ADU · Rensselaer County
Are ADUs allowed in Rensselaer 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 17 municipalities in Rensselaer County, with what its zoning districts actually say.
- 17municipalities with mapped districts
- 11allow an ADU in at least one district
- 2allow one by right somewhere
ADU rules by municipality in Rensselaer County
Can you build an ADU in Rensselaer, NY?
6 districts prohibit ADUs, 2 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
An accessory dwelling unit needs a special use permit in R-2 and is permitted by right in MU-2, and the owner must live in the house or the unit. It is capped at 35% of the principal dwelling or 400 square feet, whichever is less.
Can you build an ADU in Troy, NY?
5 districts prohibit ADUs, 5 allow them with occupancy restrictions, 2 allow them. 8 districts have incomplete data - verify with the building department at (518) 279-7180.
An accessory dwelling unit is permitted in the SF, TF, MF, MU-1, MU-2, DMU and C-I use districts. Except in MU-2 and DMU, the property owner must live in either the primary or the accessory unit as their primary residence.
Can you build an ADU in Berlin, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
No accessory apartment use. A house with a second unit is a two-family dwelling, which is permitted by right in R-1, R-2 and C and by special permit in RU. The Industrial district permits no dwelling.
Can you build an ADU in Brunswick, NY?
7 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 4 do not.
An accessory apartment needs a special use permit in A-40, R-40, R-25, R-15, R-9, BL-O and H. The code sets no size cap, no owner-occupancy rule and no bar on renting it.
Can you build an ADU in East Greenbush, NY?
All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions.
An ADU needs a special use permit in every district. At a residence the permit is temporary, for up to two family members directly related to the owners or an on-premises caretaker to a family member living there, and expires when those occupants leave or the house is sold.
Can you build an ADU in Hoosick, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
Hoosick has no accessory dwelling use. A two-family dwelling is permitted by right in H, LIC, RR, AR and CRM.
Can you build an ADU in Nassau, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
Can you build an ADU in North Greenbush, NY?
7 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions, 2 require a special-use permit. 1 district has incomplete data - verify with the building department at (518) 283-5313.
A detached carriage house needs a special permit in AR and R-1, but only on a lot of at least five acres with a primary residence over 4,000 square feet. In R-2, R-3 and R-4 the only accessory unit is an attached caregiver unit whose permit ends when its occupants leave.
Can you build an ADU in Poestenkill, NY?
All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions.
An accessory family dwelling unit is permitted in RR-1, RR-2, R, RA, H and CLI, but only for a family member or caregiver of the primary resident, and it may not be rented. It is capped at 625 square feet of living space.
Can you build an ADU in Sand Lake, NY?
5 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 1 does not.
An accessory dwelling unit needs a special use permit in RR, AR, R, HMU and HC and is capped at 800 square feet. The owner must live in the house or the unit and may rent the other.
Can you build an ADU in Schaghticoke, NY?
6 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions.
An accessory apartment needs a special use permit and site plan approval in RA, R and R40, and the dwelling must be owner-occupied. Within 60 days after every sale the Building Inspector inspects to confirm the owner lives there.
Can you build an ADU in Schodack, NY?
6 districts prohibit ADUs, 2 allow them with occupancy restrictions, 1 requires a special-use permit.
An accessory apartment needs a special use permit in RA, R and HM. In RA and R the principal one-family dwelling must be owner-occupied, and the apartment may take no more than 35% of its habitable space.
Can you build an ADU in Stephentown, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
Stephentown has no accessory dwelling use, and any use not listed in its schedule is prohibited. A two-family dwelling is permitted by right in R-1, C, I and RU, the same as a one-family dwelling.
Can you build an ADU in Castleton-on-Hudson, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
Castleton-on-Hudson has no accessory dwelling use. A two-family dwelling is permitted in R, and in MU subject to a footnote in the use schedule.
Can you build an ADU in East Nassau, NY?
All districts allow ADUs.
An accessory dwelling unit is permitted by right in RR, HAM and WR, one per single-family lot, up to 40% of the house's living space or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less. The law sets no owner-occupancy rule and does not bar renting it.
Can you build an ADU in Hoosick Falls, NY?
All districts prohibit ADUs.
Hoosick Falls has no accessory dwelling use, and in R-1, R-2 and R-3 a single-family house is the only residential use, so there is no way to add a second household there. Two-family and multifamily dwellings are permitted only in DC.
Can you build an ADU in Nassau, NY?
3 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 requires a special-use permit. 1 district has incomplete data - verify with the building department at (518) 766-3044.
An accessory apartment is allowed only in the R3,500 district, by special permit from the Planning Board plus site plan approval. It must be within a single-family dwelling or within an accessory structure to one, such as a barn or garage.
Rensselaer County municipalities with no published zoning code
These 5 municipalities have no zoning code we can read online, which means an ADU question has to be answered by the municipality itself.
- Town of Grafton — (518) 279-3565
- Town of Petersburgh — (518) 419-6100
- Town of Pittstown — (518) 421-4576
- Village of Schaghticoke — (518) 753-6100
- Village of Valley Falls — (518) 753-6131
ADU questions people ask about Rensselaer County
Are ADUs allowed in Rensselaer County?
There is no single county-wide answer — ADUs are governed by each town, city and village, not by the county. Of the 17 Rensselaer County municipalities with mapped zoning districts, 11 allow an accessory dwelling unit in at least one district, and 2 allow one by right somewhere. The section for your municipality below gives the specific answer.
Does Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County
Permission and budget are separate questions. See the Rensselaer 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 Rensselaer County: Zoning for new construction by town · Cost to build · ADU rules across every county we cover
ADU information for Rensselaer County is compiled from each municipality's own code , most recently reviewed 2026-09-16, 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. 3 of the 17 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.