The town of Dover is located on the eastern boundary of the county, north of Pawling, south of Amenia, and west of the state of Connecticut.

The first town meeting took place in the home of John Preston, an early settler.

[5] The Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center (1924–1994) was a major source of employment for Dover and the surrounding areas.

The legislature and executive powers of the government of Dover are invested in the Town Board, consisting of the Town Supervisor, currently, elected to a two-year term, and four council members, each elected to four-year terms.

The body is responsible for adopting and amending the Town Comprehensive or Master Plan, and can adopt zoning and land use regulations or issue other permits in addition to performing various administrative functions.

The Planning Board also reports on the adoption of official maps and amendments to zoning ordinance.

The Town Clerk is responsible for maintaining all town records and town residents and the public with a variety of services including obtaining marriage licenses and vital records; issuing dog licenses, DEC sportsmen (hunting and fishing) licenses, accessible parking permits and fulfills municipal FOIL requests.

Recreation is headed by the Recreation Director who coordinates the public recreational services provided by or through the town such as Town Basketball, the public pool and the town day camp for children entering grades Pre-K to Sixth that is run at the public pool facility.

In 2007, repaving continued north from the town line into Amenia, New York with other contractors - Peckham Road Corp. in Wassaic and A. Colarusso & Son Inc., a Hudson, New York based contractor for the portion north of Wassaic.

Dover is served by Dutchess County Public Transit's route "D" bus.

Pursuant to Article 10 of the Public Service Law, Cricket Valley Energy Center LLC was granted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to build a 1,000-megawatt (MW) combined cycle natural gas powered plant in 2013.

An Article VII Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need was granted on April 20, 2016, to build 345-kV transmission lines to interconnect to the site.

It is located on a 193-acre former industrial area, the former Mid-Hudson Recycling Center, which was destroyed in a massive 1996 fire.

[12] It is fueled by natural gas supplied from a trunk pipeline, one of many that are located along the east coast.

Its power is sold into the electric wholesale market administered by the NYISO.