ADU Design in Croton-on-Hudson, NY

ADU Design in New York: what governs your project

New York has no statewide ADU statute in force; ADU rules are set by each city, town, and village zoning code. New York City has run ADU and basement-apartment pilot programs, but upstate communities govern ADUs locally.

Energy code

Permitting varies by jurisdiction: many suburbs require area variances or special-use permits for ADUs, with local rules on size, parking, and owner occupancy. Septic and well rules apply in rural areas through county health departments.

Permitting & plan check

Outside New York City, local code-enforcement officers handle permits under the Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code. New York City is a world of its own: the Department of Buildings runs plan examination with licensed-professional filing requirements, and energy, landmarks, and DOT reviews layer on top for many projects.

Good to know

• Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse sit in lake-effect snow belts with some of the heaviest snow loads in the United States.
• New York City operates its own Department of Buildings with plan-review requirements that go well beyond the rest of the state.
• The state's energy code is among the most stringent in the country, and New York City's is stricter still.

Every discipline, one team