What’s happening now · as of October 6, 2026
Rochester’s zoning proposal has public hearings scheduled
Rochester City Council’s official calendar lists Zoning Alignment Project (ZAP) hearings on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22, 2026, both starting at 5 PM in City Council Chambers, City Hall Room 302-A, 30 Church Street. Check the official calendar before attending in case the schedule changes.
For speaking or sending written comments, use the City’s official participation instructions linked below; the general public-hearing notes on that page may not match these specially scheduled hearings. ZAP remains a proposal, not adopted law; the current code below still applies unless and until the Council adopts a change.
What the April 2026 draft proposes (not law yet): one ADU per lot with a single-family detached house, no larger than 800 sq ft or the main house, with one bedroom. A newly constructed ADU could be no taller than 15 feet or the main house, whichever is lower. A detached ADU would need to be in the rear yard. An ADU could not be sold separately or have a separate driveway. The ADU definition in §3.9 requires the owner to live in either the main house or the ADU.
The draft’s Table 3-1 lists a special permit for ADUs in Low-Density Residential (LDR), and a permitted use in Medium- and High-Density Residential (MDR and HDR), subject to the draft’s standards and required approvals. Detached ADU development is also listed for Level A site plan review in §20.5.D.1.a.xxi (printed page 263): the city reviews the proposed layout and effects on the site. A project that meets a Level B threshold would receive Level B review instead. This is a proposed zoning path, not a building approval. The draft can still change before adoption.
If you’re in the city: check that your lot has a single-family house, sketch what you’d like, and hold off on paying for drawings until the Council votes.
Official ZAP hearing calendar and participation instructions · Rochester ZAP project site
Rochester is rewriting its zoning (the ZAP project), which would allow ADUs. Today there is no ADU route: adding a unit means converting to a two-family or multifamily home where the district allows it, with size minimums. R-1 districts don’t allow added units.
A change to the ADU rules is being studied but has not been adopted. The current rules still apply.
Whether any of this applies to your lot depends on your zoning district and your property.
The rules we found
| What the code says | New rules proposed, not law yet |
|---|---|
| Detached (backyard) unit | No general current route; guest quarters cannot be rented |
| Inside or attached | No ADU route today; conversion to a two-family home where allowed (R-2, R-3) or multifamily (R-3, or R-2 by special permit) |
| Size limit | Conversion: building at least 1,500 sq ft and lot at least 6,000 sq ft, plus unit minimums |
| Bedrooms | Not applicable |
| Owner must live on site | Not required in the cited conversion provisions |
| How approval works | Bureau of Zoning and Permitting; the ZAP rewrite that would add ADUs was pending, not adopted |
| Other rules | Today a house of at least 1,500 sq ft of living space can be converted into two units where two-family homes are allowed (the R-2 and R-3 districts), on a lot of at least 6,000 sq ft. Minimum unit sizes are 500 sq ft for a studio, 650 for one bedroom and 800 for two. R-1 doesn’t allow adding units. The proposed new zoning code (ZAP) would add ADUs but is not law yet. |
Code section: §120-10 (Rochester current R-1 zoning)
Before you spend money on drawings
- Confirm the City of Rochester governs your lot: it should be the municipality on your property tax bill.
- Find your zoning district on the municipal zoning map; the rules above can differ by district.
- Call or write the code office with your address and what you’re picturing, and ask for the answer and the code section in writing.
- Ask the city’s water and sewer office how the ADU would connect and whether connection fees apply.
Our guides explain the approval process, site and utility checks and what an ADU costs.
Sources
- City of Rochester code: §120-10 (Rochester current R-1 zoning) · official source
- Rochester current R-2 zoning, §§120-17, 120-19
- Rochester supplementary regulations, §§120-163A(1)(g), 120-166
- Official ZAP project documents, April 2026 Final Draft release
- City Planning Commission staff report, June 8 and 10, 2026
- Council legislation and proceedings, 2026 records
- Council seeks public input on Rochester zoning overhaul, Democrat and Chronicle report, September 15, 2026
- City of Rochester ZAP — April 2026 Final Draft, Table 3-1 and §§3.7.A, 3.9 (printed pages 15, 44–45, 49; reviewed October 5, 2026), plus §20.5.D.1.a.xxi (printed pages 262–263; site plan threshold reviewed October 6, 2026)
- City of Rochester — October 2026 City Council calendar and Public Hearing participation instructions (rechecked October 6, 2026)
- Minority Reporter — Rochester City Council to engage public on new zoning plan (Sept. 17, 2026)
- WHEC — Rochester zoning overhaul: hearings Oct. 21–22, Council vote as soon as November (Sept. 2026)
- City of Rochester building or code office
General information, not legal advice. The City of Rochester decides what can be built on your property.