ADU · Westchester County
Can you build an ADU in Pound Ridge, NY?
Town of Pound Ridge has 7 districts. 5 districts prohibit ADUs, 2 allow them with occupancy restrictions. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Pound Ridge code says
Accessory apartments may be located only in R-2A and R-3A, in the main house or in a conforming accessory building, and the owner of the lot must live in one of the two units. Every new accessory apartment needs Planning Board site plan review.
Conditions the code attaches:
- Size: at least 300 and no more than 1,200 square feet, and no more than 30% of the main house's gross floor area, excluding an unfinished basement, attic and garage.
- One accessory apartment per lot regardless of excess acreage, with no more than two bedrooms.
- At least two parking spaces, set by the Planning Board; on-street parking can never be approved, and one curb cut must serve both dwellings.
- Before a building permit issues, a septic and water plan by a New York licensed sanitary engineer must be approved by the Westchester County Department of Health and confirmed by the Planning Board.
- If any part of the unit or its septic, water or other systems falls within the town's minimum 150-foot wetlands activity setback, indications of negative impact on the wetlands mean automatic denial.
- Building department: (914) 764-4635.
What the Pound Ridge 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two-Acre Residential District | 2 ac | 60 / 50 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| Three-Acre Residential District | 3 ac | 60 / 50 / 75 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| One-Acre Residential District | 1 ac | 50 / 35 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Planned Business District A | — | — | 30 ft | No |
| Planned Business District B | — | 30 / 0 / 50 ft | 30 ft | No |
| Planned Business District C | — | 30 / 0 / 50 ft | 30 ft | No |
| Landscape Nursery and Garden Center District | 2 ac | 60 / 50 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
Two-Acre Residential District - A buffer of at least 15 ft is required at all lot lines on top of the setbacks. Every setback increases in 5 ft increments where building or lot coverage exceeds the site plan review thresholds of 3,600 sq ft and 9,000 sq ft (§ 113-37 note 4).
- Accessory buildings owe the same side and rear setbacks as the main house.
Three-Acre Residential District - A buffer of at least 20 ft is required at all lot lines on top of the setbacks. Every setback increases in 5 ft increments where building or lot coverage exceeds the site plan review thresholds of 4,500 sq ft and 12,000 sq ft (§ 113-37 note 4).
- Accessory buildings owe the same 50 ft side and 75 ft rear setbacks as the main house.
One-Acre Residential District - A buffer of at least 10 ft is required at all lot lines on top of the setbacks. Every setback increases in 5 ft increments where building or lot coverage exceeds the site plan review thresholds of 2,600 sq ft and 7,000 sq ft (§ 113-37 note 4).
- Accessory buildings need at least 20 ft side and 25 ft rear setbacks.
Planned Business District A - Every yard in PB-A is as shown on the Planned Business A Zoning District Map, so a parcel's setbacks come from that map.
Planned Business District B - No side yard is required, but where one is provided it must be at least 6 ft, at least 25 ft if used for vehicular access, and at least 50 ft where the lot abuts a residential district (§ 113-37 note 8).
- The Planning Board may reduce the 50 ft side yard on site plan review where screening or topography gives equivalent protection.
- On a corner lot the 30 ft front yard is owed from every street the lot fronts.
Planned Business District C - No side yard is required, but one that is provided must be at least 6 ft. A side yard used for vehicular access must be at least 25 ft, and one abutting a residential district at least 50 ft (§ 113-37 note 8).
- Where the Planning Board finds it suits the topography of a sloping site, three stories are allowed on site plan review, still within the 30 ft height.
- The Planning Board may reduce the 50 ft side yard on site plan review.
- The mapped green space areas are a buffer strip where no building, structure, parking area or other use may stand, and must be kept in a natural state (§ 113-48B).
- On a corner lot the 30 ft front yard is owed from every street the lot fronts.
- No building may exceed 2,500 square feet of coverage.
- The 0.15 floor area ratio is the total figure, commercial floor area is capped at 0.10 of the lot, and both count all floor area of all buildings on the lot.
Landscape Nursery and Garden Center District - The figures shown are for a one-family house. A landscape nursery or garden center needs a lot of at least 20 acres with at least 500 ft of state or county highway frontage, and at least 100 ft front, side and rear setbacks (§ 113-37).
- A nursery or garden center is held to two stories and 25 ft rather than the height shown, and at least 15 acres of its lot must be contiguous dry land.
- Buildings on a nursery lot may cover at most 40,000 square feet in total, and no single building may exceed 5,000 square feet of gross floor area apart from basement storage.
- Enclosed nursery buildings must stand apart by at least half the average of their heights, and never less than 10 feet.
- The nursery floor area ratio is 0.04, counting all buildings including greenhouses and shade sheds.
- A buffer of at least 15 ft is required at all lot lines, and it counts inside the required yard rather than on top of it.
- Site plan approval is required, and every yard and the buffer increase in 5 ft steps, where building coverage exceeds 3,600 square feet or lot coverage exceeds 9,000 square feet.
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Pound Ridge
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Pound Ridge. The Town of Pound Ridge has no local short-term rental law, and that is not the same as permission. Confirm with the building department before counting on the use. 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 minimum1–3 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityCon Edison territory.
- Zoning codeecode360.com/PO0893
- Building dept(914) 764-4635
ADU FAQ — Pound Ridge, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Pound Ridge, NY?
Town of Pound Ridge has 7 districts. 5 districts prohibit ADUs, 2 allow them with occupancy restrictions. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (914) 764-4635.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Pound Ridge?
No district in Town of Pound Ridge requires a special-use permit for an ADU - 5 districts prohibit ADUs, 2 allow them with occupancy restrictions. Site-plan review or a building permit may still apply.
Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Pound Ridge?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Pound Ridge. 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 Pound Ridge
Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $235k–310k 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 Pound Ridge, priced by size.
How we know this
- Zoning code
- ecode360.com/PO0893
- Districts confirmed
- 7 of 7 — 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 Pound Ridge: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · ADU rules across Westchester County · All Westchester County towns
ADU information for Town of Pound Ridge is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-09-28) 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 (914) 764-4635 before relying on any answer. Source: the Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset.