ADU · Dutchess County

Can you build an ADU in Beekman, NY?

Town of Beekman has 13 districts. 8 districts prohibit ADUs, 5 require a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Beekman code says

One accessory apartment inside or added onto a single-family house needs a Planning Board special use permit in R-135, R-90, R-45, PH and BH, and the owner must live in the house or the apartment. It is not permitted in R-MH, HR, SC, TC, C-1, C-2, C-3 or LC.

Conditions the code attaches:

Floor area must be over 400 sq ft and under 800 sq ft, and not more than 35% of the house, with no more than one bedroom.
No detached apartment is allowed, and the apartment's entrance must be at the side or rear.
An engineer must attest that the water supply and septic serve two units.
The permit is issued to the owner and lasts three years, renewable by the Zoning Administrator; it lapses 90 days after a change of ownership or of the owner's residence.
Parking must be on the lot.

How big an ADU can be in Beekman

Size limits are set per district, and a unit inside the house is a different standard from a detached one. These are the figures the code publishes.

Inside the principal dwelling

35% of the principal dwelling, or 800 sq ft of floor area — whichever is smaller

R-135, R-90, R-45, PH, BH · owner-occupancy required · § 155-25A(3), (4), (11)

What the Beekman 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
Residential 135,000 Square Feet District	3.1 ac	100 / 40 / 60 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential 90,000 Square Feet District	2.07 ac	75 / 30 / 40 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential 45,000 Square Feet District	1.03 ac	50 / 20 / 35 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential-Mobile Home District	—	35 / 20 / 20 ft	35 ft	No
Poughquag Hamlet District	1.03 ac	50 / 20 / 35 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Beekmanville Hamlet District	1.03 ac	50 / 20 / 35 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential District Condominium Units District	—	35 / 20 / 35 ft	35 ft	No
Sylvan Cottage District	0.11 ac	10 / 10 / 10 ft	35 ft	No
Town Center District	1 ac	0 / 10 / 35 ft	35 ft	No
Neighborhood Shopping District	0.34 ac	60 / 40 / 40 ft	35 ft	No
Highway Commercial District	0.46 ac	60 / 40 / 40 ft	35 ft	No
Mixed Commercial - Light Industrial District	2.5 ac	150 / 80 / 80 ft	45 ft	No
Land Conservation District	—	—	—	No

Residential 135,000 Square Feet District - Besides the 6% building coverage, impervious surfaces including the building are capped at 10% of the lot, and driveways and parking count against that cap. The lot also needs at least 100 ft of road frontage, separate from the lot width.

Residential 90,000 Square Feet District - Besides the 8% building coverage, impervious surfaces including the building are capped at 12% of the lot, and driveways and parking count against that cap. The lot also needs at least 100 ft of road frontage, separate from the lot width.

Residential 45,000 Square Feet District - Besides the 10% building coverage, impervious surfaces including the building are capped at 15% of the lot, and driveways and parking count against that cap. The lot also needs at least 100 ft of road frontage, separate from the lot width.

Residential-Mobile Home District - Lot area, lot width and road frontage are marked not applicable, as the district is regulated as a mobile home development rather than lot by lot.

A parking lot must be at least 150 ft from a residential district.

Poughquag Hamlet District, Beekmanville Hamlet District - The figures shown are for a lot without public water and sewer. With public water and sewer the minimum lot drops from 45,000 sq ft to 11,250 sq ft and building coverage rises from 10% to 50%.

With public water and sewer the yards become 15 ft front, 10 ft side and 30 ft rear, and lot width and road frontage drop to 50 ft each.
With public water and sewer the minimum interior living space drops from 1,000 sq ft to 500 sq ft.
Impervious surfaces, including the building, are capped at 15%, or 80% with public water and sewer; driveways and parking count against this cap.
Without public water and sewer the lot needs at least 100 ft of road frontage, separate from the lot width.

Residential District Condominium Units District - There is no lot-area minimum; density is capped at 8 dwelling units per acre instead. Impervious surfaces, including the building, are capped at 50%, and driveways and parking count against that cap.

Minimum road frontage is 50 ft, separate from the lot width.

Sylvan Cottage District - Minimum lot area depends on bedrooms (§ 155-8H): at least 5,000 sq ft for a one- or two-bedroom unit, at least 10,000 sq ft for three and at least 20,000 sq ft for four. Yards are 10 ft per story, so a two-story building needs 20 ft on every side.

Floor area per unit is capped at 1,000 sq ft for one or two bedrooms, 1,250 sq ft for three and 1,500 sq ft for four.
No building may stand closer than 15 ft to another building in SC or in an adjoining residential district.
Impervious surfaces are capped at 75% of the lot.

Town Center District - The front yard is a range of 0 to 15 ft, so a building may not sit further back than 15 ft. Every parcel must grant the Town a 35 ft utility easement, located as the Planning Board directs.

Density is capped at 12 residential units per acre, separate from the lot minimum.
Commercial on the lower level with residential above is as of right; residential on both levels needs a special use permit.
A residential lot may be 6,000 to 10,000 sq ft where it is used for an attached house or a condominium.
Impervious surfaces, including the building, are capped at 50%, and driveways and parking count against that cap.
Minimum road frontage is 100 ft, separate from the lot width.

Neighborhood Shopping District, Highway Commercial District - Side and rear yards rise from 40 ft to 60 ft where the lot abuts a residential district. Besides the 25% building coverage, impervious surfaces including the building are capped at 50%, and driveways and parking count against that cap.

A parking lot must be at least 60 ft from a residential district.
Minimum road frontage is 125 ft.

Mixed Commercial - Light Industrial District - Side and rear yards rise from 80 ft to 150 ft where the lot abuts a residential district. Besides the 30% building coverage, impervious surfaces including the building are capped at 50%, and driveways and parking count against that cap.

A parking lot must be at least 60 ft from a residential district.
Minimum road frontage is 125 ft.

Land Conservation District - Confirm the dimensional standards that apply in LC with the Town before relying on this district.

The district's purpose is to protect sensitive resource areas, including former public land conveyed into private hands.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Beekman

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Town of Beekman. Short-term rentals need a Town permit under Local Law No. 2 of 2022 (Chapter 126.1), and an owner may operate only one short-term rental property. 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 minimum1.03–3.1 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/6239722
Building dept(845) 724-5300

ADU FAQ — Beekman, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Beekman, NY?

Town of Beekman has 13 districts. 8 districts prohibit ADUs, 5 require a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 724-5300.

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

It depends on the district: 5 of 13 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 Beekman?

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Town of Beekman. 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 Beekman

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $210k–275k 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 Beekman, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Ch. 155 Attachment 1 Schedule A Schedule of Permitted Uses (Supp 1, Oct 2024); § 155-25 Accessory apartments; § 155-25C ECHO units
Districts confirmed: 13 of 13 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-16
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 Beekman: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Dutchess County · All Dutchess County towns

ADU information for Town of Beekman is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-16) 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 (845) 724-5300 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.