Delhi · ADU cost
What it costs to build an ADU in Delhi, NY
An 800 sq ft accessory dwelling unit in Delhi runs roughly $185k–245k, or about $233–305/sq ft, and that per-square-foot figure sits deliberately above the $191–250/sq ft a full house costs here. An ADU still needs one whole kitchen, one whole bath, its own service panel and its own heating plant no matter how small you draw it, and those costs do not shrink with the floor plan, so they land on half the square footage and push the rate up. Whether the village will let you build one is a separate question from what it costs, and it gets answered parcel by parcel rather than townwide, since the Village of Delhi maps 9 districts that treat accessory units differently from one another, so read the table below as a starting point rather than a verdict.
ADU cost by size in Delhi
Standard finish, slab on grade, on a flat and clear part of the lot, general-contractor margin included. These are structure costs at Delaware County pricing, before the service and septic work a second dwelling can trigger.
| Size | Type | $ / sq ft | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 sq ft | Studio | $309–$404 | $125k–160k |
| 600 sq ft | One bedroom | $258–$338 | $155k–205k |
| 800 sq ft | One bedroom, larger | $233–$305 | $185k–245k |
| 1,000 sq ft | Two bedroom | $218–$285 | $220k–285k |
400 sq ft — One room plus a bath. Garage conversions and small backyard cottages land here.
600 sq ft — The most common detached build - a real bedroom, full kitchen, one bath.
800 sq ft — Room for a proper living area. Still a single bath and one kitchen.
1,000 sq ft — About as large as most codes allow an accessory unit to go.
Why the rate is higher than a house
The systems below are priced for an 800 sq ft unit. The middle column is what each system would cost if it simply shrank with the floor plan; the left column is what it actually costs once you account for the equipment a dwelling needs one of regardless of size. The gap between the two columns is the whole reason small builds price the way they do.
| System | $ / sq ft in an ADU | If it scaled with floor area | Fixed per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site work | $7–$10 | $7 | — |
| Foundation | $15–$21 | $15 | — |
| Framing | $24–$30 | $24 | — |
| Envelope - roof, siding, windows | $30–$38 | $30 | — |
| Plumbing | $26–$32 | $15 | 55% |
| Electrical | $17–$22 | $12 | 35% |
| HVAC | $21–$27 | $14 | 45% |
| Insulation | $7–$9 | $7 | — |
| Interior finishes | $30–$40 | $26 | 15% |
| Millwork & cabinetry | $17–$26 | $10 | 55% |
The fixed-per-unit share is a modeling assumption, not a figure from the code: it is our estimate of how much of each system's budget buys equipment a dwelling needs exactly one of - a kitchen rough-in, a bath group, a service panel, a heating plant - and therefore does not shrink when the unit does. Site work, foundation, framing, envelope and insulation are treated as scaling straight with floor area, which understates the premium slightly, because a small building carries more envelope per square foot of floor than a large one.
What the Delhi code says about accessory units
Whether you can build one, and how large, is decided by the district your parcel sits in rather than by the town as a whole. The table shows how each mapped district treats ADUs alongside the lot and setback standards a second unit still has to fit inside. District boundaries and conditions vary, so treat it as a starting point and confirm the district that applies to your parcel.
| District | Min lot | Setbacks F / S / R | Max height | ADU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Rural Residence District — the Village's large-lot rural district, for agriculture and nonfarm or suburban residential use. Minimum land area 40,000 square feet (0.92 acres) per one-family dwelling unit, with 150 feet of lot width at the front building line; a two-family dwelling or pair of semidetached dwellings takes the SAME 40,000 sf and 150 ft, so a second unit costs no additional land here. A pre-existing lot not adjoined by other unoccupied land in the same ownership may still be built on at 20,000 sf and 100 ft of width. Rear yard 50 feet. Side yards: TWO side yards of 20 feet each for a single-family residence (recorded figure); a two-family dwelling takes 40 feet TOTAL with no single side under 14 feet; a semidetached dwelling takes 20 feet. Front yard is 50 feet from the street line or 75 feet from the center line of the street, WHICHEVER REQUIRES THE GREATER SETBACK FROM THE STREET LINE — 50 is recorded because it is the lot-line measure and matches the basis used by frontSetback everywhere else, but on a narrow right-of-way the centerline rule binds harder, so check the actual width. § 300-9E states height purely as a TRADE: for each foot a building exceeds 35 feet, the total width of the two side yards must increase by two feet. So height is bought with side yard and is limited only by the lot — do not read the 35 ft trigger as a maximum. Agriculture is restricted on small lots: animal husbandry, commercial greenhouses and roadside farm stands are all PROHIBITED on lots under five acres. No lot coverage is stated anywhere in § 300-9, so maxLotCoverage is null. NO ADU — see aduNotes; AR is not an R-1/R-2/R-3 district and § 300-59.1 does not reach it. | 0.9183 ac | 50 / 20 / 50 ft | — | No |
| Residence District R-1 — the Village's standard single-family district. Minimum land area 15,000 square feet (0.34 acres) per dwelling with 100 feet of lot width at the front building line; a lot existing before enactment and not adjoined by other unoccupied land in the same ownership may still be built on at 7,500 sf and 65 ft. Rear yard 25 feet. SIDE YARDS ARE A TOTAL, NOT A PER-SIDE FIGURE: two side yards totalling at least 30 feet, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total, which is why 10 feet is the recorded one-side minimum. On a pre-existing lot under 100 feet wide the total may shrink by six inches per foot of deficiency, to a floor of 20 feet total. A nonresidential building takes 60 feet of total side yard, increasing four feet for every foot of height above 35. Maximum height 2 1/2 stories or 30 FEET — the lowest cap in the Village, and a real cap unlike AR's trade. Corner lots take the § 300-13B front-yard rule on BOTH street frontages and need 110 feet of width at the building line parallel to the front street. No lot coverage is stated, so maxLotCoverage is null. FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT A FIXED NUMBER, AND 30 IS THE VACANT-LOT CASE. § 300-13B sets the front yard as the AVERAGE setback of the nearest main buildings within 100 feet on each side, fronting the same side of the street. Where only ONE such building exists, it is the average of that building's setback and 30 feet. Where NO such building exists — the case that governs a vacant parcel, which is why 30 is the recorded figure — it is 30 feet from the street line or 55 feet from the center line of the street, whichever requires the greater setback from the street line, so a narrow right-of-way pushes it back further. A building is never required to sit more than 10 feet behind the front main wall of an adjacent building within 100 feet. Building setback lines established by § 300-49 or by any other Village Board action TAKE PRECEDENCE over all of the above, so check § 300-49 before siting. | 0.3444 ac | 30 / 10 / 25 ft | 30 ft | As of right |
| The recorded 11,000 square feet (0.25 acres) with 85 feet of width is the SINGLE-FAMILY row. § 300-18A then steps down sharply by unit count: a two-family dwelling takes 15,000 sf and 100 ft; a dwelling of THREE OR FOUR units takes 4,000 SQUARE FEET PER DWELLING UNIT on 100 ft of width; and a dwelling of MORE THAN FOUR units takes just 3,500 SQUARE FEET PER UNIT — about 12.4 units per acre before yards. Sizing an apartment scheme off the 11,000 sf single-family figure understates it by roughly threefold. Above two units the required width is 100 feet OR whatever the side yards demand, whichever is greater. A pre-existing lot may still take a single-family dwelling at 7,500 sf and 65 ft. Rear yards are the R-1 figure, 25 feet. SIDE YARDS ARE TOTALS: single-family two side yards totalling 24 feet with no side under EIGHT feet (the recorded figure), reducible six inches per foot of width deficiency on a pre-existing lot under 85 ft to a 18 ft total floor; a two-family takes 30 feet total with no side under 10; three-or-more units take 36 feet total PLUS SIX FEET FOR EVERY UNIT ABOVE THREE, with the narrower side no less than 1/3 of the total — so side yard, like land, is priced per unit. Any accumulated side yard over 60 feet may be applied to outer courts at least 36 ft wide and 38 ft deep. Maximum height three stories or 35 feet. Corner lots need 99 feet of width at the building line parallel to the front street. No lot coverage stated. FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT A FIXED NUMBER, AND 30 IS THE VACANT-LOT CASE. § 300-13B sets the front yard as the AVERAGE setback of the nearest main buildings within 100 feet on each side, fronting the same side of the street. Where only ONE such building exists, it is the average of that building's setback and 30 feet. Where NO such building exists — the case that governs a vacant parcel, which is why 30 is the recorded figure — it is 30 feet from the street line or 55 feet from the center line of the street, whichever requires the greater setback from the street line, so a narrow right-of-way pushes it back further. A building is never required to sit more than 10 feet behind the front main wall of an adjacent building within 100 feet. Building setback lines established by § 300-49 or by any other Village Board action TAKE PRECEDENCE over all of the above, so check § 300-49 before siting. | 0.2525 ac | 30 / 8 / 25 ft | 35 ft | As of right |
| The recorded 7,500 square feet (0.17 acres) with 65 feet of width is the SINGLE-FAMILY row. § 300-23A steps down by unit count: two-family 9,000 sf on 75 ft; THREE OR FOUR units at 3,000 SQUARE FEET PER UNIT; and MORE THAN FOUR units at just 2,500 SQUARE FEET PER UNIT — roughly 17 units per acre before yards, the densest figure in Delhi. Above single-family the required width is 75 feet or whatever the side yards demand, whichever is greater. Rear yards are the R-1 figure, 25 feet. SIDE YARDS ARE TOTALS: single-family two side yards totalling 18 feet with no side under SIX feet (the recorded figure); two-family 24 feet total with no side under eight; three-or-more units 30 feet total PLUS FOUR FEET PER UNIT ABOVE THREE, narrower side no less than 1/3 of the total. Maximum height 60 feet. Corner lots need 83 feet of width at the building line parallel to the front street. § 300-23G adds a BUFFER ZONE requirement where anything other than a single-family residence abuts an R-1 District — check it before massing to the line. No lot coverage stated. FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT A FIXED NUMBER, AND 30 IS THE VACANT-LOT CASE. § 300-13B sets the front yard as the AVERAGE setback of the nearest main buildings within 100 feet on each side, fronting the same side of the street. Where only ONE such building exists, it is the average of that building's setback and 30 feet. Where NO such building exists — the case that governs a vacant parcel, which is why 30 is the recorded figure — it is 30 feet from the street line or 55 feet from the center line of the street, whichever requires the greater setback from the street line, so a narrow right-of-way pushes it back further. A building is never required to sit more than 10 feet behind the front main wall of an adjacent building within 100 feet. Building setback lines established by § 300-49 or by any other Village Board action TAKE PRECEDENCE over all of the above, so check § 300-49 before siting. | 0.1722 ac | 30 / 6 / 25 ft | 60 ft | As of right |
| General Business District — Delhi's Main Street commercial district, and the one district whose RESIDENTIAL standards are borrowed rather than stated. § 300-29A requires all buildings intended for residential use, in whole or in part, to comply with the area and yard requirements of RESIDENCE DISTRICT R-3, which is why the lot, width, setback and yard figures recorded here are R-3's — including R-3's per-unit densities of 3,000 sf (three or four units) and 2,500 sf (more than four), and R-3's unsewered 20,000 sf/unit cliff. An explicit carve-out exempts specified EXISTING buildings on Main Street between Kingston and Bridge Streets and two further Main Street stretches near Kingston, Franklin and a point 375 feet south of Kingston. THE DISTRICT'S OWN BULK RULES ARE COVERAGE AND FAR, AND THEY ARE GENEROUS: maximum lot coverage 80% and a maximum FLOOR AREA RATIO OF FOUR (§ 300-29D), the only FAR in the chapter. Maximum height 60 feet. A single-storey infill building on a block of three-storey neighbours is therefore non-conforming for being too SHORT. Buildings on lots abutting a residential district must meet that district's side or rear yard on the abutting side (§ 300-29B). ADU is recorded as-of-right on the § 300-29A reading — see aduNotes, and confirm with the Code Enforcement Officer. | 0.1722 ac | 30 / 6 / 25 ft | 60 ft | As of right |
| Industrial District I-1 — governed jointly with I-2 by § 300-32, which is why the two rows carry identical figures; they differ in permitted use (§ 300-30), not in bulk. § 300-32B says so expressly, with a single geographic exception: no structure over 40 feet may be built on UPPER ROUTE 10 without Board of Appeals approval (amended 2-23-2009 by L.L. No. 3-2009). § 300-32 likewise states NO minimum lot area, NO minimum width, NO front or rear yard and NO lot coverage of general application, so those fields are null by design. The one dimensional requirement is CONDITIONAL and does not apply to an interior industrial lot: where the property ABUTS A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, § 300-32A requires visual and audio screening plus a minimum side yard of 50 FEET on the residential side, and a rear yard no less than the abutting residential district requires. A street or public right-of-way 30 feet or more wide may be counted toward that 50 ft side yard. sideSetback is null rather than 50 precisely because 50 binds only on the residential-facing side of an abutting lot; recording it as a general figure would overstate the constraint on every other industrial parcel. Non-residential district — no ADU. | — | — | — | No |
| Industrial District I-2 — governed jointly with I-1 by § 300-32; the bulk figures are identical and the districts differ in permitted use under § 300-30. See the I-1 label for the full reading: no height limit except the 40-foot Board-of-Appeals threshold on upper Route 10, no stated minimum lot area, width, front or rear yard or lot coverage, and a conditional 50-foot side yard plus screening only where the property abuts a residential district. Non-residential district — no ADU. | — | — | — | No |
| Land Conservation District — a low-intensity district whose area standard is stated PER ESTABLISHMENT rather than per dwelling unit: minimum 40,000 square feet (0.92 acres) per establishment with 150 feet of lot width at the front building line. The yards are the deepest in the Village: front yard 80 FEET, into which no building construction may encroach at all, and no building closer than 50 FEET to any side or rear property line. No lot coverage is stated. Not an R-1/R-2/R-3 district, so § 300-59.1 gives it no ADU. | 0.9183 ac | 80 / 50 / 50 ft | — | No |
| Planned Development District — a FLOATING district, so the recorded 5 acres is the minimum size of the DISTRICT ITSELF, not a per-lot minimum: § 300-36 says only that "Planned Development Districts shall comprise not less than five acres." That single sentence is the entire area provision. Every other dimensional standard — width, setbacks, height, coverage — is null because the code sets none; they are fixed case by case through the establishment procedure in § 300-37, which is a legislative rezoning rather than a building permit. The practical consequence is that a P-D parcel cannot be underwritten from the code text at all: the first step is an application to create or amend the district, and the standards are whatever that approval sets. Not an R-1/R-2/R-3 district, so § 300-59.1 gives it no ADU as of right; a P-D approval could in principle provide for one. | 5 ac | — | — | No |
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Size limits on record in Delhi
Where the code states a size cap, it decides which row of the cost table above actually applies to you. These are the caps recorded for Delhi:
- Agricultural and Rural Residence District — the Village's large-lot rural district, for agriculture and nonfarm or suburban residential use. Minimum land area 40,000 square feet (0.92 acres) per one-family dwelling unit, with 150 feet of lot width at the front building line; a two-family dwelling or pair of semidetached dwellings takes the SAME 40,000 sf and 150 ft, so a second unit costs no additional land here. A pre-existing lot not adjoined by other unoccupied land in the same ownership may still be built on at 20,000 sf and 100 ft of width. Rear yard 50 feet. Side yards: TWO side yards of 20 feet each for a single-family residence (recorded figure); a two-family dwelling takes 40 feet TOTAL with no single side under 14 feet; a semidetached dwelling takes 20 feet. Front yard is 50 feet from the street line or 75 feet from the center line of the street, WHICHEVER REQUIRES THE GREATER SETBACK FROM THE STREET LINE — 50 is recorded because it is the lot-line measure and matches the basis used by frontSetback everywhere else, but on a narrow right-of-way the centerline rule binds harder, so check the actual width. § 300-9E states height purely as a TRADE: for each foot a building exceeds 35 feet, the total width of the two side yards must increase by two feet. So height is bought with side yard and is limited only by the lot — do not read the 35 ft trigger as a maximum. Agriculture is restricted on small lots: animal husbandry, commercial greenhouses and roadside farm stands are all PROHIBITED on lots under five acres. No lot coverage is stated anywhere in § 300-9, so maxLotCoverage is null. NO ADU — see aduNotes; AR is not an R-1/R-2/R-3 district and § 300-59.1 does not reach it.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- Residence District R-1 — the Village's standard single-family district. Minimum land area 15,000 square feet (0.34 acres) per dwelling with 100 feet of lot width at the front building line; a lot existing before enactment and not adjoined by other unoccupied land in the same ownership may still be built on at 7,500 sf and 65 ft. Rear yard 25 feet. SIDE YARDS ARE A TOTAL, NOT A PER-SIDE FIGURE: two side yards totalling at least 30 feet, with the narrower no less than 1/3 of that total, which is why 10 feet is the recorded one-side minimum. On a pre-existing lot under 100 feet wide the total may shrink by six inches per foot of deficiency, to a floor of 20 feet total. A nonresidential building takes 60 feet of total side yard, increasing four feet for every foot of height above 35. Maximum height 2 1/2 stories or 30 FEET — the lowest cap in the Village, and a real cap unlike AR's trade. Corner lots take the § 300-13B front-yard rule on BOTH street frontages and need 110 feet of width at the building line parallel to the front street. No lot coverage is stated, so maxLotCoverage is null. FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT A FIXED NUMBER, AND 30 IS THE VACANT-LOT CASE. § 300-13B sets the front yard as the AVERAGE setback of the nearest main buildings within 100 feet on each side, fronting the same side of the street. Where only ONE such building exists, it is the average of that building's setback and 30 feet. Where NO such building exists — the case that governs a vacant parcel, which is why 30 is the recorded figure — it is 30 feet from the street line or 55 feet from the center line of the street, whichever requires the greater setback from the street line, so a narrow right-of-way pushes it back further. A building is never required to sit more than 10 feet behind the front main wall of an adjacent building within 100 feet. Building setback lines established by § 300-49 or by any other Village Board action TAKE PRECEDENCE over all of the above, so check § 300-49 before siting.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- The recorded 11,000 square feet (0.25 acres) with 85 feet of width is the SINGLE-FAMILY row. § 300-18A then steps down sharply by unit count: a two-family dwelling takes 15,000 sf and 100 ft; a dwelling of THREE OR FOUR units takes 4,000 SQUARE FEET PER DWELLING UNIT on 100 ft of width; and a dwelling of MORE THAN FOUR units takes just 3,500 SQUARE FEET PER UNIT — about 12.4 units per acre before yards. Sizing an apartment scheme off the 11,000 sf single-family figure understates it by roughly threefold. Above two units the required width is 100 feet OR whatever the side yards demand, whichever is greater. A pre-existing lot may still take a single-family dwelling at 7,500 sf and 65 ft. Rear yards are the R-1 figure, 25 feet. SIDE YARDS ARE TOTALS: single-family two side yards totalling 24 feet with no side under EIGHT feet (the recorded figure), reducible six inches per foot of width deficiency on a pre-existing lot under 85 ft to a 18 ft total floor; a two-family takes 30 feet total with no side under 10; three-or-more units take 36 feet total PLUS SIX FEET FOR EVERY UNIT ABOVE THREE, with the narrower side no less than 1/3 of the total — so side yard, like land, is priced per unit. Any accumulated side yard over 60 feet may be applied to outer courts at least 36 ft wide and 38 ft deep. Maximum height three stories or 35 feet. Corner lots need 99 feet of width at the building line parallel to the front street. No lot coverage stated. FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT A FIXED NUMBER, AND 30 IS THE VACANT-LOT CASE. § 300-13B sets the front yard as the AVERAGE setback of the nearest main buildings within 100 feet on each side, fronting the same side of the street. Where only ONE such building exists, it is the average of that building's setback and 30 feet. Where NO such building exists — the case that governs a vacant parcel, which is why 30 is the recorded figure — it is 30 feet from the street line or 55 feet from the center line of the street, whichever requires the greater setback from the street line, so a narrow right-of-way pushes it back further. A building is never required to sit more than 10 feet behind the front main wall of an adjacent building within 100 feet. Building setback lines established by § 300-49 or by any other Village Board action TAKE PRECEDENCE over all of the above, so check § 300-49 before siting.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- The recorded 7,500 square feet (0.17 acres) with 65 feet of width is the SINGLE-FAMILY row. § 300-23A steps down by unit count: two-family 9,000 sf on 75 ft; THREE OR FOUR units at 3,000 SQUARE FEET PER UNIT; and MORE THAN FOUR units at just 2,500 SQUARE FEET PER UNIT — roughly 17 units per acre before yards, the densest figure in Delhi. Above single-family the required width is 75 feet or whatever the side yards demand, whichever is greater. Rear yards are the R-1 figure, 25 feet. SIDE YARDS ARE TOTALS: single-family two side yards totalling 18 feet with no side under SIX feet (the recorded figure); two-family 24 feet total with no side under eight; three-or-more units 30 feet total PLUS FOUR FEET PER UNIT ABOVE THREE, narrower side no less than 1/3 of the total. Maximum height 60 feet. Corner lots need 83 feet of width at the building line parallel to the front street. § 300-23G adds a BUFFER ZONE requirement where anything other than a single-family residence abuts an R-1 District — check it before massing to the line. No lot coverage stated. FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT A FIXED NUMBER, AND 30 IS THE VACANT-LOT CASE. § 300-13B sets the front yard as the AVERAGE setback of the nearest main buildings within 100 feet on each side, fronting the same side of the street. Where only ONE such building exists, it is the average of that building's setback and 30 feet. Where NO such building exists — the case that governs a vacant parcel, which is why 30 is the recorded figure — it is 30 feet from the street line or 55 feet from the center line of the street, whichever requires the greater setback from the street line, so a narrow right-of-way pushes it back further. A building is never required to sit more than 10 feet behind the front main wall of an adjacent building within 100 feet. Building setback lines established by § 300-49 or by any other Village Board action TAKE PRECEDENCE over all of the above, so check § 300-49 before siting.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- General Business District — Delhi's Main Street commercial district, and the one district whose RESIDENTIAL standards are borrowed rather than stated. § 300-29A requires all buildings intended for residential use, in whole or in part, to comply with the area and yard requirements of RESIDENCE DISTRICT R-3, which is why the lot, width, setback and yard figures recorded here are R-3's — including R-3's per-unit densities of 3,000 sf (three or four units) and 2,500 sf (more than four), and R-3's unsewered 20,000 sf/unit cliff. An explicit carve-out exempts specified EXISTING buildings on Main Street between Kingston and Bridge Streets and two further Main Street stretches near Kingston, Franklin and a point 375 feet south of Kingston. THE DISTRICT'S OWN BULK RULES ARE COVERAGE AND FAR, AND THEY ARE GENEROUS: maximum lot coverage 80% and a maximum FLOOR AREA RATIO OF FOUR (§ 300-29D), the only FAR in the chapter. Maximum height 60 feet. A single-storey infill building on a block of three-storey neighbours is therefore non-conforming for being too SHORT. Buildings on lots abutting a residential district must meet that district's side or rear yard on the abutting side (§ 300-29B). ADU is recorded as-of-right on the § 300-29A reading — see aduNotes, and confirm with the Code Enforcement Officer.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- Industrial District I-1 — governed jointly with I-2 by § 300-32, which is why the two rows carry identical figures; they differ in permitted use (§ 300-30), not in bulk. § 300-32B says so expressly, with a single geographic exception: no structure over 40 feet may be built on UPPER ROUTE 10 without Board of Appeals approval (amended 2-23-2009 by L.L. No. 3-2009). § 300-32 likewise states NO minimum lot area, NO minimum width, NO front or rear yard and NO lot coverage of general application, so those fields are null by design. The one dimensional requirement is CONDITIONAL and does not apply to an interior industrial lot: where the property ABUTS A RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, § 300-32A requires visual and audio screening plus a minimum side yard of 50 FEET on the residential side, and a rear yard no less than the abutting residential district requires. A street or public right-of-way 30 feet or more wide may be counted toward that 50 ft side yard. sideSetback is null rather than 50 precisely because 50 binds only on the residential-facing side of an abutting lot; recording it as a general figure would overstate the constraint on every other industrial parcel. Non-residential district — no ADU.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- Industrial District I-2 — governed jointly with I-1 by § 300-32; the bulk figures are identical and the districts differ in permitted use under § 300-30. See the I-1 label for the full reading: no height limit except the 40-foot Board-of-Appeals threshold on upper Route 10, no stated minimum lot area, width, front or rear yard or lot coverage, and a conditional 50-foot side yard plus screening only where the property abuts a residential district. Non-residential district — no ADU.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- Land Conservation District — a low-intensity district whose area standard is stated PER ESTABLISHMENT rather than per dwelling unit: minimum 40,000 square feet (0.92 acres) per establishment with 150 feet of lot width at the front building line. The yards are the deepest in the Village: front yard 80 FEET, into which no building construction may encroach at all, and no building closer than 50 FEET to any side or rear property line. No lot coverage is stated. Not an R-1/R-2/R-3 district, so § 300-59.1 gives it no ADU.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
- Planned Development District — a FLOATING district, so the recorded 5 acres is the minimum size of the DISTRICT ITSELF, not a per-lot minimum: § 300-36 says only that "Planned Development Districts shall comprise not less than five acres." That single sentence is the entire area provision. Every other dimensional standard — width, setbacks, height, coverage — is null because the code sets none; they are fixed case by case through the establishment procedure in § 300-37, which is a legislative rezoning rather than a building permit. The practical consequence is that a P-D parcel cannot be underwritten from the code text at all: the first step is an application to create or amend the district, and the standards are whatever that approval sets. Not an R-1/R-2/R-3 district, so § 300-59.1 gives it no ADU as of right; a P-D approval could in principle provide for one.Maximum 1,000 sq ft, and if internal it may not exceed 40% of the primary use area of the principal building
Costs an ADU adds that a house does not
- Septic and water A second dwelling adds bedrooms to the design flow, which on an unsewered parcel often means expanding or replacing the existing system rather than tapping it. This is the single most common reason an ADU budget moves after design, and it is site-specific enough that no model should quote it - get it evaluated early.
- Utility service A detached unit needs power run to it, and whether it goes on its own meter or subfeeds the main house changes both the cost and the permit path.
- Access and parking Many codes require an added parking space for the accessory unit, and a detached unit usually needs a driveway extension or a path, both of which count against a lot-coverage or impervious-surface cap.
- Short-term rentalsNo local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission. NO short-term-rental regime was found, and the code itself says so obliquely: § 300-59.1O, written in April 2026, provides that "Short-term rental regulation, if any, shall be governed by the Village's general STR provisions" — the "if any" is the Village acknowledging it may have none. A full code search surfaces no STR chapter. ABSENCE IS NOT PERMISSION: recorded unknown rather than permitted. WHAT DOES EXIST IS CHAPTER 228, RENTAL OCCUPANCY PERMITS — a general rental-permit regime (§ 228-4 application, § 228-7 term and renewal, § 228-8 transfer, § 228-11 revocation) that on its face reaches ANY rental occupancy, short-term included. It is not an STR law and confers no zoning permission, but a buyer underwriting rental income will need a Ch. 228 permit regardless of term. The only transient-lodging use in the zoning chapter is § 300-42 Motels, plus § 300-40 bed-and-breakfast homes and inns. Confirm current STR status with the Village before relying on this. Separate question from whether you can build the unit.
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Building a full house instead?
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ADU cost in nearby towns
Andes
800 sq ft ≈ $185k–245k
Delhi
800 sq ft ≈ $185k–245k
Franklin
800 sq ft ≈ $185k–245k
Middletown
800 sq ft ≈ $185k–245k
Sidney
800 sq ft ≈ $185k–245k
Walton
800 sq ft ≈ $185k–245k
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More on Delhi: Can you build an ADU here? · Zoning for new construction · Delaware County build cost
ADU cost in Delhi: common questions
How much does it cost to build an ADU in Delhi, NY?
An 800 sq ft accessory dwelling unit in Village of Delhi runs roughly $185k–245k at a standard finish, general-contractor margin included. A 400 sq ft studio runs about $125k–160k. Those are structure costs on an easy site and do not include the septic, water or electrical service work a second unit often triggers.
Why does an ADU cost more per square foot than a house in Delhi?
Because a lot of a dwelling's cost is per dwelling, not per square foot. One kitchen, one bath group, one service panel and one heating plant cost about the same in an 800 sq ft cottage as in a 1,800 sq ft house, so on the smaller unit they get spread over less than half the floor area. That is why an ADU here prices at $233–305/sq ft against $191–250/sq ft for a full house, even though it is the same trades doing the same work.
Are ADUs allowed in Delhi?
Village of Delhi has 9 districts. 5 districts prohibit ADUs, 4 allow them. Check the specific address with the free ADU checker or confirm with the building department before you spend money on design.
Can I rent an ADU in Delhi short term?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Delhi. ADU rules and short-term-rental rules are set separately, so a unit you are allowed to build is not automatically one you are allowed to rent nightly. Confirm both before you underwrite the build on short-term-rental income.
ADU costs are modeled estimates in current 2026 dollars at the Delaware County regional index, general-contractor margin included, derived from Offsite's cost engine with a stated adjustment for the equipment a dwelling needs one of regardless of size. They are planning numbers for decision-support only - not a bid, quote, or guarantee, and not legal, architectural or engineering advice. They cover the structure and exclude septic expansion, utility service runs, site work beyond a flat and clear pad, and permit fees. ADU eligibility, size, owner-occupancy and permit conditions in the Village of Delhi vary by district and often carry exceptions this page does not show; zoning last reviewed 2026-08-18; verify with the municipality before relying on any answer. Sources: Offsite / Aldo cost engine (costEngine.js + constants.js); zoning dataset (municipalData.js).