Can you build an ADU in Albany, NY?

Light Industrial - The 20 ft rear setback rises to 100 ft where the site abuts a residential district and the use is not fully enclosed within a building. Standards appear in § 375-401(3)(c), Table 375.401.3.

• Height is capped at 3 stories and 40 ft, and accessory structures are held to the same cap.
• The published figure of one dwelling unit per 750 sq ft of gross floor area covers an accessory or live-work unit rather than a general housing allowance.
• Confirm with the building department how the rear setback applies if any part of the operation sits outside an enclosed building.

General Industrial - The 40 ft rear setback rises to 200 ft where the site abuts a residential district and the use is not fully enclosed within a building. I-2 allows no residential component, so no dwelling units.

• Building height is capped at 85 ft.
• Any portion of a building within 100 ft of an abutting residential district is limited to 3 stories and 40 ft.
• Dimensional standards for the district are set out at § 375-401(3)(c).

Land Conservation - A 20 ft rear yard applies where the site abuts a residential district. Principal buildings are capped at 2 stories.

• Principal building height is limited in stories rather than in feet.
• Accessory structures are limited to 1.5 stories and 20 ft.
• Dimensional standards appear at § 375-401(3)(c), Table 375.401.3, Special Purpose District Dimensional Standards.

Residential, Two-Family - No more than two dwelling units are allowed on a lot. One side yard can be 0 ft, but the two side yards together must add up to at least 10% of the lot width, so the buildable width depends on how wide the lot is.

• Lots must also meet a minimum depth of 90 ft.
• A 3 ft side yard applies in certain conditions, so confirm with the building department which side yard standard applies to the lot.
• Portions of a principal building within 25 ft of an abutting R-2 district are limited to 3 stories and 35 ft.

Albany-Colonie Intermunicipal Overlay - This overlay covers a single site, the former Tobin's First Prize meat-packing property, which spans the Albany and Colonie municipal line. Under § 375-206(7) it works as a site-specific redevelopment framework rather than a set of general dimensional standards.

• Albany and Colonie adopted the overlay jointly, with the aim of removing the uncertainty of two separate approval processes.
• Because the standards are tied to this one site, confirm the dimensions that apply to a specific project with the building department.

Mixed-Use Neighborhood Center - Residential yield is capped at 1 dwelling unit per 600 square feet of gross floor area, so building size sets the unit count. Height is limited to 3 stories and 40 ft.

• The front setback is a range of 0 to 10 ft rather than a single fixed line.
• The rear yard rises to 15 ft where the lot abuts a residential district.
• Height rises to 4 stories and 55 ft where the site abuts a district allowing 3.5 stories or taller.
• Dimensional standards appear in § 375-401(3)(b), Table 375.401.2.

Single-Unit, Medium-Density - Only one dwelling unit is allowed per lot, and a lot must be at least 100 ft deep in addition to the width and area minimums shown.

• The zero side setback is conditional: a structure must stand at least three feet from any principal building on an abutting lot.
• Building height in this district is limited to 35 ft.

Archaeological Resources Overlay - This overlay sets no lot size, setback, coverage or height standards of its own. It adds development review for land in the areas designated archaeologically sensitive under § 375-206(2).

• Review applies in the Fort Orange/Downtown Albany and Secondary Downtown Albany Archaeological Review Districts and 17th-century settlement areas.
• Confirm with the building department which dimensional standards apply to the parcel.

Pine Bush Overlay - This overlay adds limits on top of the base district's figures: new or redeveloped principal structures must sit at least 150 ft back from any lot line adjacent to undeveloped or protected Pine Bush land.

• Where the property abuts land dedicated for conservation, principal and accessory structures are generally limited to a single story.
• The Planning Board may approve additional stories in exchange for a smaller footprint, less impervious coverage, or dedicating more land to conservation.
• General leveling and clearing of a site is not permitted.
• New construction may not remove existing indigenous trees or natural features except where necessary for an approved foundation, parking area or driveway.
• The overlay standards are set out at § 375-206(5) and apply along with the requirements of the underlying district.

Combined Sewer Overflow Overlay - CS-O is an overlay for combined sewer overflow areas under § 375-206(4), setting stormwater and infrastructure requirements. It carries no lot size, setback, coverage or height standard of its own, so the underlying district's figures govern.

• Development here is subject to the stormwater and infrastructure rules for the combined sewer overflow area; confirm the requirements with the building department before design.

Flood Plain Overlay - In the mapped flood hazard area this overlay controls how a structure is built, not where it sits on the lot. Under § 375-206(3), construction must meet flood hazard standards: elevation above the base flood elevation, floodproofing, anchoring and utility placement.

• The overlay itself sets no lot size, setback, coverage or height standard, so the underlying district's figures govern the building envelope.
• Standards apply only to parcels within the FEMA-mapped flood hazard area; confirm the mapped extent for the specific parcel with the building department.

Historic Resources Overlay - Exterior features, materials and demolition are subject to design and appearance review by the Historic Resources Commission under § 375-206(1). The overlay carries no lot size, setback, coverage or height standard of its own, so the underlying district's dimensions govern.

• Applies to locally designated historic districts and structures, layered on top of the base district.

Mixed-Use Community Highway - The front setback here runs from 0 to 100 ft, so a building may sit at the sidewalk or be set well back from it. Base height is 5 stories and 75 ft, with greater height addressed under § 375-505(9).

• Dimensional standards come from § 375-401(3)(b), Table 375.401.2 (Mixed-Use District Dimensional Standards).

Mixed-Use Campus/Institutional - Buildings here can reach 8 stories and 105 ft, the tallest flat height cap among the mixed-use districts in this chapter.

• The front setback is set as a range of 0 to 20 ft, so the figure shown is the low end of what is allowed.

Mixed-Use Community Urban - The rear yard rises to 15 ft where the lot abuts a residential district, and the front setback is a range of 0 to 10 ft rather than the single figure shown.

• Height is limited to 5 stories or 75 ft, with taller buildings subject to design review of tall buildings under § 375-505(9).

Mixed-Use Downtown - No maximum building height is stated for downtown; taller buildings are handled through design review under § 375-505(9) instead of a flat cap. The front setback is a range of 0 to 10 ft rather than a single fixed line.

• With coverage of up to 100%, a building may be placed lot line to lot line.
• No dwelling unit density figure is published for the district.
• Dimensional standards for the district come from § 375-401(3)(b), Table 375.401.2 (Mixed-Use District Dimensional Standards).

Mixed-Use Form-Based Central Avenue, Mixed-Use Form-Based Midtown, Mixed-Use Form-Based South End, Mixed-Use Form-Based Warehouse - There is no single set of dimensional standards for this district. Building placement, including build-to depth and height, comes from the frontage type mapped to each street frontage, so two parcels in the same district can face different requirements.

• § 375-401(3)(b) excludes this district from Table 375.401.2 and routes it to § 375-402 instead.
• Frontage types are mapped on the regulating plan under § 375-204(7) through (10), with the standards for each type set out in § 375-402(2)(d) through (i).
• A usable answer requires the regulating plan for the specific parcel, so confirm the assigned frontage type with the building department before sizing a building.

Mixed-Use Neighborhood Edge - Residential yield is set at 1 dwelling unit per 750 sq ft of gross floor area, so the size of the building sets the unit count. Height is capped at 3 stories and 40 ft.

• The front setback is a range of 0 to 10 ft, and it shifts to match an adjacent developed lot where there is one.
• The rear yard is 0 ft unless the site abuts a residential district, in which case it rises to 15 ft.
• Height rises to 4 stories and 55 ft where the lot abuts a district allowing 3.5 stories or taller.
• Mixed-use districts publish no minimum lot area, only a minimum lot width.
• Dimensional standards appear in § 375-401(3)(b), Table 375.401.2.

Normans Kill Overlay - This overlay protects the Normans Kill riparian corridor. It works as a review threshold rather than a dimensional standard: any disturbance over 10,000 sq ft, or excavation over 100 cubic yards, triggers major development plan review.

• The overlay standards are set out at § 375-206(6) and apply along with the requirements of the underlying district.

Single-Unit, Low-Density - Only one dwelling unit is allowed per lot, and a lot must also be at least 110 ft deep on top of the width and area minimums shown.

• On an infill lot where over half the block face is already built, the required lot width drops to 75% of the standard.
• Where adjacent development sits within 25 ft of the lot line, the front setback must match that development rather than the figure shown.
• Accessory structures are limited to 1.5 stories and 16 ft.
• Dimensional standards appear at § 375-401(3)(a), Table 375.401.1.

Residential, Multi-Family - The 750 sq ft per dwelling unit figure is measured against gross floor area, not lot area, so the size of the building sets how many units fit. Only one principal structure is allowed per platted lot unless a district plan is approved.

• Where an adjacent improved lot has a side setback between 1 and 5 ft from the line, the side yard here must match it rather than sit at 0 ft.
• Height is capped at 4 stories and 55 ft.
• Dimensional standards appear at § 375-401(3)(a), Table 375.401.1.

Residential, Townhouse - Side and rear setbacks do not apply here at all: the requirement is waived rather than set at 0 ft. Where a side yard is provided it is capped at 3.5 ft, a build-to-the-line townhouse form.

• Lots must also be at least 55 ft deep.
• Height is capped at 3.5 stories and 45 ft.
• One dwelling unit is allowed per non-commercial building story, up to three.
• Dimensional standards appear at § 375-401(3)(a), Table 375.401.1.

Residential, Village - Height runs to 5 stories and 65 ft, but any part of a building within 500 ft of an abutting R-1L or R-1M district is held to 3 stories and 40 ft.

• The number of dwelling units is set per building code rather than by a fixed cap.
• Lot depth has no minimum here.
• Dimensional standards appear at § 375-401(3)(a), Table 375.401.1.