ADU · Columbia County
Can you build an ADU in Claverack, NY?
Town of Claverack has 9 districts. 8 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 1 does not. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Claverack 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Conservation | 5 ac | 80 / 50 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Rural Residential | 2 ac | 50 / 20 / 40 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Rural Agricultural | 5 ac | 50 / 20 / 40 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Hamlet Residential | 1 ac | 30 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Mobile Home Park | 12 ac | 300 / 15 / 50 ft | 20 ft | No |
| Highway Commercial | 1 ac | 70 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Hamlet Business | 0.5 ac | 30 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Hamlet Business 1 | 1 ac | 30 / 20 / 50 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Commercial Industrial Park | 1 ac | 40 / 25 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
Rural Conservation — THIS FIGURE IS A DENSITY, NOT A LOT MINIMUM. Table 2 heads the row "Minimum lot size or Density of Development as applicable" and prints "density" for RC, RR and RA. § 6.3.1 then allows LOT SIZE AVERAGING in those three districts: an individual lot may be as small as the minimum the Columbia County standards for water and waste treatment allow, provided overall parcel density stays within one dwelling per five acres in RC and RA and one per two acres in RR. The law states no numeric floor for such a lot, so none is recorded. On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 80 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 200 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Commercial or manufacturing building footprint 3,500 sq ft; multifamily structure of 3+ units 5,000 sq ft; institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Rural Residential, Rural Agricultural — THIS FIGURE IS A DENSITY, NOT A LOT MINIMUM. Table 2 heads the row "Minimum lot size or Density of Development as applicable" and prints "density" for RC, RR and RA. § 6.3.1 then allows LOT SIZE AVERAGING in those three districts: an individual lot may be as small as the minimum the Columbia County standards for water and waste treatment allow, provided overall parcel density stays within one dwelling per five acres in RC and RA and one per two acres in RR. The law states no numeric floor for such a lot, so none is recorded. On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 25 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 150 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Commercial or manufacturing building footprint 3,500 sq ft; institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. Table 2 prints N/A for a multifamily structure. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Hamlet Residential — HR halves to 0.5 acre with public sewage OR water, recorded as variants. On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 20 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 80 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Multifamily structure of 3+ units 5,000 sq ft; institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. Table 2 prints N/A for a commercial or manufacturing footprint. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Mobile Home Park — MHP is a Mobile Home Park DISTRICT with a 12-acre minimum lot, a 300 ft front setback and a 20 ft height limit — the most restrictive front yard and the lowest height in the town. On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 25 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 300 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. Table 2 prints N/A for commercial, manufacturing and multifamily footprints, and N/A for lot coverage — MHP publishes no coverage limit. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Highway Commercial — On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 70 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 100 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Building footprint 20,000 sq ft for retail and 45,000 sq ft for non-retail; multifamily structure of 3+ units 2,500 sq ft; institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Hamlet Business — Table 2 prints HB as "0.5 acre min. lot size (.5 w/public sewage or water)" — the with-utility figure is the SAME 0.5 acre, so the parenthetical changes nothing and no variant is recorded. On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 20 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 80 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Commercial or manufacturing building footprint 6,000 sq ft; multifamily structure of 3+ units 5,000 sq ft; institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Hamlet Business 1 — On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 40 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 100 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Commercial or manufacturing building footprint 6,000 sq ft; multifamily structure of 3+ units 5,000 sq ft; institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
Commercial Industrial Park — On a corner lot the side yard abutting the side street is 40 ft — a separate figure from the interior side yard above, and one with no field. Minimum lot FRONTAGE is 150 ft, a separate requirement from the lot width above. Commercial or manufacturing building footprint 100,000 sq ft — by far the largest in the town — and institutional structure 10,000 sq ft. The density Table 2 sets is the TOTAL development potential of a parcel: once used up through subdivision no further subdivision is allowed, and the Planning Board maintains an official parcel map and register of each parcel's remaining allotment (§ 6.3.2). DENSITY BONUS: § 6.4 lets an applicant for a residential subdivision, special exception or site plan earn up to 30% MORE dwelling units than Table 2 allows, for preserving 50%+ of a parcel as agricultural land, for moderately-priced housing or for traditional neighbourhood design. What qualifies is the kind of development, which is not a condition axis, so no bonused figure is recorded.
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Claverack
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Claverack. No local STR ordinance found as of Jun 2026. Columbia County occupancy tax applies. 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 minimum1–12 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityCentral Hudson territory.
- Zoning codewww.claverackny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/455/Town-of-Claverack-Zoning-Law-Local-Law-3-of-2015-PDF
- Building dept(518) 672-4471
- Last reviewed2026-08-16
ADU FAQ — Claverack, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Claverack, NY?
Town of Claverack has 9 districts. 8 districts allow ADUs with a special-use permit, 1 does not. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 672-4471.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Claverack?
It depends on the district: 8 of 9 require a special-use permit, the rest do not. Check the district that applies to your parcel before you design.
Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Claverack?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Claverack. 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 Claverack
Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $195k–260k 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 Claverack, priced by size.
More on Claverack: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · All Columbia County towns
ADU information for Town of Claverack is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-16) 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 (518) 672-4471 before relying on any answer. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.