Ridgewood, NJ Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Ridgewood is a Bergen County village of about 26,000 residents with five primary residential zone districts (R-125, R-110, R-1, R-2, R-3). Chapter 190, Article X (Zoning) of the Village Code regulates principal uses, accessory uses, and structures. Section 190-118.2E authorizes accessory uses customarily incident to principal uses, but expressly excludes any activity commonly conducted for gain unless specifically permitted. Section 190-124 lists special regulations for certain accessory uses and structures: detached accessory buildings, recreational facilities accessory to residential uses (basketball, tennis, paddleball courts and similar), playhouses, tree houses, amateur radio stations, and family day-care homes are addressed individually, but a stand-alone or attached accessory dwelling unit is not enumerated. Two-family dwellings and multi-family uses are permitted only in specific zones identified in the district schedule, not as accessory units in single-family R Districts. Because NJ has no statewide right to build an ADU as of 2026, a homeowner who wants to add a separate dwelling unit in Ridgewood typically needs a use variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment under N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(d). All habitable construction is regulated by the NJ Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23) and requires a permit from the Ridgewood Building Department.