ADU · Albany County

Can you build an ADU in Menands, NY?

Village of Menands has 15 districts. 8 districts prohibit ADUs, 7 require a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Menands code says

An in-law apartment needs a special use permit, and every one of the seven residential districts allows one. It must sit inside or attached to the single-family dwelling and may not have a separate entrance, so it cannot be entered independently of the main house.

Conditions the code attaches:

The code sets no kinship, owner-occupancy or age requirement and no bar on renting: the definition is only a secondary dwelling unit subordinate to the principal dwelling on the same lot.
It may not exceed 800 square feet, is restricted to one bedroom, and has to be on the same utilities as the principal dwelling.
One per lot, only in a single-family dwelling, and it may not be within or attached to an accessory structure, so a garage or barn conversion is excluded.
It counts as an accessory structure rather than towards the number of permitted dwelling units, so it does not eat into the district's density.
No business, industrial, cemetery, land conservation or infill district carries the use.
The building department can be reached at (518) 434-2922.

What the Menands code indicates by district

The table below shows how each district treats ADUs, alongside the lot and setback standards that govern a second unit. District boundaries and conditions vary, so treat this as a starting point and confirm the district that applies to your parcel.

District	Min lot	Setbacks F / S / R	Max height	ADU
Business	0.23 ac	10 / 10 / 15 ft	40 ft	No
Broadway Business District	0.23 ac	20 / 0 / 15 ft	48 ft	No
Cemetery	10 ac	50 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Heavy Industrial	0.46 ac	20 / 10 / 15 ft	70 ft	No
Land Conservation	5 ac	—	35 ft	No
Light Industrial	0.34 ac	20 / 10 / 15 ft	70 ft	No
Open Space Residential	1.38 ac	40 / 20 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Single-Family Residential	0.18 ac	20 / 10 / 20 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Two-Family Residential	0.14 ac	20 / 10 / 20 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Rural Residential	0.46 ac	40 / 20 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Townhouse Residential	0.5 ac	30 / 15 / 40 ft	35 ft	Special permit
High Density Residential	0.14 ac	20 / 20 / 10 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Multi-Family Residential	1 ac	60 / 30 / 30 ft	45 ft	Special permit
Infill Neighborhood District	0.11 ac	5 / 0 / 3 ft	40 ft	No
Infill Mixed Use District	0.11 ac	4 / 0 / 3 ft	40 ft	No

Broadway Business District - The front setback is a build-to zone rather than a floor: the building sits at the average of the buildings on either side, up to a maximum of 20 ft. Density is 30 dwelling units per acre, rising to 40 within half a mile of a bus rapid transit station.

Side is 0 ft, rising to 10 ft where the lot is adjacent to a residential district, and rear is 15 ft, rising to 20 ft adjacent to residential.
Height is a two-storey minimum as well as a 48 ft maximum, and a fourth storey has to be stepped back.
The second storey need not be occupiable, and a false second floor of at least nine feet may be allowed at the Village Board's discretion.
At least 20% of the lot has to be green space, a floor on planted area distinct from the 80% coverage maximum.

Infill Neighborhood District - The front setback is a build-to zone of 5 to 12 ft rather than a floor: a building may not sit further back than 12 ft, though a cafe front may be given more room for outdoor seating.

Side is 0 ft, rising to 10 ft where the lot is adjacent to a residential district, and rear is 3 ft, or 15 ft from the center line of an alley.
Height is a two-storey minimum as well as a 40 ft maximum, and the second floor has to be occupiable.
The ground floor ceiling has to be 11 to 25 ft and the upper floor no more than 14.
On a corner property both street-facing facades have to be built to the build-to zone for the first 30 ft from the corner.
At least 20% of the lot has to be green space, a floor on planted area distinct from the 80% coverage maximum.

Infill Mixed Use District - The front setback is a build-to zone of 4 to 12 ft rather than a floor. How many storeys are allowed turns on which side of Broadway the parcel sits: three on the west side, four on the east.

Density is 30 dwelling units per acre, rising to 40 within half a mile of a bus rapid transit station.
Side is 0 ft, rising to 12 ft where the lot is adjacent to a residential district, and rear is 3 ft, rising to 15 ft adjacent to residential or from an alley center line.
Height is a two-storey minimum as well as a 40 ft maximum.
At least 20% of the lot has to be green space, a floor on planted area distinct from the 80% coverage maximum.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Menands

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Menands. Menands has no local short-term rental law, and that is not permission. Confirm with the building department before counting on renting a home short term. These are separate questions from whether you can build an ADU — a unit you're allowed to add isn't automatically one you're allowed to rent nightly, so check both.

Good to know

Residential lot minimum0.14–1.38 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNational Grid territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/ME1106
Building dept(518) 434-2922

ADU FAQ — Menands, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Menands, NY?

Village of Menands has 15 districts. 8 districts prohibit ADUs, 7 require a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 434-2922.

Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Menands?

It depends on the district: 7 of 15 require a special-use permit, the rest do not. Check the district that applies to your parcel before you design.

Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Menands?

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Menands. ADU occupancy and short-term-rental rules are separate: an ADU you can build isn't automatically one you can rent nightly. Confirm both before you count on STR income.

Run the free ADU check for your parcel →

What an ADU costs to build in Menands

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $195k–260k at a standard finish, and the per-square-foot rate comes in above a full house because the kitchen, bath, panel and heating plant cost the same either way. See the full cost to build an ADU in Menands, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: § 169-41.2 In-law apartments (Art 9); § 169-94B Definitions (in-law apartment); Art 2 district Special-use lists §§ 169-13 through 169-19
Districts confirmed: 15 of 15 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-09
Not covered here: Overlay districts, the zoning map, and any conditions attached to an individual parcel. Size limits and owner-occupancy terms sit in the code section above, not in this summary.

More on Menands: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Albany County · All Albany County towns

ADU information for Village of Menands is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-09-09) and provided for decision-support only — not legal or architectural advice. ADU eligibility, size, owner-occupancy and permit conditions vary by district and often carry exceptions; verify with the building department at (518) 434-2922 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.