ADU · Saratoga County
Can you build an ADU in Stillwater, NY?
Town of Stillwater has 11 districts. 8 districts allow ADUs, 3 do not. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Stillwater code says
An attached accessory dwelling unit is permitted, with no special permit or site plan review, in CSR, SLZ-1, T2, T3N, T3G, T3G-1, T4 and T5. It must share a common wall with the principal dwelling.
Conditions the code attaches:
- The unit is capped at 50% of the floor area of the principal dwelling.
- A detached unit, such as a cottage, garage conversion or barn conversion, is not this use and is not permitted anywhere in Stillwater.
- There is no owner-occupancy requirement, no family-only limit and no bar on renting the unit, and the permission does not lapse on transfer of title.
- The attached accessory unit is not available in R76, MB or R67.
What the Stillwater 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSR Cold Spring Road Transition | 2 ac | 50 / 25 / 25 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| SLZ-1 Saratoga Lake Zone-1 | 0.34 ac | 20 / 15 / 30 ft | 30 ft | As of right |
| R76 Route 76 Crossroads | 0.34 ac | 30 / 15 / 20 ft | 35 ft | No |
| MB Mixed-Use Business | 1 ac | 50 / 35 / 35 ft | 50 ft | No |
| R67 Route 67 Mixed-Use | 1 ac | 50 / 35 / 35 ft | 50 ft | No |
| T2 Rural Conservation | 1.5 ac | 50 / 25 / 30 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| T3N Neighborhood | 0.23 ac | 35 / 20 / 30 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| T3G Gateway | 0.14 ac | 35 / 15 / 10 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| T3G-1 Rural Gateway | 0.23 ac | 35 / 20 / 30 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| T4 Riverfront Corridor | 0.14 ac | 15 / 15 / 10 ft | 40 ft | As of right |
| T5 Gateway | 0.11 ac | 0 / 0 / 5 ft | 40 ft | As of right |
CSR Cold Spring Road Transition - The 2 acres is required per dwelling unit and does not change with public water or sewer, so a duplex needs four acres.
- Setback and width requirements do not apply to agricultural uses and roadside stands.
- The 200 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
SLZ-1 Saratoga Lake Zone-1 - The 15,000 sq ft is required per dwelling unit, so a duplex needs twice that. The 75 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
- The Saratoga Lake watershed overlay district (§ 210-13) applies over this area and sets watershed protection requirements, though no lot or bulk standards of its own.
R76 Route 76 Crossroads - The 15,000 sq ft is a flat lot minimum here, not an amount of land required per dwelling unit.
- The 60 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
MB Mixed-Use Business - The one-acre minimum is a flat lot area here, not an amount of land required per dwelling unit.
- The 200 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
R67 Route 67 Mixed-Use - Land per dwelling unit depends on utilities: 1 acre with both public water and sewer, 2 acres with either, and 3 acres with neither.
- On an unserviced parcel a four-unit proposal needs 12 acres, which is the steepest utility penalty in the town.
- The land figure applies per dwelling unit, so a duplex needs twice that.
- The 200 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
T2 Rural Conservation - Land per dwelling unit is 1.5 acres with public water or sewer or both, and 2 acres with neither.
- The land figure applies per dwelling unit, so a duplex needs twice that.
- Height is limited to 2 stories or 35 feet, and both limits apply.
- The 200 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
T3N Neighborhood, T3G-1 Rural Gateway - Land per dwelling unit is 10,000 sq ft with both public water and sewer, 20,000 sq ft with either, and a full acre with neither.
- Without either utility that is 1 acre, 43,560 sq ft, per dwelling unit, more than four times the fully serviced 10,000 sq ft.
- The land figure applies per dwelling unit, so a duplex needs twice that.
- Height is limited to 2 stories or 35 feet, and both limits apply.
- The 150 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
T3G Gateway - The 6,000 sq ft is required per dwelling unit and does not change with public water or sewer, so a duplex needs twice that.
- Height is limited to 2 stories or 35 feet, and both limits apply.
- The 50 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
T4 Riverfront Corridor - The 6,000 sq ft is required per dwelling unit, so a duplex needs twice that. Height is limited to 3 stories or 40 feet, and both limits apply.
- The 50 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
T5 Gateway - The front and side setbacks are build-to bands: the front may be 0 to 10, or 0 to 15 where an outdoor dining area or plaza fills the extra depth, and the side 0 to 5.
- A building may not be set back past the top of either band.
- The 5,000 sq ft is required per dwelling unit, so a duplex needs twice that.
- Height is limited to 3 stories or 40 feet, and both limits apply.
- The 50 ft figure is required road frontage, not lot width at the building line.
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Stillwater
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Stillwater. The Town of Stillwater has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the Building Department before counting on short-term rental income. 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 minimum0.23–1.5 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/11864537
- Building dept(518) 664-6148 x215
ADU FAQ — Stillwater, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Stillwater, NY?
Town of Stillwater has 11 districts. 8 districts allow ADUs, 3 do not. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 664-6148 x215.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Stillwater?
No district in Town of Stillwater requires a special-use permit for an ADU - 8 districts allow ADUs, 3 do not. Site-plan review or a building permit may still apply.
Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Stillwater?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Stillwater. 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 Stillwater
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 Stillwater, priced by size.
How we know this
- Sections analyzed
- Ch. 210 § 210-7 definition of dwelling unit, attached accessory; district use tables
- Districts confirmed
- 11 of 11 — 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 Stillwater: 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 Stillwater is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-31) 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) 664-6148 x215 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.