Schenectady, NY Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Chapter 264 lists accessory home-care units among the accessory uses allowed citywide in Section 264-29B(13), but treats them as a special, temporary category rather than an ordinary accessory building. An applicant needs a special use permit from the Planning Commission under Article XIV before creating one, and the code spells out four ways the unit can be built: inside the existing single-family home, as a permanent attached addition, as a temporary structure attached to or separate from the house, or carved out of an existing accessory structure such as a garage.

Only one home-care unit is allowed per lot, and it cannot contain more than one bedroom. Where the unit is attached, the code requires interior access between the accessory and principal units and limits the property to a single front entrance, pushing any extra entrance to the side or rear; detached and converted units must be sited behind or beside the principal house and screened from neighboring properties with landscaping or fencing under a submitted plan. Applicants must also show the City that existing water and sewer service can handle the extra unit, and the arrangement is explicitly temporary: the special use permit is subject to annual renewal and periodic inspection, and it lapses once the qualifying occupant moves out or the property sells.