ADU · Orange County

Can you build an ADU in Woodbury, NY?

Village of Woodbury has 11 districts. 7 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 3 do not, 1 allows them. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Woodbury code says

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.

Conditions the code attaches:

The owner names everyone who will live in the unit, and the homeowner and those occupants all sign the permit
The house may be expanded by up to 25%, to a maximum of 1,000 square feet, to make room for the unit
The Planning Board has to approve a site plan before the Zoning Board of Appeals acts on the permit
The Building Department inspects the unit every year
No accessory building may be used as a residence, so the unit cannot be detached
In R-0.25A and HB a two-family house is a permitted use in its own right, on a lot of at least 15,000 square feet

What the Woodbury 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
Residential Three-Acre	3 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential Two-Acre	2 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential One-Acre	1 ac	50 / 25 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential Quarter-Acre	0.34 ac	25 / 15 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Corridor Residential	1 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	As of right
Limited Commercial	1 ac	40 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Hamlet Business	0.23 ac	- / 0 / 30 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Industrial Business	2 ac	50 / 30 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Light Industrial/Office Park	2 ac	50 / 20 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Office Park	2 ac	50 / 50 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Transit Village	—	25 / 15 / 50 ft	—	Special permit

Hamlet Business - Two stories are required. The front setback may be no greater than that of either existing building on either side, and must be at least what the construction or continued use of a sidewalk needs, plus 10 feet (§ 310-27).

No side yard is required, but a side yard that is provided must be at least six feet.

Industrial Business - Each side yard must be at least thirty feet or 1.5 times the building height, whichever is greater, and the two side yards together at least twice that requirement.

Light Industrial/Office Park - Each side yard must be at least twenty feet or a distance equal to the building's height, whichever is greater, and the two side yards together at least twice that requirement.

Transit Village - The figures shown are those for a one- or two-family house, and an application here must include a plan for the entire district. At least 20% of the residential units must be affordable to households earning up to 130% of the Orange County median income.

The 60% development cover and the 40% open space are measured across the entire Transit Village Zone rather than per parcel, so neither is a lot standard.
The district sets no minimum lot area, so density is what limits the units on a parcel.
Townhouses take six to ten units per net acre, and units in mixed-use buildings 20 to 25 per net acre within half a mile of the train station.
No more than 50% of the units may have more than two bedrooms, and none may have more than four.
The Fire Department should be consulted to determine the maximum building height (§ 310-31.3D(2)(b)).
An apartment needs at least 500 square feet of livable floor area, and any dwelling in the village at least 800 square feet.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Woodbury

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Village of Woodbury. Woodbury regulates short-term rentals under Chapter 255, Short-Term Rentals, which requires a permit or registration. 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 minimum0.34–3 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityOrange & Rockland territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/13241574
Building dept(845) 928-6911

ADU FAQ — Woodbury, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Woodbury, NY?

Village of Woodbury has 11 districts. 7 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 3 do not, 1 allows them. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 928-6911.

Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Woodbury?

It depends on the district: 7 of 11 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 Woodbury?

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

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 Woodbury, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: § 310-35 · § 310-49C(6)(a) · § 310-45B(1), C(1)(d) · § 310-11B · § 310-6E · 310 Attachments 1 to 10 (§ 310-7 Schedules of Zoning District Regulations)
Districts confirmed: 11 of 11 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-18
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 Woodbury: 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 Woodbury is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-09-18) 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) 928-6911 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.