Huntington, NY Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

The Zoning Code's definition of "Garage, Residential" in § 198-2 sets both a build standard and a use restriction for detached garages serving one- and two-family homes. In the R-15, R-10, R-7 and R-5 Residence Districts, a home may have garage space for two vehicles; in R-80, R-40 and R-20, three vehicles are allowed. Whatever the district, a detached garage is limited to one story with a single floor level, may provide no more than 300 square feet per vehicle it accommodates, and cannot exceed the gross floor area otherwise allowed for an accessory building.

" A residential detached garage may still hold storage space on the same floor as the parked vehicles, but finishing the space as a bedroom, den, home gym or accessory apartment falls outside the permitted use entirely, regardless of the garage's square footage. Attached garages are treated differently: § 198-59F folds an attached garage into the main building for yard-requirement purposes, though any interior conversion there still has to satisfy the Building Code and the Town's building-permit process separately. Because the garage-conversion bar sits in the zoning definitions article, a property found in violation is enforced the same way as any other zoning violation, through the Building Inspector's authority under § 198-123.