Oyster Bay, NY Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

3 governs converting an attached garage to living space in any Residence District or in the NB or GB Business Districts. Three conditions must all be met before the Department of Planning and Development will sign off. First, the garage cannot have been built pursuant to a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals; a garage that only exists because the ZBA granted relief from normal setback or yard rules cannot later be converted, since that would compound the nonconformity. 2. Third, and often the sticking point for owners, the conversion cannot happen until three years after the certificate of occupancy was issued for the garage itself, not for the house.

That waiting period is meant to stop a builder from putting up a garage on paper and converting it to a bedroom or family room before the town ever gets to evaluate it as a garage. Even after the three years pass, the homeowner still has to keep the required amount of off-street parking on the site, meaning the driveway or another paved area has to make up for the parking capacity the garage used to provide. 20, Private garages, carports and storage sheds), alongside separate rules for detached garages on corner lots and for small storage sheds under 100 square feet. The section was last amended by Local Law No. 1-2021, adopted 2-23-2021.