ADU · Erie County
Can you build an ADU in East Aurora, NY?
Village of East Aurora has 10 districts. 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 4 require a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the East Aurora code says
East Aurora allows one accessory dwelling unit with no more than one bedroom beside a single-family house, by special use permit, in SFR, LDR, GR and LCR. The owner must live on the property and file a notarized affidavit; a buyer who keeps renting must file a new one.
Conditions the code attaches:
- The owner must live in one of the two units as a permanent residence at least six months a year, and a buyer has 30 days from the sale to file
- The owner may take rent for only one of the two units
- The unit may be inside, attached or detached, but never sold or subdivided off
- A detached unit is capped at 20 ft high, 5 ft from side and rear lines and 25% of the rear yard
- It needs its own kitchen and bath and must match the style of the house
- The commercial, manufacturing and open space districts do not allow one
What the East Aurora 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFR Single-Family Residential | 0.24 ac | 20 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| LDR Low Density Residential | 0.21 ac | 20 / 8 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| GR General Residential | 0.24 ac | 20 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| LCR Limited Commercial Residential | 0.21 ac | 20 / 8 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| General Commercial District | 0.21 ac | 25 / 10 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Neighborhood Commercial District | 0.21 ac | 10 / 10 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Village-Center Commercial District | 0.21 ac | 0 / 10 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| General Manufacturing District | 1 ac | 25 / 15 / 15 ft | 45 ft | No |
| Village Manufacturing District | 0.3 ac | 10 / 5 / 5 ft | 40 ft | No |
| Open Space District | 3 ac | 35 / 15 / 15 ft | 25 ft | No |
SFR Single-Family Residential - The 20 ft front yard is only the floor: a maximum is set as well, and the average front yard on the block, within a foot either way, may stand in for both. Height and coverage work the same way against the block average.
- A non-residential use is held to a flat 13,000 sq ft on a 100 ft width rather than to the lot shown
- A non-residential rear yard doubles from 25 ft to fifty where the use is adjacent to a residential use
- Neither a two-family nor a multifamily dwelling is permitted in this district at all
- An accessory dwelling unit may reach 20 ft and sits five feet off the side and rear lines; an ordinary accessory structure stops at 15 ft
LDR Low Density Residential, LCR Limited Commercial Residential - The 20 ft front yard is only the floor: a maximum is set as well, and the average front yard on the block, within a foot either way, may stand in for both. Height and coverage work the same way against the block average.
- A non-residential use is held to a flat 13,000 sq ft on a 100 ft width rather than to the lot shown
- A non-residential rear yard doubles from 25 ft to fifty where the use is adjacent to a residential use
- Multifamily needs a special permit, is capped at four units per building and is sized per dwelling unit rather than by lot
- Coverage tightens for multifamily, from 35% to 30%
- An accessory dwelling unit may reach 20 ft and sits five feet off the side and rear lines; an ordinary accessory structure stops at 15 ft
GR General Residential - The 20 ft front yard is only the floor: a maximum is set as well, and the average front yard on the block, within a foot either way, may stand in for both. Height and coverage work the same way against the block average.
- A non-residential use is held to a flat 13,000 sq ft on a 100 ft width rather than to the lot shown
- A non-residential rear yard doubles from 25 ft to fifty where the use is adjacent to a residential use
- Multifamily needs a special permit, is capped at four units per building and is sized per dwelling unit rather than by lot
- An accessory dwelling unit may reach 20 ft and sits five feet off the side and rear lines; an ordinary accessory structure stops at 15 ft
General Commercial District - The front yard is a band rather than a minimum: 25 ft to 75 ft for a dwelling and 10 ft to 75 ft for anything else. Where the use is adjacent to a residential use, the larger of the two published yards applies, and the figures shown are the smaller.
- A non-residential building may reach 45 ft and cover 50% of the lot
- Accessory structures stop at 15 ft and may cover a quarter of the rear yard
Neighborhood Commercial District - A non-residential use needs 35,000 sq ft here, nearly an acre, rather than the lot shown. The front yard is a band: 10 ft to 25 ft for a dwelling and 10 ft to 50 ft for anything else.
- Where the use is adjacent to a residential use, the larger of the two published yards applies, and the figures shown are the smaller
- Accessory structures stop at 15 ft, sit ten feet off the side line rather than five, and may cover a fifth of the rear yard
Village-Center Commercial District - A dwelling may sit right on the street line here, and no further back than 25 ft. A non-residential building must stand back only greater than zero feet, with ten feet preferred to leave room for sidewalks, bike racks and greenspace.
- A commercial use needs 50 ft of lot width against 40 ft for a house
- A non-residential building's height and coverage are settled at site plan review rather than by a figure
- Where the use is adjacent to a residential use, the larger of the two published yards applies, and the figures shown are the smaller
General Manufacturing District - The 15 ft side and rear yards more than triple to fifty where the use is adjacent to a residential one. The front yard is a band of 25 ft to 75 ft rather than a minimum.
- No residential lot standard is published at all: a dwelling that existed before the chapter was adopted counts as a permitted use, but a new one is not contemplated
- Accessory structures stop at 15 ft, sit ten feet off the rear line and five off the side, and may cover a fifth of the rear yard
- Junkyards are prohibited outright
Village Manufacturing District - The five-foot side and rear yards become twenty-five where the use is adjacent to a residential one. The front yard is a band of 10 ft to 25 ft rather than a minimum.
- No residential lot standard is published: a dwelling that existed before the chapter was adopted counts as a permitted use, but a new one is not contemplated
- An upper-floor dwelling unit needs a special permit
- Accessory structures stop at 15 ft and may cover a fifth of the rear yard
- Junkyards and self-storage are prohibited outright
Open Space District - The yards apply only to structures, equipment and other constructed or installed facilities on a lot, not to open land. The 15 ft side and rear yards rise to fifty where the use is adjacent to a residential one.
- An accessory structure stops at 15 ft
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in East Aurora
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Village of East Aurora. The village treats a short-term rental as a bed-and-breakfast, so whatever approval a bed-and-breakfast needs in a district is what a short-term rental needs there. Confirm that approval with the village before listing. 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 minimum0.21–0.24 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/36033243
- Building dept(716) 652-7591
ADU FAQ — East Aurora, NY
Are ADUs allowed in East Aurora, NY?
Village of East Aurora has 10 districts. 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 4 require a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (716) 652-7591.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in East Aurora?
It depends on the district: 4 of 10 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 East Aurora?
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Village of East Aurora. 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 East Aurora
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 East Aurora, priced by size.
How we know this
- Sections analyzed
- § 285-31.2 · Table 20.3 (§ 285-20.3) · §§ 285-20.4, 285-20.5 · Tables 21.3, 22.3, 23.3B
- Districts confirmed
- 10 of 10 — 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.
More on East Aurora: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Erie County · All Erie County towns
ADU information for Village of East Aurora 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) 652-7591 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.