Accessory Structures in Yonkers, NY (2026)
4 verified accessory structures rules for Yonkers, New York, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
ADU Rules
Yonkers allows an accessory apartment inside an existing single-family house only if it satisfies a detailed checklist under Section 43-22: one apartment per lot, no more than two bedrooms, located entirely within the principal dwelling, two off-street parking spaces, and full compliance with the district's bulk requirements. Apartments that don't meet every condition are prohibited outright.
Yonkers Sets Standards for Accessory Apartments
Significant RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 43-22B
(2) Accessory apartments shall be located only in zoning districts in which single-family detached dwellings are permitted uses. (3) An accessory apartment shall be located only on a lot upon which a single-family detached dwelling is the principal use. (4) An accessory apartment shall be located only within the principal dwelling building... (6) The lot upon which an accessory apartment is loc...
ADU Owner Occupancy
An accessory apartment in Yonkers can only keep its legal status if the property owner actually lives in the main house. Section 43-22 conditions every accessory apartment, whether it already has a certificate of occupancy or is being legalized for the first time, on the lot owner occupying and maintaining the principal dwelling as a primary residence.
Yonkers Requires Owner-Occupancy for Accessory Apartments
Significant RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 43-22A, § 43-22B(5)
Accessory apartments which exist as of the date of the adoption of this chapter, and for which a valid certificate of occupancy and/or certificate of completion has been granted by the City of Yonkers and which meet the requirements and conditions of the grant of such certificate of occupancy and/or certificate of completion may be continued. Notwithstanding such requirements and conditions, on...
ADU Rental Restrictions
Yonkers does not allow an accessory apartment to be rented on the open market. Section 43-22 restricts occupancy of any legal accessory apartment, whether pre-existing with a certificate of occupancy or legalized after the fact, to a short list of the owner's relatives: parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews, and nieces.
Yonkers Limits Accessory Apartments to Family Only
Heavy RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 43-22A, § 43-22B(10)
(1) Parents. (2) Children. (3) Grandchildren. (4) Siblings. (5) Nephews and nieces... (10) An accessory apartment shall only be occupied by the following relatives of the lot owner or the lot owner's spouse: (a) Parents. (b) Children. (c) Grandchildren. (d) Siblings. (e) Nephews and nieces.
Shed & Carport Rules
Yonkers City Code § 43-41O scales shed size to lot area: 100 square feet per 5,000 square feet of lot, with an eight-foot height cap and a five-foot setback from every property line. Only one shed or greenhouse and one playhouse are allowed per lot.
Yonkers Shed Size, Height and Setback Limits
Some RestrictionsYonkers City Code § 43-41O
O. Storage sheds, greenhouses and children's playhouses. (1) The maximum size of a greenhouse, storage shed or children's playhouse shall be 100 square feet for each 5,000 square feet of lot area, or a proportion thereof, but in all cases may be at least 100 square feet in size. (2) No more than one storage shed or greenhouse and one children's playhouse shall be permitted. (3) No storage shed,...
Looking for Westchester County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Yonkers city rules.
Accessory Structures in Westchester County →