Build an ADU in Newton.
New Hampshire's HB 577 lets you add one accessory dwelling unit on your single-family lot in Newton — by-right. A detached ADU can be up to 950 sf, and ADU setbacks match your lot's single-family setbacks.
6 districts
Each district's single-family setbacks — which your ADU follows. The primary residential district is highlighted.
Verified against the official Newton zoning ordinance · source · 2026-07-07
- Front
- 65 ft
- Side
- 25 ft
- Rear
- 25 ft
- Max coverage
- —
- Min lot
- 60,000 sf (~1.38 ac)
Newton's principal single-family district: only a one-family dwelling is permitted (Sec XIV.1), and Residential A is the default zone for all land not placed in another zone (Sec VII.1). FRONT SETBACK IS MEASURED FROM THE CENTERLINE OF THE STREET: no building/structure…
- Front
- 65 ft
- Side
- 25 ft
- Rear
- 25 ft
- Max coverage
- —
- Min lot
- 60,000 sf (~1.38 ac)
Permits up to a two-family dwelling (Sec XVI.1); mobile homes prohibited. FRONT SETBACK MEASURED FROM STREET CENTERLINE: 65 ft (corner lots calculated from the numbered side of the house); side and rear 25 ft from lot lines, reducible to 5 ft only for one accessory storage…
- Front
- —
- Side
- —
- Rear
- —
- Max coverage
- —
- Min lot
- 60,000 sf (~1.38 ac)
Mobile-home-park district: the only principal permitted use is a mobile home park (Sec XVIII.1). Lot area TIERS BY UTILITIES: with BOTH a central sewage treatment facility AND central water supply, each lot needs only 100 ft frontage and 10,000 sf; WITHOUT both, 150 ft…
- Front
- 65 ft
- Side
- 25 ft
- Rear
- 25 ft
- Max coverage
- 60% lot
- Min lot
- 60,000 sf (~1.38 ac)
FRONT SETBACK MEASURED FROM STREET CENTERLINE: no building within 65 ft of the street centerline; on corner lots the 65 ft is from the numbered side and the side setback on the UNNUMBERED side is 35 ft; all other side and rear setbacks 25 ft (Sec XXI.5).
- Front
- 15 ft
- Side
- 15 ft
- Rear
- 15 ft
- Max coverage
- —
- Min lot
- —
Mixed-use village district (added March 2011); single-family dwellings, farms, home occupations, accessory apartments and elderly housing permitted outright, plus a list of commercial uses subject to site plan review (Sec XXII.2).
- Front
- 75 ft
- Side
- 50 ft
- Rear
- 50 ft
- Max coverage
- 60% lot
- Min lot
- 60,000 sf (~1.38 ac)
FRONT SETBACK MEASURED FROM STREET CENTERLINE: no building within 75 ft of the street centerline, nor within 50 ft of any lot line within the LIC Zone (Sec XXV.1.c) — 50 ft recorded as the base side/rear lot-line setback.
Form-based and downtown districts may use build-to lines instead of fixed setbacks (shown as “—”); verify your parcel's district before you build.
Newton ADU FAQ
Yes. Under NH RSA 674:71-73 (HB 577), one accessory dwelling unit is allowed by-right on single-family lots statewide, including Newton (Rockingham County). A detached ADU can be up to 950 sf.
In Newton's RA zone, ADUs follow the single-family setbacks: 65 ft front, 25 ft side, and 25 ft rear. Newton has 6 zoning districts in total — see the full table below. Confirm your exact zone with the town.