Monroe Township (Gloucester County), NJ Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Section 175-157J of the Monroe Township Code, added by Ord. No. O-14-2007 on 4-24-2007 and amended by Ord. No. O:29-2008 on 8-26-2008, sets the accessory dwelling unit rules for Monroe Township in Gloucester County. An accessory dwelling unit is allowed as an accessory use in association with an existing single-family detached dwelling unit. It is a small apartment that is part of an existing single-family owner-occupied home and is clearly secondary to it, with a kitchen, bathroom and no more than one bedroom. In the Pinelands area of the Township, the accessory unit and the existing house are each dwelling units, and both must comply with the density requirements and minimum lot size requirements of their zoning district.

Subsection J(3)(a) permits only one accessory dwelling unit per lot. It sits in the same building as the principal dwelling or in a building accessory to it, and any structure containing it must meet the minimum yard and setback requirements for the principal structure. Subsection J(3)(b) caps floor area at 1,000 square feet or 1/3 the living space of the principal dwelling, whichever is less, without requiring a unit smaller than the New Jersey Mortgage Finance Agency requires for funding purposes.

The approval path is short. Under J(3)(c) the Zoning Officer issues a zoning permit for a new unit or for creating a unit inside an existing building, and Planning Board approval is not required. A building permit then depends on proof of an adequate potable water supply (J(3)(f)) and a septic system adequate for the added occupancy that complies with § 175-149A through I (J(3)(g)). The unit must be in full compliance with all applicable health and construction codes before occupancy (J(3)(h)).

Site rules follow. One off-street parking space is required for each vehicle registered to occupants of the one-bedroom unit, in addition to the principal dwelling's parking (J(3)(i)). The design must maintain the architectural style and character of the main building as a single-family residence (J(3)(j)), exterior stairs go to the rear or side wherever practicable (J(3)(k)), and a home occupation can serve either unit but not both (J(3)(l)).