ADU · Monroe County
Can you build an ADU in Churchville, NY?
Village of Churchville has 3 districts. 2 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 Churchville 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Density Residential (LDR) — 12,000 sf (0.28 acres) for a single-family dwelling with 80 ft of lot width, front yard 35 ft, side yard 8 ft, rear yard 25 ft, maximum building height 35 ft and maximum lot coverage 35%. The village's largest-lot and most restrictive district. LDR IS SINGLE-FAMILY ONLY IN THE STRICTEST SENSE — Table 250-13 scores a two-family dwelling or townhome, multifamily under 5 units and multifamily of 5 to 12 units all as em dashes, meaning barred outright rather than available on a special permit. The ONE route to a second unit here is an ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT by special permit, which makes the ADU disproportionately important in this district. A bed-and-breakfast and a nursing home or assisted-living facility are also special permitted. NOTE THAT THE RECORDED FIGURES ARE THE SINGLE-FAMILY ROW: the same table sets a 20,000 sf minimum and an 80 ft width for any NONRESIDENTIAL use in LDR, and the yard requirements differ by use as well — a nonresidential use owes a 15 ft side yard against a residential 8 ft, and a 35 ft rear yard against 25 ft. Accessory structures take an 8 ft side yard, a 5 ft rear yard and a 15 ft height cap, against the 35 ft primary-structure height. | 0.2755 ac | 35 / 8 / 25 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Traditional Village Residential (TVR) — 8,000 sf (0.18 acres) for a single-family dwelling with just 50 ft of lot width, the narrowest in the village, front yard 20 ft, side yard 8 ft, rear yard 25 ft, height 35 ft and maximum lot coverage 35%. The 20 ft front yard against LDR's 35 ft is what produces the traditional village streetwall this district is named for. TVR IS THE MIDDLE RUNG OF THE VILLAGE'S DENSITY LADDER AND ITS ADDITIONAL UNITS ARE ALL DISCRETIONARY: a two-family dwelling or townhome and a multifamily dwelling under 5 units are each scored SP, so available only by special permit, while multifamily of 5 to 12 units is barred outright. An ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT is also special permitted here. THE LOT MINIMUM CHANGES WITH THE USE AND THE RECORDED FIGURE IS THE SINGLE-FAMILY ONE: a two-family dwelling requires 10,000 sf, and a multifamily dwelling runs on 5,500 SQUARE FEET PER DWELLING UNIT rather than any flat minimum — so a four-unit building needs 22,000 sf, nearly three times the single-family figure, and sizing a multifamily scheme from the recorded 8,000 sf would overstate yield badly. Multifamily also owes a 70 ft lot width against the 50 ft single- or two-family figure. A nonresidential use requires 20,000 sf and 80 ft of width. Accessory structures take an 8 ft side yard, a 5 ft rear yard and a 15 ft height cap. | 0.1837 ac | 20 / 8 / 25 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Medium Density Residential (MDR) — 10,000 sf (0.23 acres) for a single-family dwelling with 60 ft of lot width, front yard 25 ft, side yard 10 ft, rear yard 30 ft, height 35 ft and MAXIMUM LOT COVERAGE 40%, the highest in the village. Note that MDR's single-family lot minimum sits BETWEEN LDR's 12,000 and TVR's 8,000 — the district is 'medium density' by what it permits, not by its lot size, and its yards are actually the largest of the three except for LDR's front. MDR IS THE ONLY DISTRICT WHERE ADDITIONAL UNITS ARE AVAILABLE BY RIGHT: a two-family dwelling or townhome and a multifamily dwelling under 5 units are both scored P, and a multifamily dwelling of 5 to 12 units is available by special permit — the only place in Churchville that use appears at all. AND YET MDR IS THE ONLY DISTRICT WITH NO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT ROUTE — its ADU cell in Table 250-13 is blank while LDR and TVR both carry SP. That inversion is deliberate and is the single most counterintuitive fact in this village: additional density here comes as principal uses, not as an accessory unit. THE RECORDED FIGURES ARE THE SINGLE-FAMILY ROW. A two-family dwelling requires 12,000 sf, and multifamily runs on 5,500 SQUARE FEET PER DWELLING UNIT with a 70 ft width, so a 12-unit scheme needs 66,000 sf — more than six times the recorded minimum. A nonresidential use requires 20,000 sf and 80 ft of width, with a 15 ft side and 35 ft rear yard. Accessory structures take a 10 ft side yard, an 8 ft rear yard and a 15 ft height cap. | 0.2296 ac | 25 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Churchville
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Churchville. NO SHORT-TERM RENTAL PROVISION EXISTS IN CHURCHVILLE. Table 250-13 Uses by Residential District enumerates every residential use across all three districts and contains no short-term rental row, and a sweep of all 39 chapters of the Village Code found no standalone rental, lodging, licensing or registration chapter of the Gates Ch. 148 or Mendon Ch. 208 kind. WHAT CHURCHVILLE DOES PERMIT IS A BED-AND-BREAKFAST, BY SPECIAL PERMIT IN ALL THREE RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS (LDR, TVR and MDR alike), which is a different use and must not be read as authorising a whole-house short-term rental — a bed-and-breakfast in this family of codes is an owner-present lodging use. THE USE TABLE IS A CLOSED MATRIX: every land use is scored P (permitted), SP (special permit) or an em dash per district, so a use that does not appear in the table is not permitted rather than merely unaddressed, and an unlisted whole-house STR therefore has no route short of a use variance or a code amendment. strStatus is recorded 'unknown' rather than 'prohibited' only because that reading has not been confirmed with the Village. NOTE THE CONTRAST WITH THE SURROUNDING TOWN OF RIGA, which likewise has no STR provision but ALSO has no bed-and-breakfast or lodging use at all in its RRA district — so the village is marginally more permissive than its town, and neither finding transfers to the other. New York State's 2025 statewide short-term rental registry (Ch. 99 of the Laws of 2025) obliges every host to register regardless of local law. Confirm with the Building Inspector at (585) 293-3720 x119. 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 minimum0.1837–0.2755 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityRG&E territory.
- Building dept(585) 293-3720 x119
- Last reviewed2026-08-13
ADU FAQ — Churchville, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Churchville, NY?
Village of Churchville has 3 districts. 2 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 (585) 293-3720 x119.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Churchville?
It depends on the district: 2 of 3 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 Churchville?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Churchville. 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 Churchville
Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $200k–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 Churchville, priced by size.
More on Churchville: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · All Monroe County towns
ADU information for Village of Churchville is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-13) 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 (585) 293-3720 x119 before relying on any answer. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.