Department of Buildings |
| Manorhaven | Incorporated village, 1930 | Village of Manorhaven Building Department |
| Baxter Estates | Incorporated village, 1931 | Village of Baxter Estates Building Department |
| Port Washington North | Incorporated village, 1932 | Village of Port Washington North Building Department |
| Flower Hill (part) | Incorporated village, served by three school, fire and water districts | Village of Flower Hill |
Sources: Town of North Hempstead, Incorporated Villages and Building Department pages; each village’s own website. Checked October 2026.
All four village halls have 11050 addresses: Sands Point at 26 Tibbits Lane, Port Washington North at 3 Pleasant Avenue, Manorhaven at 33 Manorhaven Boulevard and Baxter Estates at 315 Main Street. Town roads stop at village lines. Most Sands Point roads belong to the village, but Middle Neck Road and Cow Neck Road belong to Nassau County, and Baxter Estates maintains its own village-owned roadways.
Which Special Districts Serve Port Washington?
Special districts and departments provide the services a village would otherwise run, and their lines do not follow the village lines. Two homes a few blocks apart can carry different bills.
| Service | District or department | Area it says it serves |
|---|---|---|
| Sewer | Port Washington Water Pollution Control District, established 1915 | Port Washington, Port Washington North and portions of Baxter Estates and Flower Hill; it also treats Manorhaven’s wastewater. Sands Point has no sewers. |
| Water | Port Washington Water District, established 1913 | Port Washington, Port Washington North, Manorhaven, Baxter Estates and parts of Flower Hill and Plandome Manor. Sands Point has its own water department. |
| Garbage | Port Washington Garbage Collection District | The hamlet of Port Washington, Port Washington North and Baxter Estates. Manorhaven, Flower Hill and Sands Point arrange their own collection. |
| Police | Port Washington Police District, run by its own police board, funded mainly by real property taxes | Parcels inside its boundary. It lists Sands Point under the Sands Point Police Department, and Manorhaven and Flower Hill under the Nassau County Police Department. |
| Commuter parking | Port Washington Parking District, run by the Town | Residents of the parking district, for seven commuter lots |
| Fire and library | Port Washington Fire Department; Port Washington Public Library | Includes Sands Point. Parts of Flower Hill and Plandome Manor use neighboring districts. |
Sources: each district’s own website; Town of North Hempstead Parking District and Fire Departments pages; Sands Point, Flower Hill and Plandome Manor village resident pages. Checked October 2026.
The Water District bills metered water use and also raises part of its 2026 budget through a property tax levy. The Nassau County Land Records Viewer, run by the Department of Assessment, shows the districts coded to any parcel.
What Is Different About Sands Point?
Sands Point, incorporated in 1910, covers about 4.2 square miles (2,688 acres) at the tip of the peninsula, according to the village’s zoning code. The village says all of it is zoned for detached single-dwelling houses, with no partial rentals. The village runs its own police and water departments and contracts its own refuse collection, while fire protection, the school district, the library and the post office come through Port Washington.
A mayor and four trustees on two-year terms govern the village, and the same board sits as the Board of Assessors, using Nassau County’s assessments. The Department of Buildings answers at (516) 883-3044.
Sands Point Minimum Lot Sizes by Zoning District
| Zoning district | Minimum lot area per dwelling | Street frontage |
|---|---|---|
| Residence B | 43,560 square feet (one acre) | At least 150 feet wide on the front street line, and 140 feet within 25 feet of it |
| Residence A | 87,120 square feet (two acres) | At least 175 feet |
| Residence C | 217,800 square feet (five acres) | At least 175 feet, and 175 feet wide within 25 feet of the front street line |
Source: Village of Sands Point Code, Chapter 176 (Zoning), sections 176-10, 176-14, 176-24, 176-28, 176-33.6 and 176-33.10, including legislation through September 22, 2026.
In all three residence districts a house may not exceed three stories and an attic, or 35 feet on a lot under three acres and 40 feet on a lot permanently restricted to at least three acres. Every dwelling needs at least 2,000 square feet of usable floor area, and guesthouses are not permitted accessory uses in any district. The zoning map is on file with the Village Clerk, so a parcel’s district comes from the village.
Nassau County lists the Sands Point Preserve, at 127 Middle Neck Road, among its park facilities, and the village describes it as a nature preserve owned and maintained by the County.
Sands Point vs Port Washington: What Changes for an Owner?
The difference is government. Here is what it changes, and what it does not.
- Permits and certificates of occupancy: the Sands Point Department of Buildings, or the Town building department for a hamlet home.
- Zoning: Sands Point’s one-, two- and five-acre districts, or the Town’s zoning code.
- Tax bills: both receive the Town’s school and general bills; Sands Point adds a village bill, due without penalty by July 1, 2026 for the 2026 to 2027 year.
- Police, water, garbage and sewer: village departments and a village contract, and no sewers, in Sands Point; special districts in the hamlet.
- Shared: the school district, the Port Washington Fire Department, the public library and the post office.
Own on the Peninsula?If you own a home in Port Washington, Sands Point or a neighboring village and are thinking about what comes next, start a conversation with The Scout Residential Team.
Talk With the TeamHow Long Is the LIRR Ride From Port Washington to Penn Station?
On the weekday Port Washington Branch timetables in effect from September 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027, morning trains reach Penn Station or Grand Central Madison in 36 to 49 minutes. Port Washington is the end of the branch, and its trains run through Woodside to either Manhattan terminal with no stop at Jamaica.
| Departs Port Washington | Arrives | Scheduled ride |
|---|---|---|
| 6:14 a.m. | Penn Station 6:59 a.m. | 45 minutes |
| 6:46 a.m. | Grand Central 7:30 a.m. | 44 minutes |
| 7:13 a.m. | Penn Station 7:49 a.m. | 36 minutes |
| 7:18 a.m. | Grand Central 8:00 a.m. | 42 minutes |
| 7:52 a.m. | Penn Station 8:32 a.m. | 40 minutes |
| 8:13 a.m. | Grand Central 8:58 a.m. | 45 minutes |
| 8:27 a.m. | Penn Station 9:08 a.m. | 41 minutes |
Source: MTA Long Island Rail Road, Port Washington Branch Timetables, Monday through Friday except holidays, effective September 8 to November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Check the current timetable before relying on a train.
The 7:13 a.m. is the fastest weekday trip on both timetables, at 36 minutes, and makes no stops between Great Neck and Penn Station. For how this branch compares with the Oyster Bay Branch, see our guide to moving from New York City to the North Shore.
Parking at the Port Washington Station
The Town runs the Port Washington Parking District, whose Residential Preferential Program gives residents of the district priority in seven commuter lots. Permits are sold only online, through the Town’s Parking Permit Portal. Commuter parking runs 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, first come first served, with no overnight parking. The district office is at (516) 869-3611.
The Waterfront: Docks, Moorings, Beaches and Parks
The Town Dock on Main Street faces Manhasset Bay, with a promenade, a fishing pier, boat moorings and a pump-out station. The Town’s harbor page lists (516) 767-1691 for mooring, water taxi and skiff inquiries, and the Town Clerk issues permits for piers, docks and structures and for mooring areas. Town Code limits boats to 5 miles per hour within 300 feet of the shoreline and in mooring areas, and Manhasset Bay and Hempstead Harbor are No Discharge Areas.
Town parks on the peninsula include North Hempstead Beach Park, 34 acres along Hempstead Harbor at 175 West Shore Road, with a fishing pier and boat ramp; Manorhaven Beach Park on Manhasset Bay, home to the Town’s Manorhaven pool complex; and Harbor Links Golf Course at 1 Fairway Drive. In the villages, Manorhaven’s Morgan’s Dock is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk, Baxter Estates has the Barbara Johnson Park and Preserve at Baxter’s Pond, and Sands Point’s code has chapters on boating, on docks and on coastal erosion, plus two coastal overlay zoning districts.
What Does the Housing Stock Look Like, Village by Village?
The housing stock changes sharply from one village to the next.
| Place | Housing units (share one-unit detached) | Median value, owner-occupied homes |
|---|---|---|
| Port Washington hamlet (Census CDP) | 6,486 (71.7 percent) | $1,003,200 |
| Sands Point | 909 (99.4 percent) | $2,000,000 or more, the highest category Census reports |
| Manorhaven | 2,764 (25.1 percent) | $687,100 |
| Port Washington North | 1,519 (59.0 percent) | $1,058,900 |
| Baxter Estates | 426 (62.9 percent) | $1,134,400 |
| Flower Hill (whole village) | 1,618 (91.7 percent) | $1,975,500 |
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024, table DP04. Median values are owners’ own estimates, not sale prices, and small-village figures carry wide margins of error (Baxter Estates’ unit count is plus or minus 108).
In Manorhaven, 23.7 percent of units are one-unit attached houses and 36.4 percent are in two-unit buildings. In the hamlet, 13.7 percent are in buildings of 20 or more units. Age varies too: 46.0 percent of Baxter Estates’ units and 33.4 percent of the hamlet’s were built in 1939 or earlier. Flower Hill’s figures cover the whole village, including its Manhasset and Roslyn sections.
What Property Taxes Does a Port Washington Home Pay, and When?
Every parcel pays County, Town and school taxes plus its special districts, billed by the Town’s Receiver of Taxes on a school bill and a general bill. A home inside a village also pays a village tax, which the village bills and collects itself.
| Bill | Who bills it | Last day to pay without penalty |
|---|---|---|
| School tax, first half 2026 to 2027 | Town Receiver of Taxes | November 10, 2026 |
| General tax, first half 2027 | Town Receiver of Taxes | February 10, 2027 |
| School tax, second half 2026 to 2027 | Town Receiver of Taxes | May 10, 2027 |
| General tax, second half 2027 | Town Receiver of Taxes | August 10, 2027 |
| Village tax billed in 2026, Sands Point and Port Washington North | Each village | July 1, 2026 |
Sources: Town of North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes; Village of Sands Point; Village of Port Washington North. Checked October 2026. When the 10th falls on a weekend or holiday, the Town’s deadline moves to the next business day.
The school tax year runs July 1 to June 30 and the general tax year January 1 to December 31. Villages may use assessed values that differ from the County roll, so get the village bill from the village clerk. Nassau County sets assessments, and grievances go to its Assessment Review Commission; the Town lists the window as January 2 to March 1, and the 2028 to 2029 window opens January 2, 2027.
A Port Washington Address Does Not Tell You the Jurisdiction
The hamlet and the Villages of Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates all use 11050 addresses. Two homes with the same mailing town can sit in different villages, different water and garbage districts and, in Flower Hill or Plandome Manor, different school districts. Before you price a home or write an offer, look up the parcel on the Nassau County Land Records Viewer, read its County tax bill, and ask the village clerk for the village bill if the home is in a village.
What School District Serves Port Washington and Sands Point?
The Port Washington Union Free School District. Census Bureau school district boundaries place all of Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates, and almost all of the hamlet, inside it. Two villages are split: Flower Hill lies partly in the Port Washington, Manhasset and Roslyn districts, and Plandome Manor’s own resident guide lists both the Manhasset and Port Washington districts.
Assignment for a specific address comes from the district. Its Central Registration office is in the Administrative Annex at 90 Avenue C, Port Washington, NY 11050, at (516) 767-5470 or centralreg@portnet.org. A parcel’s tax record also carries a school district code, and in the Town’s list code 004 is Port Washington. For the Flower Hill split, see our guide to Flower Hill’s three school districts.
Selling a Home in Port Washington or Sands Point
For the steps of a New York sale, from the attorney-drafted contract through transfer taxes and closing, read our guide to selling a home in Roslyn. Locally, first pull the permit and certificate of occupancy file from the office that holds it: the Town for a hamlet home, or the village building department in Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven, Baxter Estates or Flower Hill. Manorhaven, for one, charges triple permit fees when a permit is applied for after the work is done. Second, after closing, the Town asks new owners to notify both its Receiver of Taxes and the village, if there is one, of the change in ownership, mailing address and mortgage escrow.
Frequently Asked Questions About Port Washington and Sands Point
Is Port Washington, NY an incorporated village?
No. Port Washington is an unincorporated hamlet in the Town of North Hempstead, counted by the Census Bureau as a census-designated place. It has no mayor, village board or village tax. The Town’s building department issues permits for hamlet homes, and special districts provide sewer, water, garbage, police and commuter parking. The incorporated Villages of Sands Point, Port Washington North, Manorhaven and Baxter Estates share the same peninsula.
What villages are part of the Port Washington area?
The Town of North Hempstead groups four incorporated villages with Port Washington: Sands Point, incorporated in 1910; Manorhaven, 1930; Baxter Estates, 1931; and Port Washington North, 1932. Each has its own mayor, trustees, building department and village tax. The Town lists the Village of Flower Hill with Manhasset, Port Washington and Roslyn, and Flower Hill gets its school, fire and water service from districts in all three. The rest of Port Washington is unincorporated.
How long does the LIRR take from Port Washington to Penn Station?
On the Port Washington Branch weekday timetables effective September 8, 2026 to February 28, 2027, morning trains from Port Washington reach Penn Station or Grand Central Madison in 36 to 49 minutes. The fastest is the 7:13 a.m., which makes no stops between Great Neck and Penn Station and arrives at 7:49 a.m. Morning trains split between the two terminals, so check the terminal on the current MTA timetable.
What is the difference between Sands Point and Port Washington?
Sands Point is an incorporated village with its own mayor, police, water and building departments and a village tax, and its code requires one, two or five acres per dwelling depending on the zoning district. Port Washington is an unincorporated hamlet governed by the Town of North Hempstead and served by special districts. All of Sands Point and almost all of the hamlet are in the Port Washington Union Free School District, and both share the Port Washington Fire Department, library and post office.
What school district is Sands Point, NY in?
The Village of Sands Point lies entirely within the Port Washington Union Free School District on Census Bureau boundaries, and the village says its residents pay school taxes to that district. The district confirms assignment for an address through its Central Registration office at 90 Avenue C, Port Washington, (516) 767-5470. On a parcel’s tax record, the Town’s school district code 004 is Port Washington.
Is all of Flower Hill in the Port Washington school district?
No. The Village of Flower Hill lies partly in the Port Washington, Manhasset and Roslyn Union Free School Districts, and the village says residents may be served by any of the three depending on where they live. Plandome Manor, another peninsula village, lists both the Manhasset and Port Washington districts. Confirm a Flower Hill address with the district’s registration office and the parcel’s school district code.
What is the minimum lot size in Sands Point, NY?
The Village of Sands Point Code sets minimum lot area by zoning district: 43,560 square feet (one acre) per dwelling in Residence B, 87,120 square feet (two acres) in Residence A and 217,800 square feet (five acres) in Residence C, with street frontage minimums of 150 to 175 feet. The zoning map is on file with the Village Clerk, so confirm a parcel’s district there.
When are property taxes due in Port Washington, NY?
The Town of North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes collects school and general taxes in halves. For the 2026 to 2027 cycle, the last days to pay without penalty are November 10, 2026 for the first-half school tax, February 10, 2027 for the first-half general tax, May 10, 2027 for the second-half school tax and August 10, 2027 for the second-half general tax. Villages bill separately: Sands Point and Port Washington North made their 2026 village taxes due without penalty by July 1, 2026.
How do I get a parking permit for the Port Washington LIRR station?
Port Washington’s commuter lots are run by the Port Washington Parking District, a Town of North Hempstead district. Its Residential Preferential Program gives district residents priority in seven commuter lots, and permits are sold only through the Town’s online Parking Permit Portal. Commuter parking runs 5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays, first come first served, with no overnight parking. The district office is at (516) 869-3611.
Talk With Us About Port Washington and Sands Point
The Scout Residential Team at Compass is led by co-founders Liza Bendett and Melanie Cogan and works from 69 Roslyn Road in Roslyn, representing sellers and buyers across Roslyn and the North Shore of Long Island. If you are buying or selling on the Port Washington peninsula, send us the address and we will go through its village, districts and tax bills with you. Are you home yet?
Contact The Scout Residential TeamKeep Reading About Port Washington and the North Shore
- Port Washington and Sands Point
- Flower Hill: One Village, Three School Districts Explained
- Understanding the North Shore: Towns, Villages and Hamlets Explained
- Moving From NYC to Long Island: Where Should You Live on the North Shore?
- Selling a Home in Roslyn, NY: Steps, Timeline, Closing Costs and Transfer Taxes
- Old Westbury, NY Real Estate Guide: Estates, Zoning, Taxes and School Districts
- What Is My Home Worth on the North Shore of Long Island?
- North Shore Neighborhoods
Sources
- Town of North Hempstead: Incorporated Villages, Building Department, Highway Department, Port Washington Parking District, Harbor and Marine, Fire Departments, and park pages for the Town Dock, North Hempstead Beach Park, Manorhaven Beach Park and Harbor Links; current as of October 2026.
- Town of North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes: Pay My Taxes (2026 to 2027 due dates), Closing Information and Grievances and Assessment; October 2026.
- Village of Sands Point: About the Village, Department of Buildings and 2026 Village Taxes (2026 to 2027 tax year); Village Code Chapter 176, Zoning, legislation through September 22, 2026.
- Village of Port Washington North (Finances and Taxes, History Timeline, Village History), Village of Manorhaven (Building Department, Past Mayors, Village Info), Village of Baxter Estates (Overview) and Village of Flower Hill (New Residents); October 2026. Village of Plandome Manor, New Resident Brochure (2019).
- Port Washington special districts: Water Pollution Control District, Water District history and 2026 budget, Garbage Collection District, Police District links and financial reports (2025 statements); October 2026.
- Port Washington Union Free School District, Student Registration; October 2026.
- Nassau County, Sands Point Preserve facility listing, and Department of Assessment, Land Records Viewer; October 2026.
- MTA Long Island Rail Road, Port Washington Branch Timetables, effective September 8, 2026 to November 8, 2026 and November 9, 2026 to February 28, 2027, and the Long Island Rail Road agency page; October 2026.
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year table DP04, 2020 to 2024; TIGERweb school district boundaries, January 1, 2026 vintage.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm the details for your own property with a New York real estate attorney, a tax professional or the relevant government office. Facts were checked against the sources above in October 2026.
The Scout Residential Team at Compass | 69 Roslyn Road, Roslyn, NY 11577 | (516) 200-1098 | info@scoutresidential.com. The Scout Residential Team is a team of licensed real estate agents affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker, and abides by all applicable Equal Housing Opportunity laws.