ADU · Saratoga County
Can you build an ADU in Stillwater, NY?
Village of Stillwater has 3 districts. All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions. Check your address to confirm the district that applies to your parcel:
What the Stillwater 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V3 Neighborhood (the Village's residential transect and its most conventional zone: a 10,000 SQ FT minimum lot — double either mixed-use zone's — with a 40 ft minimum lot width, a 15 ft front setback, 10 ft side and 20 FT REAR yards, 60% maximum coverage and a 2-STORY OR 35 FT height cap. Its yards are the deepest in the Village and its coverage the lowest; V3 is where the code stops being urban. V3 is also the only zone permitting AGRICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL TOURISM USE and roadside farm stands by right, and the only one where a MANUFACTURED HOME OR MANUFACTURED HOME PARK, a CEMETERY or a SELF-STORAGE FACILITY is available at all, each by special use permit. Marinas and other waterfront-related uses are a site-plan use here as in V4. ) | 0.23 ac | 15 / 10 / 20 ft | 35 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| V4 Mixed Use (the Hudson-facing mixed-use transect: a 5,000 SQ FT minimum lot, 30 ft minimum lot width, a 0-10 FT front setback (or 15 ft where the extra depth is used for OUTDOOR DINING OR A PLAZA), a 5 ft rear yard and 75% maximum coverage. BUILD-TO, NOT SET-BACK: § 4.3A says buildings are PREFERRED TO BE BUILT TO THE SIDEWALK in the V4 and V5 zones, or a maximum of 10 FEET from the frontage line — the '0-10 ft' front figure is a BAND with a MAXIMUM, not a minimum, and the only way past 10 ft is the 15 ft permitted expressly for OUTDOOR DINING OR A PLAZA. Pushing a building back is a violation here, not a courtesy. § 4.3B(1) also provides that there is NO SIDE YARD SETBACK AT ALL for buildings that share a party wall. THE USE LIST OPENS UP SHARPLY FROM V3: ONE-FAMILY, TWO-FAMILY AND ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS ARE ALL PERMITTED BY RIGHT, and three- and four-family dwellings, MULTIFAMILY OF FIVE OR MORE, assisted living, mixed-use buildings, LIVE-WORK units, offices, retail, restaurants, banks, hotels, motels and inns are all available by SITE PLAN REVIEW rather than special use permit — a materially lower bar than most of this county applies to the same uses. Craft production, light industrial, drive-through windows and fast-food restaurants need a special use permit. ) | 0.11 ac | 0 / 5 / 5 ft | 40 ft | Occupancy restricted |
| V5 Mixed Use Center (the Village core and its densest zone: a 5,000 SQ FT minimum lot, 30 ft minimum lot width, a 0-10 FT front setback (15 ft for outdoor dining or a plaza), 5 ft side and rear yards, AN 80% MAXIMUM COVERAGE — the highest in the Village — and 3 STORIES OR 40 FT of height. BUILD-TO, NOT SET-BACK: § 4.3A says buildings are PREFERRED TO BE BUILT TO THE SIDEWALK in the V4 and V5 zones, or a maximum of 10 FEET from the frontage line — the '0-10 ft' front figure is a BAND with a MAXIMUM, not a minimum, and the only way past 10 ft is the 15 ft permitted expressly for OUTDOOR DINING OR A PLAZA. Pushing a building back is a violation here, not a courtesy. § 4.3B(1) also provides that there is NO SIDE YARD SETBACK AT ALL for buildings that share a party wall. Uses match V4 with additions: ADULT USE, AUTO SALES, CAR WASH and a VEHICLE SERVICE STATION are available here by special use permit and nowhere else. ONE-FAMILY, TWO-FAMILY AND ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS ARE PERMITTED BY RIGHT; multifamily of five or more, mixed-use buildings and live-work are site-plan uses. ) | 0.11 ac | 0 / 5 / 5 ft | 40 ft | Occupancy restricted |
ADUs vs. short-term rentals in Stillwater
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Stillwater. NO SHORT-TERM-RENTAL PROVISION EXISTS IN THE VILLAGE OF STILLWATER FORM-BASED CODE. A full-text read of the 92-page document returns no 'short-term rental' and no 'vacation rental', and Table 1's Lodging block runs only Bed & Breakfast, Hotel or Motel, and Inn. Recorded 'unknown' rather than 'prohibited': whole-house rental of a permitted dwelling is arguably the residential use itself, and absence of a found provision is NOT permission. SMALL-SCALE RECEPTIONS OR SIMILAR GATHERINGS MAY BE HELD INCIDENTALLY to the primary bed-and-breakfast inn use, subject to the site's size, traffic level, parking count, proximity to adjoining residences and number of restrooms, and confined to the vicinity of the inn — an events allowance most codes of this size do not give at all, and a real revenue line on a Hudson-side property. The bed and breakfast is a SITE PLAN use in all three transect zones (V3, V4 and V5), and a HOTEL, MOTEL or INN is a site plan use in V4 and V5. Get a written answer from the Village office at (518) 664-6258 before underwriting short-term rental income, and expect the owner-residence logic of § 3.5 to be the lens applied. Separately, New York State has required every short-term-rental host to register the unit with the State through the county registry since 2025 regardless of what the municipality allows, and Saratoga County HAS adopted a county-level short-term-rental programme: a 3% occupancy tax and a MANDATORY county registry, covering any room or space in a dwelling let for under 30 consecutive days. Registration runs two years, an unregistered host faces fines of up to $500, and the booking platform is separately liable for processing an unregistered listing — so Airbnb and Vrbo will delist. The City of Saratoga Springs runs its own registry alongside it. 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 minimum0.11 ac — an ADU still has to fit the district's lot and setback envelope.
- UtilityNational Grid territory.
- Building dept(518) 664-6258
- Last reviewed2026-08-02
ADU FAQ — Stillwater, NY
Are ADUs allowed in Stillwater, NY?
Village of Stillwater has 3 districts. All districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions. Check your address with the free ADU checker, or confirm with the building department at (518) 664-6258.
Do I need a special permit for an ADU in Stillwater?
No district in Village of Stillwater requires a special-use permit for an ADU - 3 districts allow ADUs with occupancy restrictions. Site-plan review or a building permit may still apply.
Can I use an ADU as a short-term rental in Stillwater?
No local short-term-rental law on record - which is not the same as permission for Village of Stillwater. 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 Stillwater
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 Stillwater, priced by size.
More on Stillwater: Full zoning for new construction · ADU build cost · House build cost · All Saratoga County towns
ADU information for Village of Stillwater is compiled from the municipal code (last reviewed 2026-08-02) 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) 664-6258 before relying on any answer. Source: Offsite / Aldo zoning dataset, municipalData.js.