ADU · Orange County

Can you build an ADU in Mount Hope, NY?

Town of Mount Hope has 7 districts. 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 allows them. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Mount Hope code says

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.

Conditions the code attaches:

The converted house needs at least 1,000 sq ft of habitable floor area for the first unit and 600 sq ft for the second.
The permit is void if the owner lives elsewhere for more than six consecutive months, and a new owner must apply for a new permit within two months of taking title.
Each unit needs its own exterior door, bathroom and kitchen, with 1.5 parking spaces for a one-bedroom unit and two for larger ones.
An engineer must certify the septic system.
Building department: (845) 386-9949.

What the Mount Hope 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
Resource Preservation 1	2 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Resource Preservation 2	2 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Residential Agricultural	0.92 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Suburban Residential 1	0.92 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Suburban Residential 2	0.92 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Local Business	0.92 ac	50 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	As of right
Office, Research, and Industrial Park	0.92 ac	75 / 30 / 50 ft	60 ft	No

Resource Preservation 1 - The lot minimum shown is a floor: under § 250-26 minimum lot area is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land.

The side yards must total at least eighty feet, so one side must be at least fifty feet.
A hospital, sanitarium or nursing home needs at least five acres on at least three hundred feet of width, with at least a hundred feet to every line and two hundred for the pair of sides.
A campground, public or private recreation facility, cemetery, animal boarding home or kennel needs at least ten acres, and a hunting or fishing camp at least twenty.
Each of those uses is a conditional use needing a special permit from the Planning Board.

Resource Preservation 2 - The lot minimum shown is a floor: under § 250-26 minimum lot area is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land.

A hospital, sanitarium or nursing home needs at least five acres on at least three hundred feet of width, with at least a hundred feet to every line.

Residential Agricultural - The lot minimum shown is a floor: under § 250-26 minimum lot area is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land.

A hospital, sanitarium or nursing home needs at least five acres on at least three hundred feet of width, with at least a hundred feet to every line and two hundred for the pair of side yards.

Suburban Residential 1 - The lot minimum shown is a floor: under § 250-26 minimum lot area is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land.

A cemetery needs at least five acres on at least three hundred feet of width, with at least a hundred feet to every line, by special permit of the Planning Board.

Suburban Residential 2 - A two-family detached dwelling uses the same figures as a one-family house but needs a special permit from the Planning Board. The lot minimum is a floor: under § 250-26 it is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land.

Senior housing needs at least three acres and both central water and central sewer.
A cemetery needs at least five acres.
Mobile home parks are conditionally permitted and require central water and sewer.

Local Business - The side yard rises to at least fifty feet where the lot is adjacent to a residential district. The lot minimum is a floor: under § 250-26 it is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land.

Senior housing needs at least three acres with both central water and central sewer.

Office, Research, and Industrial Park - The lot minimum shown is a floor: under § 250-26 minimum lot area is also subject to the town's soil-group regulations, so a parcel on poor soil needs more land. A yard adjacent to a residential district is deeper.

A veterinarian office or hospital needs at least a hundred and fifty feet of width and two hundred and seventy-five of depth, with at least forty feet to the front and eighty for both side yards.
That use is capped at thirty-five feet of height and twenty percent coverage.
A hospital, sanitarium or nursing home needs at least three hundred feet of width, with at least a hundred feet to every line.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Mount Hope

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Mount Hope. The Town of Mount Hope has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the Building Inspector before counting on the use. 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 minimum0.92 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityOrange & Rockland territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/MO3540
Building dept(845) 386-9949

ADU FAQ — Mount Hope, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Mount Hope, NY?

Town of Mount Hope has 7 districts. 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 allows them. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 386-9949.

Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Mount Hope?

No district in Town of Mount Hope requires a special-use permit for an ADU - 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 allows them. Site-plan review or a building permit may still apply.

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

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Mount Hope. 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 Mount Hope

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $205k–270k 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 Mount Hope, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: 250 Attachments 1-5 Use and Bulk Tables (conditional uses); § 250-61E Conversion of an existing one-family detached dwelling; § 250-4; § 250-24
Districts confirmed: 7 of 7 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-08
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 Mount Hope: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Orange County · All Orange County towns

ADU information for Town of Mount Hope is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-08) 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) 386-9949 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.