ADU · Sullivan County

Can you build an ADU in Highland, NY?

Town of Highland has 4 districts. All districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Highland code says

An accessory dwelling requires a special use permit plus site plan approval in H-C, R-1 and R-2, and must be inside the primary house or an attached structure. The owner has to live in one of the two units.

Conditions the code attaches:

In WLRD an accessory dwelling is not allowed; the only detached second unit there is a guest home, which needs a special use permit and is available in R-1, R-2 and WLRD.
Size is limited to the lesser of 50% of the primary dwelling's square footage or 1,000 square feet, with a 250 square foot minimum and a maximum of two bedrooms.
Minimum lot area is 2 acres in R-1, 3 acres in R-2 and 2 acres in H-C, with one accessory dwelling per lot and none on a lot holding a two-family or multiple-family dwelling.
A guest home requires twice the district's one-family minimum lot, 4 acres in R-1 and 6 acres in R-2 and WLRD, separate utilities, and it cannot be sold without subdivision approval first.
Certification of septic adequacy and of potable water of adequate flow is required, and a lasting water supply problem can mean immediate revocation of the special use permit.
One added off-street parking space is required, with no back-out onto a public road. The building department can be reached at (845) 557-6085.

What the Highland 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
Hamlet-Commercial District	1 ac	20 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential District	2 ac	35 / 20 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Residential - Agricultural	3 ac	50 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit
Washington Lake Resort District	3 ac	50 / 30 / 50 ft	35 ft	Special permit

Hamlet-Commercial District - The front yard is 20 feet to the property line, or 45 feet to the centerline of the road where the property line is the centerline. A multiple family dwelling needs a minimum lot of five acres.

A building must stand at least 100 feet from the high water line of the Delaware River.
A building must stand at least 50 feet from the high water line of running water or any other body of water, and that applies to accessory structures too.
An accessory structure of 144 square feet or less and no taller than 15 feet takes a 15 foot rear yard and a 15 foot side yard; a larger or taller one is treated as a principal structure.
Minimum lot width is 150 feet and minimum lot depth 150 feet.
The lot area row is headed lot areas per dwelling unit.

Residential District - The front yard is 35 feet to the property line, or 60 feet to the centerline of the road where the property line is the centerline. A multiple family dwelling needs a minimum lot of five acres.

A building must stand at least 100 feet from the high water line of the Delaware River.
A building must stand at least 50 feet from the high water line of running water or any other body of water, and that applies to accessory structures too.
An accessory structure of 144 square feet or less and no taller than 15 feet takes a 15 foot rear yard and a 15 foot side yard; a larger or taller one is treated as a principal structure.
Minimum lot width is 150 feet and minimum lot depth 150 feet.
The lot area row is headed lot areas per dwelling unit.

Residential - Agricultural, Washington Lake Resort District - The front yard is 50 feet to the property line, or 75 feet to the centerline of the road where the property line is the centerline. A multiple family dwelling needs a minimum lot of five acres.

A building must stand at least 100 feet from the high water line of the Delaware River.
A building must stand at least 50 feet from the high water line of running water or any other body of water, and that applies to accessory structures too.
An accessory structure of 144 square feet or less and no taller than 15 feet takes a 15 foot rear yard and a 15 foot side yard; a larger or taller one is treated as a principal structure.
Minimum lot width is 200 feet and minimum lot depth 200 feet.
The lot area row is headed lot areas per dwelling unit.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Highland

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Town of Highland. Short term renting here is regulated by local law: an annual operating permit is required, and a rental that is not owner occupied also needs site plan and special use approval before it can operate. 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 minimum2–3 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNYSEG territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/HI2985
Building dept(845) 557-6085

ADU FAQ — Highland, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Highland, NY?

Town of Highland has 4 districts. All districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 557-6085.

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

Yes. Every district in Town of Highland requires a special-use permit for an ADU rather than allowing one as of right. Check the conditions attached to it before you design.

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

Short-term rentals allowed with local rules for Town of Highland. 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 Highland

Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $190k–250k 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 Highland, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Ch. 190 (amended in entirety 4-13-2021 by L.L. No. 1-2021) § 190-20 Accessory Dwellings; § 190-34 Guest Homes; § 190-12(B)-(C); § 190-18(B)-(C); § 190-21; Schedule 2
Districts confirmed: 4 of 4 — every mapped district.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-07
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 Highland: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Sullivan County · All Sullivan County towns

ADU information for Town of Highland is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-10-07) 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) 557-6085 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.