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ADU · Erie County

Can you build an ADU in Akron, NY?

Village of Akron has 8 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Akron code says

The village has no accessory apartment or in-law unit in any district. A second unit means building a two-family house, which R-2 and R-3 permit.

Conditions the code attaches:

What the Akron 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
R-1 Residential District 0.23 ac 40 / 10 / 30 ft 35 ft No
R-2 Residential District 0.28 ac 40 / 10 / 40 ft 35 ft No
R-3 Residential District 0.2 ac 40 / 10 / 30 ft 35 ft No
Central Business District — — 35 ft No
Local Business District — — 35 ft No
Limited Industrial District — 30 / - / - ft 35 ft No
General Industrial District — 30 / - / - ft 35 ft No
Land Conservation District — — — No

R-1 Residential District - At least 2,250 sq ft of the lot must be left as open area, which is a floor on unbuilt land rather than a cap on building. A cluster residential lot may be as small as 8,000 sq ft on the same 75 ft width.

  • A public, semi-public or school use is held to at least two acres on a 200 ft width, with 25 ft side yards, 40 ft rear yards and a 40% coverage cap
  • An accessory building stops at 18 ft and sits five feet off the side line and ten feet off the rear
  • Accessory buildings carry their own 25% coverage cap on top of the 35% allowed the principal building

R-2 Residential District - The 12,000 sq ft minimum is for the whole lot rather than per unit, so a two-family dwelling works out at 6,000 sq ft per unit. At least 4,000 sq ft must also be left as open area, a floor on unbuilt land rather than a cap on building.

  • The 800 sq ft minimum floor area is per unit
  • A use first permitted in the single-family district is allowed here too, at that district's figures
  • An accessory building stops at 18 ft and sits five feet off the side line and ten feet off the rear
  • Accessory buildings carry their own 25% coverage cap on top of the 35% allowed the principal building

R-3 Residential District - The figures shown are the single-family standard. A multiple-family building is priced per unit instead: 4,800 sq ft of land for each dwelling unit, on a lot 100 ft wide plus ten feet for every unit, with a 50 ft rear yard.

  • A two-family dwelling needs 12,000 sq ft on a 100 ft width with a 40 ft rear yard
  • A cluster lot may be as small as 7,000 sq ft on the same 60 ft width
  • Each unit in a multiple-family building needs 600 sq ft of floor area and 600 sq ft of open area
  • A professional office needs 16,000 sq ft on a 150 ft width and a general non-residential use 25,000 sq ft on 200 ft, both with 25 ft side yards, 50 ft rear yards and a 40% coverage cap
  • At least 1,800 sq ft of the lot must be left as open area, a floor on unbuilt land rather than a cap on building
  • An accessory building stops at 18 ft, sits five feet off the side line and ten feet off the rear, and carries its own 25% coverage cap

Central Business District, Local Business District - The yards here are replaced by a single rule: a building must stand fifty feet from any residential district. Between two business lots the chapter sets no yard at all.

  • The district sets no minimum lot area, no lot width and no coverage cap; the figures it publishes are the 35 ft height and the 600 sq ft minimum floor area
  • Scope a project here with the village before assuming an envelope

Limited Industrial District - The side and rear yards are not numbers: a building must stand fifty feet from any residential or business district, and nothing is set between two industrial lots. The 30 ft front yard is the only ordinary setback.

  • The district sets no minimum lot area, but the 150 ft lot width applies
  • Accessory buildings are not permitted, and no minimum floor area is stated

General Industrial District - The side and rear yards are not numbers: a building must stand fifty feet from any residential or business district, and nothing is set between two industrial lots. The 30 ft front yard is the only ordinary setback.

  • The district sets no minimum lot area, but the 200 ft lot width applies
  • Accessory buildings are not permitted, and no minimum floor area is stated

Land Conservation District - Any development needs the written approval of both the Planning Board and the Village Board before a building permit issues.

  • No structure, fill, excavation or storage may reduce the floodplain's storage capacity or raise flood heights

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Akron

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Akron. The village has no local short-term rental law. That is not the same as permission, so confirm with the village 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

ADU FAQ — Akron, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Akron, NY?

Village of Akron has 8 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (716) 542-9636.

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

No. No district in Village of Akron permits an ADU, so there is no permit to apply for. Codes change, so verify with the building department at (716) 542-9636 before ruling it out.

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

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Akron. 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.

What an ADU costs to build in Akron

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $200k–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 Akron, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed
§ 165-11 · §§ 165-28 to 165-34
Districts confirmed
8 of 8 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed
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.

ADU information for Village of Akron is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-09-10) 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 (716) 542-9636 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.

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