ADU · Sullivan County

Can you build an ADU in Liberty, NY?

Town of Liberty has 7 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Liberty code says

Liberty's zoning law lists no accessory apartment or accessory dwelling unit, and under § 147-8 any use not listed in the Schedule of District Regulations is prohibited. A second unit here is built as a two-family dwelling instead.

Conditions the code attaches:

A genuine second unit is built as a two-family dwelling, not as an accessory apartment; two-family dwellings are a principal permitted use in R-1 and R-2.
For a two-family dwelling in R-1, minimum lot area is 10,000 sf per dwelling unit with off-site sewer and water, 30,000 sf with off-site sewer only, and 1 acre with on-site sewer and water.
In R-2 a two-family dwelling requires 7,000 sf and a minimum floor area of 800 sf per dwelling unit.
A single-family residential conversion is treated as a multifamily dwelling, which is a special use in R-2 only.
Confirm the current requirements with the building department at (845) 292-8511.

What the Liberty 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/Conservation	10 ac	50 / 50 / 50 ft	50 ft	No
Rural Development	3 ac	50 / 25 / 25 ft	35 ft	No
Low-Density Residential	1 ac	25 / 15 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
High-Density Residential	0.16 ac	25 / 8 / 30 ft	35 ft	No
Downtown Commercial Core	0.092 ac	20 / - / 30 ft	44 ft	No
Service Commercial	0.23 ac	20 / 10 / 10 ft	60 ft	No
Industrial Commercial	1 ac	50 / 30 / 50 ft	44 ft	No

Agricultural/Conservation - A home in the AC District needs 10 acres on a lot 200 feet wide and 200 feet deep, set back 50 feet at the front, each side and the rear, no taller than 50 feet and covering no more than 20% of the lot.

A special use the schedule marks B needs 300 feet of lot width and depth, 75 foot front and side yards and a 100 foot rear yard, on the same lot size.
A single-family conservation development is a special use and may sit on 2 acres where 50% of the original lot is kept as open space.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

Rural Development - A home in the RD District needs 3 acres on a lot 200 feet wide and 200 feet deep, set back 50 feet at the front and 25 feet at each side and the rear, no taller than 35 feet and covering no more than 15% of the lot.

A special use the schedule marks B needs 300 feet of lot width and depth, 75 foot front and side yards and a 100 foot rear yard, on the same lot size.
A single-family conservation development is a special use and may sit on 1.3774 acre, which the schedule publishes as 60,000 square feet, where 50% of the original lot is kept as open space.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

Low-Density Residential - A home in the R-1 District on its own well and septic needs 1 acre, on a lot 100 feet wide and 100 feet deep, set back 25 feet at the front, 15 feet at each side and 30 feet at the rear, no taller than 35 feet or 2.5 stories and covering no more than 20% of the lot.

The schedule states these minimums per dwelling unit, and it asks 1,000 square feet of floor area for each one.
With both water and sewer from off the site the lot area falls to 0.2296 acre, which the schedule publishes as 10,000 square feet.
With only the sewer or only the water from off the site the lot area is 0.6887 acre, which the schedule publishes as 30,000 square feet.
A special use the schedule marks B, such as a dog park, a place of worship or a private school, needs 200 feet of lot width and 50 foot side and rear yards.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

High-Density Residential - A home in the R-2 District on public water and sewer needs 0.1607 acre, which the schedule publishes as 7,000 square feet, on a lot 60 feet wide and 100 feet deep, set back 25 feet at the front, 8 feet at a side and 30 feet at the rear.

The two side yards together come to 20 feet, the building may reach 35 feet or 2.5 stories, and it may cover 20% of the lot.
Each dwelling unit needs 800 square feet of floor area.
With only the sewer or only the water from off the site the lot area is 0.6887 acre, which the schedule publishes as 30,000 square feet, and on a well and septic it is 1 acre.
A special use the schedule marks B, such as a public school, a place of worship or a private school, needs 1 acre and 200 feet of lot width.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

Downtown Commercial Core - A lot in the DCC District starts at 0.0918 acre, which the schedule publishes as 4,000 square feet, measures 80 feet wide and 80 feet deep, and is built on behind a 20 foot front yard, a 30 foot side yard and a 44 foot rear yard, up to 44 feet tall.

The side yard line reads as determined by the applicable building code and carries the 30 foot figure.
The schedule publishes no building coverage for this district.
A dwelling unit here needs 800 square feet of floor area, and an owner occupied upper story dwelling is a special use.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

Service Commercial - A lot in the SC District starts at 0.2296 acre, which the schedule publishes as 10,000 square feet, measures 80 feet wide and 80 feet deep, and is built on behind a 20 foot front yard and 10 foot side and rear yards, up to 60 feet tall.

A building may cover 75% of the lot.
The schedule publishes no minimum floor area for this district.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

Industrial Commercial - A lot in the IC District starts at 1 acre, measures 150 feet wide and 150 feet deep, and is built on behind a 50 foot front yard, a 30 foot side yard and a 50 foot rear yard, up to 44 feet tall and covering up to 75% of the lot.

The schedule lists no dwelling among the uses for this district and publishes no minimum floor area.
On a street whose right-of-way is less than 50 feet the front yard is measured from the center line of the roadway and 25 feet is added, under § 147-12B.
A new lot fronting a cul-de-sac may narrow to 75 feet at the front lot line where its width at the building setback line still meets the schedule, under § 147-10A.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Liberty

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Liberty. As of June 2026 the Town of Liberty has no local short-term rental law. That is not the same as permission, so confirm with the building department before counting on renting short term. 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 minimum0.16–10 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNYSEG territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/LI0552
Building dept(845) 292-8511

ADU FAQ — Liberty, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Liberty, NY?

Town of Liberty has 7 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 292-8511.

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

No. No district in Town of Liberty permits an ADU, so there is no permit to apply for. Codes change, so verify with the building department at (845) 292-8511 before ruling it out.

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

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

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 Liberty, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Ch. 147 § 147-8 closed list; § 147-9; Attachment 1 Schedule of District Regulations (print date 07-01-2015, amended through L.L. No. 5-2013)
Districts confirmed: 7 of 7 — 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 Liberty: 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 Liberty 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) 292-8511 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.