ADU · Rockland County

Can you build an ADU in West Haverstraw, NY?

Village of West Haverstraw has 9 districts. 8 of 9 districts prohibit ADUs. 1 district has incomplete data - verify with the building department at (845) 947-2800. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

Check my address for ADU feasibility → Free · no account needed to start

What the West Haverstraw code says

No accessory dwelling unit is allowed in R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, C, PLI, MLI or OSC, where the accessory uses are a closed list with no dwelling in it and the code bars building or converting space for any use it does not list. In L-1 the rule is not confirmed.

Conditions the code attaches:

In R-3 a two-family dwelling is permitted by right under § 250-12B(1)(b), limited to one such structure per lot.
In R-4 multifamily dwellings, including garden apartments, condominiums and townhouses, need a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals and site plan approval.
In C a one-family detached or two-family dwelling is permitted by right, subject to site plan approval at the Building Inspector's discretion.
In C neither kind of dwelling may be in a building, or on a lot, otherwise occupied by a nonresidential commercial use, so a flat over a shop is not permitted.
Domestic servants employed on the premises count as part of the one family in the dwelling unit, which creates no second unit.
For L-1, confirm the rule with the building department at (845) 947-2800.

What the West Haverstraw 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
One-Family Residence R-1	0.34 ac	35 / 20 / 35 ft	35 ft	No
One-Family Residence R-2	0.2 ac	20 / 12 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
One- and Two-Family Residence	0.17 ac	20 / 12 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Residence R-4	0.2 ac	20 / 12 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Commercial	0.23 ac	30 / 8 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Light Industrial	4 ac	30 / 30 / 40 ft	35 ft	—
Planned Light Industrial	0.57 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Mixed Light Industrial	0.46 ac	0 / 35 / 50 ft	65 ft	No
Open Space Conservation	1 ac	—	—	No

One-Family Residence R-1 - Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.

Any permitted use other than a house takes 0.9183 acres on 150 ft of width, with 50 ft in front and to the rear, 30 ft to each side and 70 ft for the pair.
That row's caps are 30% building coverage and 40% impervious.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
In a residential district such as this one, a driveway must keep 5 feet from the side lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

One-Family Residence R-2 - Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.

Any permitted use other than a house takes 0.9183 acres on 150 ft of width, with 50 ft in front and to the rear, 30 ft to each side, at 30% building and 40% impervious coverage.
The side yards must total 25 feet, so 12 feet on each side falls a foot short.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
In a residential district such as this one, a driveway must keep 5 feet from the side lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

One- and Two-Family Residence - Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.

A two-family house needs double the lot, 0.3444 acres, on 100 ft of width, with 15 ft to each side and 30 ft for the pair; the front and rear setbacks, height and coverage are unchanged.
Any other permitted use takes 0.9183 acres on 150 ft of width, 50 ft in front and to the rear, 30 ft to each side and 70 ft for the pair, at 30% building and 40% impervious coverage.
The side yards must total 25 feet, so 12 feet on each side falls a foot short.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
In a residential district such as this one, a driveway must keep 5 feet from the side lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

Residence R-4 - The figures shown are for a one-family dwelling; the multifamily development this district exists for follows a separate and very different set of requirements.

Garden apartments, condominiums and townhouses need 0.9183 acres on 125 ft of width at 4,800 square feet per one-bedroom unit, with density capped at 8 units to the acre.
The per-unit figures run four thousand square feet for an efficiency, six thousand for two bedrooms, and two thousand more for each additional bedroom.
A development of more than 20 units is held to a larger set: 50 ft in front and to the rear and 30 ft to each side with 60 ft for the pair, against 35 ft and 20 ft otherwise.
Building coverage limits the footprint and total coverage also counts driveways and every other hard surface: 30% and 60% for multifamily, 50% and 70% for any other use on 150 ft of width.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line, and a driveway must keep 5 feet from the side lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

Commercial - Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.

A one-family house here needs only 0.1148 acres, the smallest lot anywhere in the village, on 50 ft of width, with 20 ft in front, 12 ft to each side and 25 ft for the pair, 25 ft to the rear.
A two-family house takes 0.1722 acres on 70 ft of width with 15 ft to each side and 30 ft for the pair, and both it and the one-family row are capped at 35% building and 40% impervious coverage.
The side yards must total 20 feet, so 8 feet on each side falls four feet short.
Ministorage follows its own figures: twenty-five thousand square feet on 100 feet of width, fifty feet in front and to the rear, and thirty-five feet on each side.
Any other permitted use needs thirty thousand square feet on a hundred and fifty feet of width, with forty feet in front.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line, and the use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements.

Light Industrial - Manufacturing and assembly is a special permit use here; a manufacturing building may reach forty-five feet but no more than two floors, while a separate business office building on the same site is held to the height shown.

The side yards must total 70 feet, so 30 feet on each side falls ten feet short.
Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

Planned Light Industrial - Where this district abuts a residential district, every required yard doubles and no development at all, including parking and storage, is permitted within fifty feet of the residential boundary.

Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

Mixed Light Industrial - No front setback is required, so a building may sit on the street line.

Two coverage caps apply: building coverage limits the footprint, and total coverage also counts driveways, parking and every other hard surface.
No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

Open Space Conservation - The schedule sets only a minimum lot area here, with no lot width, setback, storey count, height or coverage. What may be built is set by § 250-15.2B(1) rather than by any dimension.

No accessory building or use may stand in the front setback, or closer than 5 feet to any side or rear lot line.
The use tables and the rest of Chapter 250 add further bulk requirements that must also be met.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in West Haverstraw

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of West Haverstraw. The Village of West Haverstraw has no local short-term rental law, and its zoning chapter does not address transient rental; that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the Village before counting on a short-term rental. 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 minimum0.17–0.34 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
Energy codeNew York stretch energy code adopted (2020) — applies to new ADU construction.
UtilityOrange & Rockland territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/5092559
Building dept(845) 947-2800

ADU FAQ — West Haverstraw, NY

Are ADUs allowed in West Haverstraw, NY?

Do I need a special permit for an ADU in West Haverstraw?

8 of 9 districts prohibit ADUs, so no permit applies in those. 1 district has incomplete data - verify with the building department at (845) 947-2800.

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

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of West Haverstraw. 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 West Haverstraw

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 West Haverstraw, priced by size.

How we know this

Zoning code: ecode360.com/5092559
Districts confirmed: 8 of 9 — 1 not yet analyzed, so this page does not answer for it.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-21
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 West Haverstraw: 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 West Haverstraw 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) 947-2800 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.