New Brunswick, NJ Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

Section 17.03.080.A says private garages attached to the principal residential structure shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet in height, shall be a maximum one story, and shall not be used for any residential, boarding, rooming or lodging purpose. Subsection B applies to detached garages, sheds and green houses: they cannot be used for residential, boarding, rooming or lodging purposes, they stay one story, they cannot have a finished or partially finished attic or basement, and they count in every calculation of lot coverage by building, impervious lot coverage, floor area ratio and maximum building size or floor area.

Section 17.03.040.E separately bars any detached accessory structure erected in a required yard from use as a residential dwelling or rooming unit. Subsection D of § 17.03.080 lets an attached residential garage that is one story and has no use above it except storage encroach to the accessory structure setback for that zone, and § 17.03.180 lets an attached private garage extend into the side or rear yard if it sits no closer than three feet to a side or rear property line and stays within the height limit.

Section 17.02.020 defines habitable space as space in a structure for living, sleeping, eating or cooking, and defines alteration to include any change in use or conversion of a building. Under § 17.08.030.C.3, a new use of an existing structure needs a zoning permit before a certificate of occupancy for a new tenant, and a zoning permit issues only if the application conforms to Title 17 or has been exempted by variance. The code prints no conversion pathway for a garage.