ADU · Orange County
Are ADUs allowed in Orange County, NY?
There is no county-wide answer. In New York an accessory dwelling unit is governed by the town, city or village — so the rule changes at every municipal line, and often between districts inside one town. Below is each of the 41 municipalities in Orange County, with what its zoning districts actually say.
- 41municipalities with mapped districts
- 24allow an ADU in at least one district
- 7allow one by right somewhere
ADU rules by municipality in Orange County
Can you build an ADU in Middletown, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in any Middletown district. In OR-2 a single-family house may be converted to a two-family by right if the owner lives in one of the two units, but that makes it a two-family house, not a house with an accessory unit.
Can you build an ADU in Newburgh, NY?
8 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them, 1 requires a special-use permit.
An accessory apartment is permitted as an accessory use in R-LOW, R-MED and R-HIGH, inside a one-family house or in a separate accessory structure on the same lot. It is prohibited in C, IND, NCO, BC, CDD, DN, WG and PWD.
Can you build an ADU in Port Jervis, NY?
5 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
An accessory apartment of 600 to 800 sq ft of usable floor area may be permitted in R-1, R-2 and NMU, on a lot meeting the district's two-family requirements, and must be owner- or caretaker-occupied. It is not permitted in MC, CBD, WMU, LI or TSC.
Can you build an ADU in Blooming Grove, NY?
3 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
An accessory apartment inside a single-family house needs a Planning Board permit in RR, RCI and RCII and is not permitted in ORI, NNI or SB. It may be occupied by no more than two persons in a family, and the house must be owner-occupied.
Can you build an ADU in Chester, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
The Town of Chester has no accessory dwelling unit in any district, and every residential district caps single-family dwellings at one dwelling unit per lot. In SR-2 and SR-6 an existing house can be converted to a two-family with site plan approval, creating two full dwellings.
Can you build an ADU in Cornwall, NY?
8 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions, 3 do not.
In MCR, ARR, SLR, MR, SR-1 and SR-2 the Building Inspector permits an accessory dwelling unit that meets set standards, and the owner must occupy the main dwelling or the unit for at least 6 calendar months a year. LS, GC and PCD have no accessory dwelling unit.
Can you build an ADU in Crawford, NY?
4 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them.
An accessory apartment is not a permitted use in the RA, R or RM districts, and the code prohibits any use it does not list as permitted.
Can you build an ADU in Deerpark, NY?
6 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 allows them.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in HM-U, RR, RS, RRC or NR. A second unit is still possible there: a two-family dwelling is a principal permitted use, by right, in each of those districts.
Can you build an ADU in Goshen, NY?
3 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions, 2 do not.
In HR, HC and CO one accessory apartment is permitted by right, subject to site plan review by the Planning Board, where the owner occupies the principal building.
Can you build an ADU in Greenville, NY?
2 districts allow ADUs, 1 does not.
A guest house, a detached accessory dwelling unit sharing a lot with the principal dwelling, is a permitted accessory use in RR and CMU. Its footprint may not exceed 1,500 sq ft or the footprint of the principal building.
Can you build an ADU in Hamptonburgh, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not a permitted accessory use in any district of the Town of Hamptonburgh.
Can you build an ADU in Highlands, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
No accessory dwelling unit: roomers may not get a separate kitchen or entrance. An existing single-family detached house can be converted for two families by right in R-1-R, with site plan approval in R-4 and by special exception with site plan approval in R-5 and R-6.
Can you build an ADU in Minisink, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit or accessory apartment is not permitted in SR, NC, G-C, I or SH.
Can you build an ADU in Monroe, NY?
6 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions, 5 do not.
In OSR, RR, SR-20, SR-15, SR-10 and URM, an owner living in a single-family detached house may apply to the Planning Board for an accessory apartment permit, which it reviews without a public hearing. An accessory apartment is not permitted in NB, GB, LI, HI or BP-O.
Can you build an ADU in Montgomery, NY?
9 districts prohibit ADUs, 4 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
An accessory dwelling, including a tiny home or ECHO housing, is permitted in RA-0.5, RA-1, RM-1 and B-3 and prohibited in every other district. No partnership, corporation, trust, LLC or other entity can get the permit.
Can you build an ADU in Mount Hope, NY?
6 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 allows them.
The residential districts have no accessory dwelling unit. In RP-1, RP-2, RA, SR-1 and SR-2 an owner who has lived there at least four consecutive years, in a house built by 1960, can convert it to a two-family with a Planning Board special permit, which changes the use.
Can you build an ADU in New Windsor, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not a permitted accessory use in any New Windsor district. § 300-13 sets the accessory uses for every district: swimming pools, up to three cats and/or dogs over one year old, and horses in R-1, R-2 and R-3 only.
Can you build an ADU in Newburgh, NY?
7 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions, 4 do not.
In RR, AR, R-1, R-2 and R-3 an accessory apartment to a single-family house needs only a building permit and certificate of occupancy from the Building Inspector, and the owner must reside on the premises. It is not permitted in O, LHI, SC or I.
Can you build an ADU in Palm Tree, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in R, and § 155-18 bars using any accessory building or structure for human occupation. A second unit can come instead from a two-family or multifamily dwelling, both permitted principal uses in R.
Can you build an ADU in Tuxedo, NY?
12 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
The only accessory dwelling a house lot can carry in Tuxedo is a standalone caretaker cottage, in C, R-1 and R-2 only, on a lot of at least 5 acres. None is permitted in SR, S-HR, T-TC, NB, GB, TB, CRD, R-3, R-4 or S-HB.
Can you build an ADU in Wallkill, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
The Town of Wallkill's zoning has no accessory dwelling unit in any district and no route to convert a house to add one. RA, RA-1, R-2 and R-1 each permit one-family detached dwellings, not to exceed one such dwelling per lot.
Can you build an ADU in Warwick, NY?
10 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
One accessory apartment is available by special use permit only in AI, TN-O and LB, not in RU, MT, CO, SL, SM, OI, DS, SH-F, LC or CB. Its Building Inspector permit is issued to the individual, not the structure, and lasts only for that occupancy or ownership.
Can you build an ADU in Wawayanda, NY?
6 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions, 2 do not.
An accessory apartment needs a Planning Board special use permit in AP, AB, AR, SR, RH and H, and is not permitted in TC or MC. The lot must be at least two acres, and the owner must live in either the apartment or the house.
Can you build an ADU in Chester, NY?
5 districts prohibit ADUs, 4 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
In RA, RS, RMH and RM, an owner-occupied single-family dwelling may have one accessory apartment, occupied by members of the same family. The permission does not extend to B-2, M-1 or M-2.
Can you build an ADU in Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY?
4 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions, 2 do not.
In CR-1 and SR, an accessory apartment is allowed in an owner-occupied single-family detached house, but only if the house was lawfully built and used as a single-family detached dwelling for at least 10 years before the application (§ 172-48.3D).
Can you build an ADU in Florida, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
The Village of Florida code makes no provision for an accessory dwelling unit in any district. In MR an existing house can be converted to three or more units by right, creating full dwellings rather than an accessory unit.
Can you build an ADU in Goshen, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
There is no accessory apartment anywhere. An existing one-family house can be converted to a two-family as a Planning Board conditional use in R-1, R-2 and R-3, creating two full dwellings; in R-1 and R-3 only houses standing on 15 January 1948 qualify.
Can you build an ADU in Greenwood Lake, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in R-40, R-20, R-120, R(W)-20, PD-200, PD-120, HC or CS.
Can you build an ADU in Harriman, NY?
6 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 1 does not.
In R-100, R-50 and R-M, an accessory apartment may be approved entirely within a single-family detached house connected to Orange County sewer district No. 1 or a similar municipally operated sewer district.
Can you build an ADU in Highland Falls, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
The code bars a separate kitchen and entrance for a lodger, which rules out an accessory dwelling unit. An existing single-family detached dwelling can be converted for two families by special exception in R-4, R-5 and R-5A, creating two full dwellings.
Can you build an ADU in Kiryas Joel, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in R, and § 155-18 bars using any accessory building or structure for human occupation. A second unit can come instead from a two-family or multifamily dwelling, both permitted principal uses in R.
Can you build an ADU in Maybrook, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in any district of the Village of Maybrook. The only route to a second unit in the residence districts is converting an existing single-family detached house for two families, by special exception in RM-1 only.
Can you build an ADU in Monroe, NY?
5 districts prohibit ADUs, 2 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
In SR-10 and SR-20 only, an accessory apartment is permitted inside a single-family detached house or in an accessory structure such as a garage on a lot with a single-family residence, and the owner must live on the premises (§ 200-49F). UR-M, GB and LI are excluded.
Can you build an ADU in Montgomery, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in any district of the Village of Montgomery. In R-6 and RM-1 an existing single-family detached house can be converted for two families by special exception, which creates two full dwellings.
Can you build an ADU in Otisville, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in R-1, R-M, R-SD or C-3, and under § 2.4.5 any use the zoning law does not permit is prohibited.
Can you build an ADU in South Blooming Grove, NY?
5 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 1 allows them.
An accessory apartment in a house needs a Planning Board conditional use permit and site plan approval in RR, RB, RC-I, RC-II and R-M, and is not permitted in a house in ORI. It may get its own certificate of occupancy and be rented independently, with no owner-occupancy rule.
Can you build an ADU in Tuxedo Park, NY?
All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions.
In A4, an accessory building that existed when Chapter 100 took effect may be used as a residence for guests or employees of the owner or tenant, on a permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals. A boathouse may never be used as a residence.
Can you build an ADU in Walden, NY?
8 districts prohibit ADUs, 8 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
The only accessory dwelling in Walden is a caretaker's or owner's unit, permitted in R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, RM-1, RM-2 and R-MHC, and occupancy follows the caretaker role or the ownership of the principal use rather than being open to a tenant.
Can you build an ADU in Warwick, NY?
3 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
In R, LO and CB one accessory apartment is a conditional use, only in a structure that existed before Local Law No. 4 of 1984 took effect; MR-SC does not permit one. The owner must live in one unit and have lived on the premises for at least 12 consecutive months before applying.
Can you build an ADU in Washingtonville, NY?
11 of 12 districts prohibit ADUs. 1 district has incomplete data - verify with the building department at (845) 496-3221.
An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in R-A, R-100, R-85, R-M, R-MHC, R-MRD, O-R, N-B, B-G, O-L or I. In those districts a second unit cannot be added to a single-family house where only one dwelling is permitted.
Can you build an ADU in Woodbury, NY?
7 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 3 do not, 1 allows them.
An accessory unit is possible only for family: the Zoning Board of Appeals can grant a temporary special permit for up to two additional persons directly related to the owners. The permit ends if the house is sold or the unit is vacated, and the stove has to come out.
Orange County municipalities with no published zoning code
These 1 municipality have no zoning code we can read online, which means an ADU question has to be answered by the municipality itself.
- Village of Unionville — (845) 726-3681
ADU questions people ask about Orange County
Are ADUs allowed in Orange County?
There is no single county-wide answer — ADUs are governed by each town, city and village, not by the county. Of the 41 Orange County municipalities with mapped zoning districts, 24 allow an accessory dwelling unit in at least one district, and 7 allow one by right somewhere. The section for your municipality below gives the specific answer.
Does Orange County issue ADU permits?
No. Zoning approval and building permits both come from the municipality — the town, city or village — not the county. County health departments do commonly review septic and water supply for a new dwelling unit, which is often the binding constraint on a rural lot.
What size ADU can I build in Orange County?
Size caps are set per municipality and frequently per district, and they are one of the details most often stated wrongly by national ADU sites. Open your municipality's page below for the code sections analyzed, then confirm the current figure with the building department before you design to it.
What an ADU costs to build in Orange County
Permission and budget are separate questions. See the Orange County cost-to-build breakdown for current per-square-foot ranges — an accessory unit runs above a full house per square foot, because the kitchen, bath, panel and heating plant cost the same at any size.
More on Orange County: Zoning for new construction by town · Cost to build · ADU rules across every county we cover
ADU information for Orange County is compiled from each municipality's own code , most recently reviewed 2026-09-30, and provided for decision-support only — not legal or architectural advice. Eligibility, size, owner-occupancy and permit conditions vary by district and often carry exceptions; confirm with the municipality before relying on any answer. 1 of the 41 municipalities below still have one or more districts that have not been analyzed, and each says so in its own section. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.