ADU · Orange County

Can you build an ADU in Greenwood Lake, NY?

Village of Greenwood Lake has 10 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Greenwood Lake code says

An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in R-40, R-20, R-120, R(W)-20, PD-200, PD-120, HC or CS.

Conditions the code attaches:

Uses customarily incidental to a principal use do not include a second dwelling unit.
Confirm with the Village at (845) 477-9217 before relying on this for a specific parcel.

What the Greenwood Lake 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
Single-Family Residential	0.92 ac	35 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Single-Family Residential	0.46 ac	35 / 12 / 40 ft	35 ft	No
Single-Family Residential	2.75 ac	40 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Single-Family Waterfront Residential	0.46 ac	35 / 12 / 40 ft	35 ft	No
Planned Development	5 ac	35 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Planned Development	3 ac	35 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Highway Commercial	0.46 ac	35 / 12 / 40 ft	35 ft	No
Central Shopping	0.11 ac	0 / 0 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Planned Development Commercial	0.23 ac	15 / 10 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Resort Commercial	0.92 ac	25 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	No

Planned Development - The figures shown are for a one-family detached dwelling or a membership club. A planned residential development needs at least two acres and is the only use here allowed three storeys.

Research and design, offices, conference centres, and light industrial warehousing and distribution need at least two acres, with at least two hundred feet of width and depth.
Those uses need a side yard of at least seventy-five feet and at least a hundred and fifty feet for the pair, with coverage up to forty percent.
A destination hotel needs at least sixteen acres, with at least a hundred and fifty feet of width and depth and side yards of at least seventy-five feet.

Planned Development - The figures shown are PD-200's one-family standards with a lot area of at least 3 acres. The lot area here for PD-200's other uses, such as research and design or a destination hotel, is not confirmed.

Ask the Building Inspector before relying on a lot area for any use other than a one-family house.

Highway Commercial - The figures shown are for a one-family detached dwelling; other uses here carry their own figures. A hotel, motel or professional studio needs at least ten thousand square feet but at least two hundred feet of width.

A bed-and-breakfast needs at least twenty thousand square feet plus 2,500 for every transient room, and a rear yard of at least seventy feet.
A restaurant, eating or drinking place, office, bank, market stand, or nursery and landscaping service needs at least fifteen thousand square feet, with coverage up to seventy percent.
A marina, boat rental or bathing beach needs at least twenty thousand square feet.
A gasoline filling station needs at least thirty thousand square feet and is held to fifteen feet, one storey and thirty percent coverage.
A mini storage facility selling propane takes its bulk standards from the state requirements.

Central Shopping - For the uses the figures shown cover, no side yard is required, but a side yard that is provided must be at least six feet, and at least twelve for the pair.

Those uses are retail, personal and nonpersonal service, office, laundry, home improvement, printing, taxicab stand and physical instruction studio.
A restaurant or eating and drinking place needs at least five thousand square feet, at least fifteen feet to the front line and ten to each side, with coverage up to seventy percent.
A bank needs at least ten thousand square feet on at least fifty feet of width, with coverage up to fifty percent.
A theatre or new motor vehicle sales lot needs at least fifteen thousand square feet on at least a hundred feet of width and a hundred and fifty of depth.

Planned Development Commercial - The figures shown are for retail, personal and nonpersonal service, office, laundry, home improvement and taxicab stand uses. A shopping centre needs at least three acres, with at least a hundred feet of width and two hundred of depth, and coverage up to seventy percent.

A shopping centre needs at least twenty-five feet to the front line and fifty to the rear.
A restaurant needs at least fifteen thousand square feet on at least a hundred feet of width.
A bank needs at least twenty thousand square feet.
A new motor vehicle sales lot or a theatre other than a drive-in needs at least forty thousand square feet on at least a hundred and fifty feet of width and two hundred of depth.
A nursery school, day care or preschool needs at least twenty thousand square feet, with coverage up to forty percent.
Ask the Building Inspector for the minimum lot depth that applies to the uses in the figures shown.

Resort Commercial - The figures shown are for a hotel, motel or membership club. A bed-and-breakfast needs at least twenty thousand square feet plus 2,500 for every transient room, and the rest of its bulk is subject to review and approval by the Planning Board.

A restaurant or eating and drinking place needs at least fifteen thousand square feet on at least a hundred feet of width, with coverage up to seventy percent.
A marina, boat rental, service, storage or sales yard, a showroom for outdoor recreation and pool equipment, or a bathing beach and picnic area needs at least twenty thousand square feet.
A market stand needs at least thirty thousand square feet and is held to fifteen feet, one storey and thirty percent coverage.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Greenwood Lake

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Village of Greenwood Lake. Renting a home short term in Greenwood Lake requires an annual short-term rental permit under Chapter 116, Rental Property, which costs $100 and requires an inspection. 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 minimum0.46–2.75 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityOrange & Rockland territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/13748145
Building dept(845) 477-9217

ADU FAQ — Greenwood Lake, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Greenwood Lake, NY?

Village of Greenwood Lake has 10 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 477-9217.

Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Greenwood Lake?

No. No district in Village of Greenwood Lake permits an ADU, so there is no permit to apply for. Codes change, so verify with the building department at (845) 477-9217 before ruling it out.

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

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Village of Greenwood Lake. 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.

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What an ADU costs to build in Greenwood Lake

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 Greenwood Lake, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: 120 Attachment 1 (Schedule of Use Requirements) · § 120-4B · § 120-14
Districts confirmed: 10 of 10 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-12
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 Greenwood Lake: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Orange County · All Orange County towns

ADU information for Village of Greenwood Lake is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-12) 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) 477-9217 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.