New York · Monroe County
ADU rules in Monroe County, town by town
New York has no statewide ADU law, so each town, village and city writes its own rules. We’ve checked 30 municipal codes in Monroe County so far. 19 of them describe a current way to approve an ADU or accessory apartment.
A village has its own zoning, separate from the town around it, and a ZIP code can cover both. Check which government is on your property tax bill. This table is a screening guide, not a permit answer: your zoning district and your lot decide. Codes change, so confirm with the code office before you spend money.
| Municipality | What the code says | Detached unit? | Size limit | Owner on site? | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Brighton | No ADU rules yet | One dwelling per lot in RLL (§203-1.1); other districts not re-read | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Brockport | No ADU rules yet | Code doesn’t say | No ADU cap | Not required by the use tables | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Chili | Allowed with a special use permit (family only) | Wholly detached units need review; a July 2026 approval covered a 450 sq ft cottage… | No universal cap | Recent approvals ended when the qualifying occupant leaves | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Churchville | Allowed with a special use permit | Yes, new or converted, in LDR and TVR | No ADU-specific cap; accessory building height (15 ft), setbacks and 35% lot coverage… | Yes, nine months a year; rent only one unit | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Clarkson | Allowed with a special use permit | Yes, in AR and RS-20, behind the main building | No more than 30% of the main home's living space (unit minimums 450 sq ft efficiency,… | Yes | October 4, 2026 |
| Town/Village of East Rochester | No ADU rules yet | Likely not: one principal building per lot (§193-11A) | Code doesn’t say | Required for the historic two-family route | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Fairport | Allowed with a permit | No. Detached ADUs are prohibited | 650 sq ft | Code doesn’t say | October 4, 2026 |
| Town of Gates | Allowed with a permit (family only) Not confirmed yet | Code doesn’t say | No cap verified | Family member or in-law occupancy | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Greece | Allowed with a permit (family only) | No under the in-law route | 600 sq ft or 30% of the house, whichever is smaller | Owner affirmation; occupancy limited to in-laws | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Hamlin | Allowed with a special use permit | Code doesn’t say | No cap in §520-40 | Yes; a new owner reapplies | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Henrietta | No ADU rules yet | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Hilton | Allowed with a special use permit | Outside the ADU definition | 700 sq ft or 35% of the house, whichever is smaller | Yes | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Honeoye Falls | Allowed with a special use permit | Conversion of a conforming existing accessory structure; a new standalone cottage needs… | No ADU-specific cap; accessory and district limits apply | Yes, nine months a year; rent only one unit | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Irondequoit | Allowed with a special use permit | Yes, an in-law unit may be attached or detached | District height, coverage and bulk rules; no separate cap found | Ask the town | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Mendon | No ADU rules yet | No. Not allowed: one principal building or use on any lot (§260-8B) | Large per-unit minimums (RA 1,200 to 1,500 sq ft per unit) | One unit owner-occupied under the two-family route | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Ogden | Allowed with a special use permit (family only) | No under the in-law route | 750 sq ft | Owners and blood relatives only; no rental | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Parma | Allowed with a special use permit (family only) | Yes, an apartment in an accessory building | 550 sq ft or 35% of the house, whichever is GREATER; accessory-building limits may be… | Yes; occupant related to the owner by blood, marriage, adoption or other domestic bond | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Penfield | Allowed with a permit (family only) | No under the in-law route | No more than 30% of the total area of the residence | Family occupancy affidavit, re-verified every three years; a change of ownership ends… | October 4, 2026 |
| Town of Perinton | No ADU rules yet | No. Living in accessory buildings is barred in the covered residential districts | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Pittsford | No ADU rules yet | No independent route found | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Pittsford | Allowed with a special use permit | Yes, a rear accessory structure with at least 500 sq ft of habitable area | No square-foot cap; house-size and structure-size tests apply | Yes | October 4, 2026 |
| Town of Riga | Allowed with a special use permit | Code doesn’t say | Two-family standard: at least 1,040 sq ft per residence (ask how it applies to an… | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| City of Rochester | New rules proposed, not law yet | No general current route; guest quarters cannot be rented | Conversion: building at least 1,500 sq ft and lot at least 6,000 sq ft, plus unit minimums | Not required in the cited conversion provisions | October 4, 2026 |
| Town of Rush | Allowed with a special use permit (family only) | Only in a qualifying building that existed before June 1, 2002 | 400 to 800 sq ft; no more than 25% of the house when inside it | Yes, at least nine months a year; occupants are relatives or domestic employees | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Scottsville | Allowed with a special use permit | Conversion of existing buildings; new cottages need an interpretation | 300 to 800 sq ft and no more than 33% of combined floor area | Yes, six months a year; never rent both units | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Spencerport | Allowed with a special use permit (family only) | No under the in-law route | 900 sq ft inside an existing structure; 700 sq ft for an addition | Yes; specified relatives only | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Sweden | No ADU rules yet | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Webster | Allowed with a permit | Yes, in a qualifying accessory building on a lot at least twice the district minimum | Internal: 750 sq ft or 35% of the house, whichever is smaller. Detached: 500 sq ft or… | Owner-occupancy clause applies; how it applies to detached units needs confirmation | September 16, 2026 |
| Village of Webster | No ADU rules yet | Code doesn’t say | At least 600 sq ft per unit and 5,000 sq ft of lot per unit (conversion route) | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
| Town of Wheatland | No ADU rules yet | Code doesn’t say | Per-unit minimums 800 to 1,300 sq ft | Code doesn’t say | September 16, 2026 |
Dates link to the code we read. “No ADU rules yet” means we found no ADU rules in the code. That isn’t permission, and some codes allow only one home or one main building on a lot: here’s what to do.
Room for what comes next
Planning an ADU in Monroe County?
Understand the rules, compare your options and make a list of questions for your municipality.