ADU · Putnam County
Can you build an ADU in Brewster, NY?
Village of Brewster has 10 districts. 9 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 requires a special-use permit. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Brewster 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Family Residential (min lot 7,500 sf; 60 ft frontage; 20 ft front, 12 ft side, 35 ft rear; 25% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 0.5. Density is 1 dwelling unit per lot plus 1 accessory dwelling per lot. Bed-and-breakfast is a special-exception use) | 0.17 ac | 20 / 12 / 35 ft | 35 ft | Special permit |
| Residential (min lot 20,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 25 ft front, 20 ft side, 25 ft corner side, 40 ft rear; 15% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; density 2.5 dwelling units/acre; FAR 0.1. Single-family dwellings — detached, semi-attached or attached — and cluster development are the permitted uses; bed-and-breakfast is a special-exception use) | 0.46 ac | 25 / 20 / 40 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Professional and Business Office (min lot 7,500 sf; 50 ft frontage; 20 ft front, 15 ft side, 20 ft corner side, 15 ft rear; 40% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 1.0. Density 1 dwelling unit/lot or 1 business/lot. Offices, personal services and single-family dwellings are the permitted uses) | 0.17 ac | 20 / 15 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Business 1 — downtown transit-oriented development (min lot 3,500 sf; 30 ft frontage; 0 ft front / 0 ft side / 0 ft rear base setbacks — but the minimum yard for any use abutting a residential use is 10 ft; 50% lot coverage; 5 stories / 60 ft; density 80 bedrooms/acre; FAR 2.50. Retail, restaurants, offices, art galleries, theaters and multifamily dwellings (residential limited to upper floors) are permitted; drive-through windows are prohibited. § 263-9 grants additional story/height/density/FAR/open-space incentives for TOD projects, so the figures shown are the BASE standards) | 0.08 ac | 0 / 0 / 0 ft | 60 ft | No |
| Business 2 — highway commercial (min lot 10,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 10 ft front, 10 ft side, 30 ft rear; 50% lot coverage; 3 stories / 35 ft; FAR 1.5. Retail, personal services, restaurants, offices, gasoline stations and automobile dealerships/repair (with 1,000 ft separation requirements). No residential use listed) | 0.23 ac | 10 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Business 3 (min lot 5,000 sf; 30 ft frontage; 10 ft front, 10 ft side, 15 ft rear; 50% lot coverage; 3 stories / 35 ft; FAR 2. Density 1 dwelling unit/lot for a single-family home and 64 bedrooms/acre for townhomes. Retail, offices, single- and multiple-family dwellings, townhomes/two-family, community and civic uses are permitted; § 263-11 grants additional story/height/density incentives so the figures shown are BASE standards) | 0.11 ac | 10 / 10 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Mixed-Use (min lot 5,000 sf for residential use, 8.9 acres for nonresidential or mixed use; 50 ft frontage; residential setbacks 20 ft front / 25 ft side / 15 ft rear, nonresidential or mixed-use setbacks 30 ft on all yards, and the minimum yard for any nonresidential/mixed use abutting a residential use is 35 ft; 40% lot coverage; 2 1/2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 1.0. Density is 1 dwelling unit per lot for residential single-family; multifamily/townhome dwelling units may not exceed 32 bedrooms/acre. Single- and multiple-family dwellings, townhomes, artist lofts/studios/galleries, offices and business-incubator/co-working spaces are permitted) | 0.11 ac | 20 / 25 / 15 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Office Park (min lot 40,000 sf; 200 ft frontage; 25 ft front, 20 ft side, 10 ft rear; 37.5% lot coverage; base 4 stories / 45 ft, rising to a maximum building height of 70 ft where self-contained parking is provided within the structure; FAR 0.8. Offices, medical clinics/laboratories, pharmacy, physical therapy and research facilities are the permitted uses) | 0.92 ac | 25 / 20 / 10 ft | 45 ft | No |
| Light Manufacturing and Wholesale (min lot 25,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 40 ft front, 15 ft side, 50 ft rear; 50% lot coverage; 3 stories / 35 ft; FAR 0.6. Light manufacturing, warehousing/wholesale, retail, general business, indoor/outdoor and self-storage, and offices are permitted) | 0.57 ac | 40 / 15 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Conservation (min lot 60,000 sf; 100 ft frontage; 25 ft front, 15 ft side, 35 ft rear; 5% lot coverage; 2 stories / 35 ft; FAR 0.05. Conservation and recreation areas are the permitted uses — a very low-intensity open-space district) | 1.38 ac | 25 / 15 / 35 ft | 35 ft | No |
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Brewster
Short-term-rental status not confirmed for Village of Brewster. Short-term rental status not confirmed for the Village of Brewster. Chapter 263 (Zoning) does not list a short-term-rental or transient-occupancy use in any district's Zoning Schedule, and the Village Code has no dedicated rental/short-term-rental chapter; the nearest listed use is 'bed-and-breakfast', a special-exception use in the B3, PB, R and R20 districts, which is not a whole-house short-term rental. Absence of a found STR provision is NOT permission — call the Building Department at (845) 279-3760 to confirm before listing a property. Separately, since 2025 New York State requires every short-term-rental host to register the unit with the State through the county registry, regardless of what the municipality allows. 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 minimum0.17–0.46 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityNYSEG territory.
- Building dept(845) 279-3760
- Last reviewed2026-07-24
ADU FAQ — Brewster, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Brewster, NY?
Village of Brewster has 10 districts. 9 districts prohibit ADUs, 1 requires a special-use permit. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (845) 279-3760.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Brewster?
It depends on the district: 1 of 10 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 Brewster?
Short-term-rental status not confirmed for Village of Brewster. 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 Brewster
Permission is one question and budget is another. An 800 sq ft accessory unit here runs roughly $215k–285k 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 Brewster, priced by size.
More on Brewster: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · All Putnam County towns
ADU information for Village of Brewster is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-24) 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 (845) 279-3760 before relying on any answer. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.