ADU · Greene County
Can you build an ADU in Catskill, NY?
Town of Catskill has 7 districts. 5 districts allow ADUs, 1 does not, 1 requires a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Catskill code says
An accessory apartment is permitted subject to site plan review under § 160-32, one per lot and clearly subordinate to the principal use. Because it depends on a principal dwelling, in C a one-family dwelling itself needs a special permit and in I no dwelling is listed.
Conditions the code attaches:
- Floor area must be greater than 400 square feet and less than 800 square feet, with no more than two bedrooms.
- Site plan approval requires water and sewage systems that meet current County Health Department requirements and will continue to; the Planning Board may require lot area for septic expansion.
- Off-street parking must be provided on the same parcel.
- The apartment may be rented, and § 160-32 sets no owner-occupancy requirement and no limit on who may occupy it.
- Under § 160-32A(1)(j) the apartment may be created by building a new detached garage or similar accessory structure, so a purpose-built detached unit is contemplated.
- Under § 160-32A(1)(k) an accessory apartment is barred on a lot where two or more dwellings already exist in violation of district density. Questions: building department, (518) 943-2381.
What the Catskill 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Residential/Agriculture | 1.5 ac | 50 / 30 / 100 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| Moderate Density Residential | 0.5 ac | 50 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| High Density Residential | 0.25 ac | 25 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| General Commercial | 0.25 ac | 15 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| Highway Commercial | 0.5 ac | 25 / 25 / 25 ft | — | As of right |
| Industrial | 3 ac | 200 / 100 / 40 ft | — | No |
| Conservation | 5 ac | 100 / 200 / 100 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
Rural Residential/Agriculture - The figures shown are for a lot with no public water or sewer. With either service the minimum lot is 1.00 acre with a 50 ft rear yard, and with both it is 0.50 acre on 100 ft of width with a 30 ft rear yard. Maximum lot coverage rises to 40% on both serviced rows.
- The 50 ft front yard and the 30 ft side yard are the same whichever services the lot has.
- Minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- The front property line is the one crossed to gain access to the parcel from a public road or an approved private road.
- Townhouse common walls are exempt from the setbacks, and homeowners association land serving the complex counts with the townhouse footprints as one lot for coverage and minimum lot size.
- Up to two single-family or two-family dwellings are allowed on one lot where each would meet the district's area and bulk regulations as if it had a lot of its own.
Moderate Density Residential - Minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway, so the buildable area can be smaller than the deeded acreage suggests.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- The front property line is the one crossed to gain access to the parcel from a public road or an approved private road.
- Townhouse common walls are exempt from the setbacks, and homeowners association land serving the complex counts with the townhouse footprints as one lot for coverage and minimum lot size.
- Up to two single-family or two-family dwellings are allowed on one lot where each would meet the district's area and bulk regulations as if it had a lot of its own.
High Density Residential - Minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway, so the buildable area can be smaller than the deeded acreage suggests.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- The front property line is the one crossed to gain access to the parcel from a public road or an approved private road.
- Townhouse common walls are exempt from the setbacks, and homeowners association land serving the complex counts with the townhouse footprints as one lot for coverage and minimum lot size.
- Up to two single-family or two-family dwellings are allowed on one lot where each would meet the district's area and bulk regulations as if it had a lot of its own.
- More than one multiple-family dwelling is allowed on a parcel in districts where multiple-family dwellings are allowed.
General Commercial - The maximum lot coverage column reads None for this district, so no cap on lot coverage is published. Minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- The front property line is the one crossed to gain access to the parcel from a public road or an approved private road.
- Townhouse common walls are exempt from the setbacks, and homeowners association land serving the complex counts with the townhouse footprints as one lot for coverage and minimum lot size.
Highway Commercial - Maximum height here is given as five stories, with no figure in feet. The maximum lot coverage column reads None, so no cap on lot coverage is published, and minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- The front property line is the one crossed to gain access to the parcel from a public road or an approved private road.
- Townhouse common walls are exempt from the setbacks, and homeowners association land serving the complex counts with the townhouse footprints as one lot for coverage and minimum lot size.
Industrial - Maximum height here is given as five stories, with no figure in feet, and the maximum lot coverage column reads None, so no cap on lot coverage is published. The 200 ft front yard is deeper than the 100 ft side yard and the 40 ft rear yard.
- Minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- Uses here are held to performance standards for noise, vibration, glare, odor, air pollution, fire and explosion hazards and electrical disturbance (§ 160-18).
- The Planning Board must find each use reasonably necessary, well located and served, adequately parked, safe for traffic, properly drained, suitably lit and signed, and screened from adjacent homes.
Conservation - The side yard of 200 ft is deeper than the 100 ft front and rear yards here. Minimum lot size does not include any portion of a lot beneath a public or private roadway, so the buildable area can be smaller than the deeded acreage suggests.
- Lot width is the average distance between the side lot lines, taken at the front yard or building line and measured at right angles to them.
- The front property line is the one crossed to gain access to the parcel from a public road or an approved private road.
- Townhouse common walls are exempt from the setbacks, and homeowners association land serving the complex counts with the townhouse footprints as one lot for coverage and minimum lot size.
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Catskill
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Town of Catskill. Short term rentals in the Town of Catskill need a permit under Chapter 133, and the home must pass a code enforcement inspection before renting begins. 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 minimum0.25–1.5 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/6950453
- Building dept(518) 943-2381
ADU FAQ — Catskill, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Catskill, NY?
Town of Catskill has 7 districts. 5 districts allow ADUs, 1 does not, 1 requires a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 943-2381.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Catskill?
It depends on the district: 1 of 7 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 Catskill?
Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Town of Catskill. 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 Catskill
Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $195k–255k 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 Catskill, priced by size.
How we know this
- Sections analyzed
- Ch. 160 § 160-17 Table of Uses and its symbol legend; § 160-32 Accessory apartments, Art. VIII Supplementary Regulations
- Districts confirmed
- 7 of 7 — 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 Catskill: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Greene County · All Greene County towns
ADU information for Town of Catskill is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-10-05) 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) 943-2381 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.