Proposed Law Would Legalize Accessory Dwelling Units in New York State

New York State Assemblymember Harvey Epstein and New York State Senator Pete Harckham recently introduced legislation to legalize accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the state of New York.

The New York State Accessory Homes Enabling Act would direct local governments to legalize ADU permitting while allowing some flexibility for locality-specific considerations.

New York ADU Legalization, a coalition of advocates supporting the legislation, put out a press release announcing and explaining the proposed legislation:

The New York State Department of State would work with local governments to make sure local laws meet state requirements and protect both homeowners and renters. And the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal would create a financing program to make sure low- and moderate-income homeowners are able to access the benefits of ADUs.

Assemblymember Harvey Epstein also put out a statement touting the proposed law as an affordable housing measure. "ADU legalization would open up opportunities for hundreds of thousands of affordable units to be placed on the market to beat back the housing crisis, as well as generate more tax revenue to help fill looming budget gaps," said Epstein in the statement.

The Regional Plan Association also put out a statement in support of the proposed law, saying that more permissive ADU laws is especially critical in light of the pandemic.