ADU · Sullivan County

Can you build an ADU in Lumberland, NY?

Town of Lumberland has 7 districts. All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:

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What the Lumberland code says

An accessory apartment is permitted in every district with the same zoning and building permit as the house, without Planning Board approval. It must be accessory to an owner-occupied single-family dwelling, and the apartment itself may be rented.

Conditions the code attaches:

The apartment needs at least seven hundred twenty square feet of habitable floor area if it stands apart from the house and any garage, or five hundred square feet if over or attached to a garage.
The lot follows the district minimum for the house: RH 3 acres, RR 5 acres, H 5 acres, GS 3 acres, ML 2 acres, MRV 5 acres and BF 5 acres.
A preexisting smaller lot can still hold a one- or two-family dwelling if it meets the setbacks and New York State Department of Health standards.
Lot coverage and lot clearing are capped on a sliding scale by lot size in each district.
The Historic Overlay and Delaware River Overlay districts apply in addition.

What the Lumberland 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
River Hamlet District	3 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Rural Residential District	5 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Hillside District	5 ac	50 / 50 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Glen Spey District	3 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Mohican Lake District	2 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Mongaup River Valley District	5 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted
Black Forest District	5 ac	50 / 35 / 50 ft	35 ft	Occupancy restricted

River Hamlet District - A lot here needs 3 acres and 150 feet of width. A building sits 50 feet back from the edge of the road right-of-way, 35 feet from each side and 50 feet from the rear, reaches 35 feet, and building plus other hard surface may cover 30% of the lot.

Where the road has no right-of-way the front yard is measured 75 feet from the center of the road, not from the front lot line.
The side yard follows lot size: 25 feet on a lot of 1 acre or smaller, 30 feet above 1 acre but below 3 acres, and 35 feet on 3 acres or larger.
Coverage follows lot size too: 75% at 1 acre or less, 65% at 1.1 to 1.5, 55% at 1.6 to 2, 40% at 2.1 to 2.5, 30% at 2.6 to 3 and 20% above 3 acres.
Lot clearing carries its own tier: 90% at 1 acre or less, 80% at 1.1 to 1.5, 70% at 1.6 to 2, 60% at 2.1 to 2.5, 50% at 2.6 to 3 and 40% above 3 acres.
Development is not allowed on slopes steeper than 15%.
A dwelling needs at least 720 square feet of habitable floor area, and 500 square feet for an accessory apartment or care cottage over the garage.

Rural Residential District - A lot here needs 5 acres and 200 feet of width. A building sits 50 feet back from the edge of the road right-of-way, 35 feet from each side and 50 feet from the rear, reaches 35 feet, and building plus other hard surface may cover 15% of the lot.

Where the road has no right-of-way the front yard is measured 75 feet from the center of the road, not from the front lot line.
The side yard follows lot size: 25 feet on a lot smaller than 3 acres, 35 feet on a lot of 3 to 9 acres and 75 feet on a lot larger than 9 acres.
A separate cap holds lot clearing to 30% of the lot, above the 15% that building and other hard surface may cover.
Development is not allowed on slopes steeper than 15%.
Multifamily dwelling units need a special use permit, with 5 acres for the first two units and two and one half acres for each unit after that.
A dwelling needs at least 720 square feet of habitable floor area, and 500 square feet for an accessory apartment or care cottage over the garage.

Hillside District - A lot here needs 5 acres and 200 feet of width. A building sits 50 feet back from the edge of the road right-of-way, 50 feet from each side and 50 feet from the rear, reaches 35 feet, and building plus other hard surface may cover 15% of the lot.

Where the road has no right-of-way the front yard is measured 75 feet from the center of the road, not from the front lot line.
A separate cap holds lot clearing to 30% of the lot, above the 15% that building and other hard surface may cover.
Development is not allowed on slopes steeper than 15%.
A conservation subdivision is preferred here, and the Planning Board sets the individual lot sizes and the yard requirements at plat approval.
A dwelling needs at least 720 square feet of habitable floor area, and 500 square feet for an accessory apartment or care cottage over the garage.

Glen Spey District - A lot here needs 3 acres and 150 feet of width. A building sits 50 feet back from the edge of the road right-of-way, 35 feet from each side and 50 feet from the rear, reaches 35 feet, and building plus other hard surface may cover 30% of the lot.

Where the road has no right-of-way the front yard is measured 75 feet from the center of the road, not from the front lot line.
The side yard follows lot size: 25 feet on a lot smaller than 3 acres, 35 feet on a lot of 3 to 9 acres and 75 feet on a lot larger than 9 acres.
Coverage follows lot size too: 75% at 1 acre or less, 65% at 1.1 to 1.5, 55% at 1.6 to 2, 40% at 2.1 to 2.5, 30% at 2.6 to 3 and 20% above 3 acres.
Lot clearing carries its own tier: 90% at 1 acre or less, 80% at 1.1 to 1.5, 70% at 1.6 to 2, 60% at 2.1 to 2.5, 50% at 2.6 to 3 and 40% above 3 acres.
A manufactured home park needs a special use permit and a site of at least 20 acres, with 100 feet of frontage on a public road and a 75-foot setback from it.
A dwelling needs at least 720 square feet of habitable floor area, and 500 square feet for an accessory apartment or care cottage over the garage.

Mohican Lake District - A lot here needs 2 acres and 150 feet of width. A building sits 50 feet back from the edge of the road right-of-way, 35 feet from each side and 50 feet from the rear, reaches 35 feet, and building plus other hard surface may cover 20% of the lot.

Where the road has no right-of-way the front yard is measured 75 feet from the center of the road, not from the front lot line.
A separate cap holds lot clearing to 50% of the lot, above the 20% that building and other hard surface may cover.
Development is not allowed on slopes steeper than 15%.
A conservation subdivision needs a special use permit at the same 2 acres and 150 feet of width, and the Planning Board sets the lot sizes and yards at plat approval.
A dwelling needs at least 720 square feet of habitable floor area, and 500 square feet for an accessory apartment or care cottage over the garage.

Mongaup River Valley District, Black Forest District - A lot here needs 5 acres and 200 feet of width. A building sits 50 feet back from the edge of the road right-of-way, 35 feet from each side and 50 feet from the rear, reaches 35 feet, and building plus other hard surface may cover 20% of the lot.

Where the road has no right-of-way the front yard is measured 75 feet from the center of the road, not from the front lot line.
The side yard follows lot size: 25 feet on a lot smaller than 3 acres, 35 feet on a lot of 3 to 9 acres and 75 feet on a lot larger than 9 acres.
Coverage follows lot size too: 75% at 1 acre or less, 65% at 1.1 to 1.5, 55% at 1.6 to 2, 40% at 2.1 to 2.5, 30% at 2.6 to 3 and 20% above 3 acres.
Lot clearing carries its own tier: 90% at 1 acre or less, 80% at 1.1 to 1.5, 70% at 1.6 to 2, 60% at 2.1 to 2.5, 50% at 2.6 to 3 and 40% above 3 acres.
Development is not allowed on slopes steeper than 15%.
A dwelling needs at least 720 square feet of habitable floor area, and 500 square feet for an accessory apartment or care cottage over the garage.

ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Lumberland

No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Lumberland. As of June 2026 the Town of Lumberland 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 minimum3–5 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
UtilityNYSEG territory.
Zoning codeecode360.com/LU3128
Building dept(845) 856-8600

ADU FAQ — Lumberland, NY

Are ADUs allowed in Lumberland, NY?

Town of Lumberland has 7 districts. All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 856-8600.

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

No district in Town of Lumberland requires a special-use permit for an ADU - 7 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions. Site-plan review or a building permit may still apply.

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

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

Run the free ADU check for your parcel →

What an ADU costs to build in Lumberland

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 Lumberland, priced by size.

How we know this

Sections analyzed: Ch. 250 Art. XI Schedule of Uses and Bulk Regulations §§ 250-76 to 250-83; Art. II definition of accessory apartment; § 250-14; § 250-29H; § 250-37 care cottages
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 Lumberland: 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 Lumberland 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) 856-8600 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.