Cheektowaga, NY Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Section 201-6D lists what cannot become a registered short-term rental in the Town: a detached accessory building, other than an authorized accessory dwelling unit as defined in Chapter 201, a vehicle including a recreational vehicle or camper van, a trailer, a tent, or mobile residential equipment other than a mobile home may not be registered as a short-term rental. The carve-out is narrow: only a detached structure that already qualifies as an authorized accessory dwelling unit under the Town's own ADU rules escapes the ban, while every other backyard structure, from a garage conversion to a converted shed, is off-limits for short-term letting no matter how habitable it is made.

This sits alongside § 201-4's definition of a short-term rental unit, which does reach an accessory structure generally, so the Town treats an ADU as the sole path by which an accessory structure can lawfully carry a short-term rental registration. Read with § 201-7A's property standards, which apply the smoke detector, egress, and septic-capacity rules to whatever structure is registered, the practical effect is that an owner who wants to rent out a backyard building must first secure ADU authorization for it before the Code Enforcement Officer will issue a short-term rental permit for that structure.