ADU · Rensselaer County

Can you build an ADU in Schaghticoke, NY?

Town of Schaghticoke has 9 districts. 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Schaghticoke code says

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.

Conditions the code attaches:

It may be within an existing single-family house or built with a new one, attached or detached, with its own cooking, sleeping and sanitary facilities.
It may hold no more than 40% of the structure's total habitable space, and only one is allowed per principal residence.
The house may have only one exterior front entrance, with any other entrance at the side or rear.
Two parking spaces per dwelling unit are required on site outside any yard or setback, and any on-site water or septic system needs County Health Department approval.
The lot must meet the Section IV area and bulk minimums, and the Rensselaer County Health Department may require more area for soils or topography.
It is not permitted in HC or MD, or in the four hamlet districts, where a two-family dwelling is permitted by right instead.

What the Schaghticoke 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 Agricultural District	3 ac	50 / 30 / 35 ft	45 ft	Occupancy restricted
Residential District	3 ac	50 / 30 / 35 ft	45 ft	Occupancy restricted
Residential District (R40)	0.92 ac	50 / 30 / 35 ft	45 ft	Occupancy restricted
Highway Commercial District	0.92 ac	50 / 30 / 40 ft	45 ft	No
Marine District	0.92 ac	40 / 30 / 40 ft	45 ft	No
Hamlet District — Melrose	0.69 ac	25 / 10 / 20 ft	45 ft	No
Hamlet District — Speigletown	0.69 ac	20 / 20 / 20 ft	45 ft	No
Hamlet District — Pleasantdale	0.46 ac	20 / 10 / 20 ft	45 ft	No
Hamlet District — Hemstreet Park	0.46 ac	10 / 10 / 20 ft	45 ft	No

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Schaghticoke

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Schaghticoke. The Town of Schaghticoke has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the building department before listing. 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 minimum0.46–3 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNational Grid territory.
Zoning codetownofschaghticoke.gov/government/laws-and-codes/local-laws/navigate/280/1690
Building dept(518) 753-6915

ADU FAQ — Schaghticoke, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Schaghticoke, NY?

Town of Schaghticoke has 9 districts. 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 753-6915.

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

No district in Town of Schaghticoke requires a special-use permit for an ADU - 6 districts prohibit ADUs, 3 allow them with occupancy restrictions. Site-plan review or a building permit may still apply.

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

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

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $195k–255k 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 Schaghticoke, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Town of Schaghticoke Zoning Law (eCode360 Ch. 125 is a stub): district use tables for RA, R, R 40, HD - All Hamlets, HC, HC-1 and MD, each with Permitted Principal Uses / Permitted Accessory Uses / Special Permit Uses; Section IV Area and Bulk Regulations; Section VII site plan approval; Section XIII item 25 Accessory Apartments (a)(1)-(8) and (d) Change of Ownership
Districts confirmed: 9 of 9 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-16
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 Schaghticoke: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Rensselaer County · All Rensselaer County towns

ADU information for Town of Schaghticoke is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-09-16) 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 (518) 753-6915 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.