ADU · Saratoga County

Can you build an ADU in Edinburg, NY?

Town of Edinburg has 4 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Edinburg code says

An accessory dwelling unit is not permitted in any district here. Two routes lead to a second unit: a multiple family dwelling, which needs a full district minimum lot for each unit (§ 6.9(1)) and is unavailable in LR, and a § 13.2 cluster subdivision.

Conditions the code attaches:

That means at least 3.2 acres per unit in LI, 8.5 acres per unit in RU and 42.7 acres per unit in RM.
In LI, RU and RM a multiple family dwelling is a secondary use, a Class B regional project the Town Planning Board decides, with two off-street parking spaces per unit.
The cluster route is the express exception to the lot minima: not less than 1.3 acres per dwelling unit in every district (§ 13.2.4(5)).
In a cluster the Planning Board fixes setbacks and lot dimensions, and buildings may only be one- or two-family (§ 13.2.4(4)), except that LR permits only single-family residences.
Code Enforcement Officer: (518) 863-2034.

What the Edinburg 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
Lakefront Residential	1.3 ac	25 / 10 / 10 ft	40 ft	No
Low Intensity	3.2 ac	25 / 25 / 25 ft	40 ft	No
Rural Use	8.5 ac	25 / 25 / 25 ft	40 ft	No
Resource Management	42.7 ac	25 / 25 / 25 ft	40 ft	No

Lakefront Residential - A shoreline lot needs at least 100 ft of shoreline lot width as well as its road frontage, and buildings must be set back 50 ft from the shoreline. On a parcel with lakefront, structures must be at least 10 ft from the Hudson River Black River Regulating District property line.

The 50 ft shoreline setback and the 10 ft Regulating District setback measure from different lines, so confirm which applies before siting a building.
Under § 3.1.1 only single-family residences and accessory uses and structures are permissible, so no multiple-family dwelling, tourist accommodation, commercial use, mobile home or agriculture.
The 100 ft width is road frontage. Each linear dimension is a minimum at any and all locations within the lot, so a lot that narrows below its frontage or shoreline width anywhere does not conform.
A cluster subdivision is not available in LR (§ 13.2.3(1)).
The 1,250 sq ft minimum is the size of the principal building.

Low Intensity - A shoreline lot needs at least 125 ft of shoreline lot width as well as its road frontage, and buildings must be set back 75 ft from the shoreline.

A cluster subdivision can take the minimum lot down to 1.3 acres.
The 100 ft width is road frontage. Each linear dimension is a minimum at any and all locations within the lot, so a lot that narrows below its frontage or shoreline width anywhere does not conform.
Multiple family dwellings, mobile home courts, commercial uses and tourist accommodation are secondary uses here, Class B projects the Town Planning Board decides.

Rural Use - A shoreline lot needs at least 150 ft of shoreline lot width as well as its road frontage, and buildings must be set back 75 ft from the shoreline.

A § 13.2 cluster subdivision, which Schedule 1 note 1 preserves, cuts the minimum lot from 8.5 acres to 1.3.
The 100 ft width is road frontage. Each linear dimension is a minimum at any and all locations within the lot, so a lot that narrows below its frontage or shoreline width anywhere does not conform.
The purpose statement says residential development should occur on large lots or in relatively small clusters on carefully selected and well designed sites.

Resource Management - A lot on the water needs at least 200 ft of shoreline lot width and a 100 ft shoreline setback, on top of the figures shown. The 100 ft width figure is minimum road frontage.

Under § 13.2.4(5) a cluster subdivision takes the lot down to 1.3 acres, but § 13.2.4(2) caps units at what a conventional plan could yield, so it concentrates units rather than multiplying them.
Each linear dimension is a minimum at any and all locations within the lot, so a lot that narrows below its road frontage or shoreline width anywhere does not conform.
The purpose clause contemplates development on substantial acreage or in small clusters, and aims to prevent strip development along major travel corridors.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Edinburg

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Edinburg. The Town of Edinburg has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm in writing with the Code Enforcement Officer before counting on rental income, above all on lakefront land. 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 minimum1.3–8.5 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNational Grid territory.
Zoning codeedinburgny.gov/departments/code-enforcement
Building dept(518) 863-2034

ADU FAQ — Edinburg, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Edinburg, NY?

Town of Edinburg has 4 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 863-2034.

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

No. No district in Town of Edinburg permits an ADU, so there is no permit to apply for. Codes change, so verify with the building department at (518) 863-2034 before ruling it out.

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

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

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What an ADU costs to build in Edinburg

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $200k–260k 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 Edinburg, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Zoning Law § 6.9(1) multiple family land area; § 3.1.1 Lakefront Residential; § 4.1 minimum lot sizes; § 8.1 nonconforming lots of record
Districts confirmed: 4 of 4 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-03
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 Edinburg: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Saratoga County · All Saratoga County towns

ADU information for Town of Edinburg is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-03) 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) 863-2034 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.