ADU · Monroe County
Can you build an ADU in Hilton, NY?
Village of Hilton has 2 districts. 1 district prohibits ADUs, 1 requires a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Hilton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential (R) — 8,000 sf (0.18 acres) with 60 ft of lot width, side setback 8 ft, rear setback 8 ft, maximum dwelling height 35 ft and a MAXIMUM BUILDING LOT COVERAGE OF 70%, by a wide margin the highest residential coverage allowance recorded in Monroe County. THE FRONT SETBACK IS CONTEXTUAL, NOT FIXED, AND THE RECORDED 20 FT IS A FALLBACK RATHER THAN A STANDARD. Schedule 2 footnote 7 provides that 'the minimum front setback for lots abutting roads shall be THE MOST COMMON EXISTING FRONT SETBACK ON THE BLOCK', and only 'in the event that the most common front setback does not exist or cannot be determined' does the 20 ft figure apply. On any built-up Hilton street the neighbours set the building line, not the schedule, so 20 ft is the floor for a greenfield or indeterminate case and must not be quoted as the requirement without walking the block. ACCESSORY BUILDINGS ARE REGULATED SEPARATELY AND BY TYPE, which is unusual: a shed takes 5 ft side and rear setbacks, a 16 ft height cap and a 256 sf footprint cap, while a garage takes 8 ft side and rear, a 25 ft height cap and a 720 sf footprint cap. Both must be erected BEHIND the front main foundation line of the principal dwelling (footnote 1), which is why the accessory front setback reads 'not specified'. THE 70% COVERAGE FIGURE IS A BUILDING-LOT-COVERAGE FIGURE, and combined with the 256 sf and 720 sf accessory footprint caps it means the constraint on a Hilton lot is the setback envelope and the accessory caps rather than the percentage. THE USE LIST IS THE MOST PERMISSIVE IN THE COUNTY — see `aduNotes`: by special permit under Article IV the R District admits a two-family dwelling, single-family attached, a small apartment house, cottage court dwellings, live-work units, an accessory dwelling unit and short-term rentals, none of which appear together in any other Monroe jurisdiction. | 0.1837 ac | 20 / 8 / 8 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Multiple-Residence (MR) — 8,000 sf minimum lot with NO MINIMUM LOT WIDTH STATED, a 35 ft height cap and an 80% maximum building lot coverage, the highest in the village. Apartment houses, multiple dwellings, dwelling groups, condominiums and cooperatives are permitted OUTRIGHT here, unlike the R District where every multi-unit form needs a special permit. MR IS A FLOATING DISTRICT RATHER THAN A MAPPED ONE, AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT ABOUT IT: § 275-14A states that 'an area shall be zoned as an MR District ONLY UPON APPLICATION FOR A SPECIFIC PROPOSAL in accordance with the normal rezoning procedures'. So MR does not sit on the zoning map waiting to be used — a developer must apply to have land rezoned into it, scheme in hand, and the Village Board weighs the proposal against the chapter's general criteria and the current Comprehensive Plan. The stated purpose is explicit that the Village does not want multiple-family development at a scale where 'large areas of the Village become so devoted to such use that single-family residences would appear out of place', which is a policy brake on top of the rezoning discretion. Treat MR capacity as an outcome of a political process, not as an entitlement attaching to any parcel. THE SETBACKS ARE NOT IN THE SCHEDULE'S NORMAL COLUMNS — the row reads 'see notes section' and footnote 2 supplies them in project terms rather than lot terms: no building nearer than 30 FT to the right-of-way of any MAJOR ROAD PERIPHERAL TO THE SITE, no building nearer than 15 FT to the right-of-way of any EXTERIOR PROJECT ROAD (measured from the limits of the paved area where the street is not dedicated), and no building nearer than 15 FT to any INTERIOR LOT LINE other than lot lines defining an individual townhouse unit. The recorded front 30, side 15 and rear 15 map those project-perimeter figures onto the conventional fields; they are not per-lot setbacks in the ordinary sense and a townhouse party-wall line is expressly exempt. | 0.1837 ac | 30 / 15 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Hilton
Short-term rentals allowed for Village of Hilton. HILTON EXPRESSLY PERMITS SHORT-TERM RENTALS AS A NAMED LAND USE, WHICH MAKES IT ONLY THE SECOND MONROE JURISDICTION AFTER MENDON WITH A POSITIVE STR REGIME AND THE FIRST TO PUT IT IN THE ZONING USE LIST RATHER THAN A SEPARATE CHAPTER. § 275-13B(15) lists 'Short-term rentals' as a SPECIAL PERMITTED USE in the Residential (R) District, available 'upon site approval and in accordance with Article IV'. This is a permission, not a prohibition — but it is a discretionary one: an STR in Hilton requires site approval from the Village, so it is neither by-right nor banned. Note the sharp contrast with the Town of Parma, which SURROUNDS this village: Parma's code has no STR provision at all. NEVER CARRY A TOWN FINDING TO ITS VILLAGE OR THE REVERSE — the same split already bit Pittsford (village has an STR law, town has none) and Rockland's Haverstraw. THE ARTICLE IV SITE-APPROVAL STANDARDS ARE WHAT GOVERN AN STR HERE. Pull Article IV before advising anyone that an STR is achievable on a specific Hilton parcel. A separate sweep of all 40 chapters of the Village Code found no standalone rental-licensing chapter of the Gates Ch. 148 or Mendon Ch. 208 kind, so § 275-13B(15) plus Article IV appears to be the whole regime. 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 Code Enforcement at (585) 392-4144. 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 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityRG&E territory.
- Building dept(585) 392-4144
- Last reviewed2026-08-13
ADU FAQ — Hilton, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Hilton, NY?
Village of Hilton has 2 districts. 1 district prohibits ADUs, 1 requires a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (585) 392-4144.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Hilton?
It depends on the district: 1 of 2 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 Hilton?
Short-term rentals allowed for Village of Hilton. 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 Hilton
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 Hilton, priced by size.
More on Hilton: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · All Monroe County towns
ADU information for Village of Hilton 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) 392-4144 before relying on any answer. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.