ADU · Saratoga County

Can you build an ADU in Galway, NY?

Town of Galway has 6 districts. 4 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 1 does not. 1 district has incomplete data - verify with the building department at (518) 882-6070. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Galway code says

Under § 115-52 a single-family dwelling in AR, RC, RH or L may have one accessory apartment with a special use permit from the Planning Board, inside the principal building or in an accessory building on the same lot. It is not permitted in C1.

Conditions the code attaches:

The apartment's floor area must be greater than 400 sq ft and less than 40% of the entire floor area of the one-family dwelling or 1,000 sq ft, whichever is less.
It may have no more than two bedrooms and must be clearly subordinate to the one-family dwelling.
The certificate of occupancy for the principal use must identify the accessory unit and its floor area, so an existing unpermitted unit will not simply be grandfathered.
The minimum lot size may need to increase to meet NYS Department of Health septic and well separation requirements (Appendix 3A note 5).
Zoning Administrator: (518) 882-6070.

What the Galway 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
Agricultural Residential	3 ac	50 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential Core	0.75 ac	25 / 20 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Rural Hamlet	0.5 ac	25 / 20 / 25 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Commercial Retail	2 ac	100 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	No
Lake District	1 ac	25 / 25 / 15 ft	28 ft	Special permit
Planned Development	—	—	—	—

Agricultural Residential - The 40% coverage limit counts structures and impervious surfaces together, so a driveway and a parking area count against it.

The minimum lot size may need to rise to meet New York State Department of Health septic and well separation rules, and may be decreased in a cluster or conservation subdivision (note 5).
On a corner lot the side yard on the side street must equal the district's front yard, and the front yard is measured from the edge of the designated right-of-way, not the lot line.
A keyhole lot needs at least five acres, and a keyhole or flag lot needs at least 40 ft of road frontage and 200 ft at the building line.
An accessory building is capped at 28 ft in height.

Residential Core - The front yard is a band, not a floor: at least 25 ft and at most 50 ft, so a building may not be pushed back beyond 50 ft. The 30% coverage limit counts structures and impervious surfaces together, so a driveway and a parking area count against it.

A cluster or conservation subdivision lot may be 0.5 acre against the three quarters a conventional subdivision needs, which is also the maximum average density, so clustering meets the density.
The minimum lot size may need to rise to meet New York State Department of Health septic and well separation rules, and may be decreased in a cluster or conservation subdivision (note 5).
On a corner lot the side yard on the side street must equal the district's front yard, and the front yard is measured from the edge of the designated right-of-way, not the lot line.
A keyhole lot needs at least three acres, and a keyhole or flag lot needs at least 40 ft of road frontage and 200 ft at the building line.
An accessory building is capped at 28 ft in height.

Rural Hamlet - The front yard is a band, not a floor: at least 25 ft and at most 50 ft, so a building may not be pushed back beyond 50 ft. The 30% coverage limit counts structures and impervious surfaces together, so a driveway and a parking area count against it.

A non-residence needs a 1 acre lot against a residence's half acre, 200 ft of frontage against 75, a 50 ft side yard against 20 and a 50 ft rear against 25, plus a floor area of 3,500 sq ft.
The minimum lot size may need to rise to meet state Department of Health septic and well separation rules (note 5), and a cluster lot has the same half-acre minimum as a conventional lot.
On a corner lot the side yard on the side street must equal the district's front yard, and the front yard is measured from the edge of the designated right-of-way, not the lot line.
A keyhole lot needs at least three acres, and a keyhole or flag lot needs at least 40 ft of road frontage and 200 ft at the building line.
An accessory building is capped at 28 ft in height.

Commercial Retail - The minimum for a non-residential lot runs from two to ten acres depending on the use, and the figure that applies must be settled with the Town. The 30% coverage limit counts structures and impervious surfaces together, so a driveway and a parking area count against it.

The minimum lot size may need to rise to meet New York State Department of Health septic and well separation rules (note 5).
A cluster lot has the same two-acre minimum as a conventional lot.
On a corner lot the side yard on the side street must equal the district's front yard, and the front yard is measured from the edge of the designated right-of-way, not the lot line.
A keyhole or flag lot needs at least 40 ft of road frontage and 200 ft at the building line, with its own acreage requirement in Appendix 3B.
An accessory building is capped at 28 ft in height.

Lake District - The yards shown are the non-lakefront case. A newly created lot needs 50 ft front, side and rear yards, and a lakefront lot needs a 50 ft front yard, a 25 ft side yard and a 15 ft rear yard.

Establish which of the three cases a parcel falls in before relying on any yard figure.
The 40% coverage limit counts structures and impervious surfaces together, so a driveway and a parking area count against it.
An accessory building is capped at 18 ft in height.
A keyhole lot is not contemplated in this district.
The minimum lot size may need to rise to meet New York State Department of Health septic and well separation rules (note 5).
On a corner lot the side yard on the side street must equal the district's front yard, and the front yard is measured from the edge of the designated right-of-way, not the lot line.

Planned Development - A planned development district is created project by project under § 115-45, and its lot area, frontage, density, coverage, setbacks and height are set in its own approval.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Galway

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Galway. The Town of Galway has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm in writing with the Zoning Administrator before counting on short-term rental income, above all on a Galway Lake parcel. 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 minimum0.5–3 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNational Grid territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/7009973
Building dept(518) 882-6070

ADU FAQ — Galway, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Galway, NY?

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

It depends on the district: 4 of 6 require a special-use permit, the rest do not. Check the district that applies to your parcel before you design.

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

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

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 Galway, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Ch. 115 § 115-52 accessory apartments; Appendix 3A dimensional schedule note 5
Districts confirmed: 5 of 6 — 1 not yet analyzed, so this page does not answer for it.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-02
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 Galway: 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 Galway is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-02) 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) 882-6070 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.