ADU · Rockland County
Can you build an ADU in Chestnut Ridge, NY?
Village of Chestnut Ridge has 13 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Chestnut Ridge code says
An accessory apartment is not permitted in RR-50, R-40, R-35, R-25, R-20, R-15, R-15 IF, R-10, NS, PO, PO-R, LO or RS: no district lets the owner of a house lot add a second unit.
Conditions the code attaches:
- The guard's or caretaker's dwelling allowed on a school or institutional lot is not a unit the owner of a house lot can add.
- Confirm with the Building Department at (845) 425-8283.
What the Chestnut Ridge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Residential | 1.15 ac | 50 / 30 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential R-40 | 0.92 ac | 50 / 25 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential R-35 | 0.8 ac | 50 / 25 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential R-25 | 0.57 ac | 35 / 20 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential R-20 | 0.46 ac | 35 / 15 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential R-15 | 0.34 ac | 35 / 15 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential Infill | 0.34 ac | 35 / 15 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residential R-10 | 0.23 ac | 35 / 15 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Neighborhood Shopping | 0.46 ac | 30 / 0 / 25 ft | 30 ft | No |
| Professional Office | 0.46 ac | 30 / 0 / 25 ft | 30 ft | No |
| Professional Office Residential | 0.46 ac | 30 / 20 / 25 ft | 25 ft | No |
| Laboratory-Office | 1.38 ac | 75 / 75 / 75 ft | 35 ft | No |
| National and Regional Retail Use | 15 ac | 40 / 50 / 40 ft | 35 ft | No |
Rural Residential - The 20% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 100 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The two side setbacks must total 75 ft, so 30 ft on each side falls short.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential R-40 - The 40% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 100 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The two side setbacks must total 70 ft, so 25 ft on each side falls short.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential R-35 - The 40% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 100 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The two side setbacks must total 60 ft, so 25 ft on each side falls short.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential R-25 - The 50% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 90 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The two side setbacks must total 50 ft, so 20 ft on each side falls short.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential R-20 - The 55% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 90 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The two side setbacks must total 40 ft, so 15 ft on each side falls short.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential R-15 - The 55% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 85 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The two side setbacks must total 40 ft, so 15 ft on each side falls short.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential Infill - The 55% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 85 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- These dimensions are the same as in the R-15 district; what sets this district apart is the infill use it permits.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Residential R-10 - At least 62.5 ft of street frontage is required as well as the 62.5 ft lot width, and on a lot that narrow the 40 ft of combined side setbacks leaves twenty-two and a half feet for the building.
- The 55% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Neighborhood Shopping, Professional Office - No side setback is required; a 10 ft side setback applies only where one is provided. The 70% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint.
- At least 100 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Professional Office Residential - At least 140 ft of street frontage is required as well as the 100 ft lot width; on a lot of twenty thousand square feet that makes a very wide, very shallow parcel.
- The 50% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
Laboratory-Office - The 70% coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint. At least 100 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The setbacks shown are for the principal building; accessory structures and projections keep separate, smaller yards.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
National and Regional Retail Use - Next to a single-family district, the side and rear yards are replaced by 75 ft plus a further 75 ft buffer, a hundred and fifty feet in all, and no other increase may be required. Next to a multifamily district, a 50 ft buffer is added to each.
- The front setback is 50 ft for the main building; the 40 ft shown applies to pads.
- The total floor area of all buildings may not exceed a hundred and fifty thousand square feet.
- Landscaping must cover at least a tenth of the site.
- At least 500 ft of street frontage is required, separate from the minimum lot width.
- The coverage figure is a development coverage limit, not a cap on the building footprint.
- Special bulk requirements in Article IV, § 290-14 may also apply.
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Chestnut Ridge
Short-term-rental status not confirmed for Village of Chestnut Ridge. Short-term rental rules in the Village of Chestnut Ridge are not confirmed. The zoning chapter does not address transient rental, which is not the same as permission, so 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 minimum0.23–1.15 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityOrange & Rockland territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/32228568
- Building dept(845) 425-8283
ADU FAQ — Chestnut Ridge, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Chestnut Ridge, NY?
Village of Chestnut Ridge has 13 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 425-8283.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Chestnut Ridge?
No. No district in Village of Chestnut Ridge permits an ADU, so there is no permit to apply for. Codes change, so verify with the building department at (845) 425-8283 before ruling it out.
Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Chestnut Ridge?
Short-term-rental status not confirmed for Village of Chestnut Ridge. 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.
What an ADU costs to build in Chestnut Ridge
Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $225k–295k 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 Chestnut Ridge, priced by size.
How we know this
- Zoning code
- ecode360.com/32228568
- Districts confirmed
- 13 of 13 — every mapped district.
- Last reviewed
- 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 Chestnut Ridge: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Rockland County · All Rockland County towns
ADU information for Village of Chestnut Ridge is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-21) 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) 425-8283 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.