ADU · Saratoga County
Can you build an ADU in Halfmoon, NY?
Town of Halfmoon has 12 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
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What the Halfmoon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture-Residence (single-family dwelling: min lot 20,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 30,000 sf with sewer OR water, 40,000 sf with no utilities; min lot width 100 ft on full utilities, 150 ft otherwise; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 50 ft rear. A FARM is held to a larger standard: 80,000 sf, 150 ft width, 30% coverage, and 50 ft one side / 100 ft both sides. A two-family dwelling is a special-permit use at 40,000 sf regardless of utility service. Permitted uses include farms, equestrian facilities, commercial woodlots and reforestation areas alongside one-family dwellings. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.46 ac | 50 / 15 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residence 1 (min lot 20,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 30,000 sf with sewer OR water, 40,000 sf with no utilities; min lot width 100 ft on full utilities, 150 ft otherwise; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 50 ft rear. Schedule A gives A-R and R-1 a SHARED row — their single-family standards are genuinely identical; the districts differ in what else they permit, not in dimensions. A two-family dwelling is a special-permit use at 40,000 sf regardless of utility service, and its coverage rises to 30% where there are no utilities. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.46 ac | 50 / 15 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residence 2 (Schedule A states 'General — Same as R-1 above', so the dimensional standards are identical to R-1: min lot 20,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 30,000 sf with sewer OR water, 40,000 sf with no utilities; 100 ft lot width on full utilities, 150 ft otherwise; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 50 ft rear. R-2 is a distinct mapped district, not an overlay — what sets it apart is that a MOBILE HOME PARK is a special-permit use here, regulated by the Town's Trailer Ordinance rather than by Schedule A. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.46 ac | 50 / 15 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Residence 3 — the Town's multifamily residence district (single-family and two-family dwellings follow the R-1 standards: 20,000 sf on full utilities, 20% coverage, 50 ft rear. The district's own standards apply to larger buildings — a THREE-FAMILY dwelling needs 30,000 sf with public sewer and water, 40,000 sf with one, 50,000 sf with none; a FOUR-FAMILY dwelling needs 40,000 / 50,000 / 60,000 sf on the same ladder. For both, lot width is 150 ft, maximum building coverage 25%, height 35 ft, and yards are 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 30 ft rear — note the rear yard drops from R-1's 50 ft to 30 ft. The recorded figures are the single/two-family case, which is the entry point; step up to the 3- and 4-family figures above for multifamily. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.46 ac | 50 / 15 / 50 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Professional Office/Residence (min lot 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with sewer OR water, 45,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 70 ft front — the deepest front yard in the Town alongside the Route 146 corridor; 10 ft one side / 25 ft both sides, 30 ft rear; minimum 20% GREEN SPACE, a separate landscaped-area requirement on top of the coverage cap. All uses allowed by special permit in R-1 are also available here. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.57 ac | 70 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Commercial (min lot 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with sewer OR water, 45,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review and approval; 35 ft height, and heights above 35 ft may be submitted to the Planning Board as part of the site plan; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. Where a side or rear yard adjoins a residential zone the transition yard requirements of § 165-32F apply instead. The 25,000 sf minimum is itself conditioned on site plan approval and on the ability to meet parking, setback and green-space requirements and to connect to public sewer and water. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.57 ac | 50 / 15 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Light Industrial-Commercial (min lot 40,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 50,000 sf with sewer OR water, 60,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 30 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. Transition yard requirements under § 165-32F apply where the lot adjoins a residential zone. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.92 ac | 50 / 15 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Industrial (min lot 40,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 50,000 sf with sewer OR water, 60,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. Transition yard requirements under § 165-32F apply where the lot adjoins a residential zone. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.92 ac | 50 / 15 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Clean Manufacturing (shares the M-1 row in Schedule A: min lot 40,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 50,000 sf with sewer OR water, 60,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. IMPORTANT: any RESIDENTIAL use in M-2 must instead meet the Schedule A requirements for residential uses in the R-1/A-R districts, per Schedule A note 8. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.92 ac | 50 / 15 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Neighborhood Business (min lot 20,000 sf; 100 ft lot width; 20% maximum building coverage; 35 ft height; 50 ft front, 10 ft one side / 25 ft both sides, 30 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. The Planning Board may consider a minimum 10,000 sf lot under the conditions in § 165-17B(3), so this is the one district with an explicit route to a half-size lot. The smallest-lot commercial district in the Town. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.46 ac | 50 / 10 / 30 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Waterfront Mixed Use (shares the C-1 row in Schedule A: min lot 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with sewer OR water, 45,000 sf with no utilities; 150 ft lot width; 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review; 35 ft height, with greater heights available through site plan review; 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear; minimum 20% green space. IMPORTANT: any RESIDENTIAL use in W-1 must instead meet the Schedule A requirements for residential uses in the R-1/A-R districts, per Schedule A note 8 — so a dwelling here is held to the 20,000 sf residential standard, not the 25,000 sf commercial one. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.57 ac | 50 / 15 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
| Waterfront Commercial (W-2 appears TWICE in Schedule A and the applicable row depends on the use: for uses also permitted in the W-1 District it follows the C-1 row — 25,000 sf with public sewer AND water, 35,000 sf with one, 45,000 sf with none; for uses also permitted in the M-2 District it follows the M-1 row — 40,000 / 50,000 / 60,000 sf on the same utility ladder. Both rows otherwise agree: 150 ft lot width, 50% maximum building coverage subject to site plan review, 35 ft height with greater heights available through site plan review, 50 ft front, 15 ft one side / 30 ft both sides, 25 ft rear, minimum 20% green space. The recorded minimum is the smaller W-1-type figure; step up to 40,000 sf for manufacturing-type uses. RESIDENTIAL uses in W-2 must meet the R-1/A-R residential requirements per Schedule A note 8. Corridor exception: Schedule A's 'Exceptions to minimum dimensions listed in all districts' block overrides the district minimums along named roads regardless of zoning — Route 9 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 146 28,000 sf / 150 ft with a 70 ft front yard; Route 9 at Grooms Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 9 at Guideboard Road 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Route 236 25,000 sf / 150 ft; Routes 4 and 32 west side only a 70 ft front yard, both sides 25,000 sf / 150 ft. Check the frontage road before trusting the district figure.) | 0.57 ac | 50 / 15 / 25 ft | 35 ft | No |
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Halfmoon
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Halfmoon. Short-term rental status not confirmed for the Town of Halfmoon. Chapter 165 (Zoning) defines no short-term-rental, transient-occupancy or tourist-home use, Schedule A lists none, and a review of all 46 chapters of the Town Code found no rental or short-term-rental chapter. The nearest defined use is the BED-AND-BREAKFAST HOMESTAY — a private OWNER-OCCUPIED dwelling with no more than three guest rooms, subordinate to the main residential use, breakfast served to overnight guests only — which is not a whole-house short-term rental. Absence of a found STR provision is NOT permission — call Building & Code Enforcement at (518) 371-7410 x2260 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 minimum0.46 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Building dept(518) 371-7410 x2260
- Last reviewed2026-07-27
ADU FAQ — Halfmoon, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Halfmoon, NY?
Town of Halfmoon has 12 districts. All districts prohibit ADUs. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 371-7410 x2260.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Halfmoon?
No. No district in Town of Halfmoon permits an ADU, so there is no permit to apply for. Codes change, so verify with the building department at (518) 371-7410 x2260 before ruling it out.
Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Halfmoon?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Town of Halfmoon. 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 Halfmoon
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 Halfmoon, priced by size.
More on Halfmoon: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · All Saratoga County towns
ADU information for Town of Halfmoon is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-07-27) 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) 371-7410 x2260 before relying on any answer. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.