Build an ADU in Pembroke.
New Hampshire's HB 577 lets you add one accessory dwelling unit on your single-family lot in Pembroke — by-right. A detached ADU can be up to 950 sf, and ADU setbacks match your lot's single-family setbacks.
7 districts
Each district's single-family setbacks — which your ADU follows. The primary residential district is highlighted.
Verified against the official Pembroke zoning ordinance · source · 2026-07-06
- Front
- 30 ft
- Side
- 15 ft
- Rear
- 40 ft
- Max coverage
- 70% impervious
- Min lot
- 80,000 sf (~1.84 ac)
PRIMARY single-family residential district; single-family detached dwelling Permitted (Table of Uses sec 143-19, row A.1). minLotSqft 80,000 sf shown = 'Without Town Water & Sewer' for the first residential unit (also 80,000 for any permitted use); reduced to 20,000 sf with…
- Front
- 60 ft
- Side
- 30 ft
- Rear
- 60 ft
- Max coverage
- 30% impervious
- Min lot
- 80,000 sf (~1.84 ac)
Single-family detached dwelling Permitted (sec 143-19). The sec 143-21 setback table lists R3 only for 'Town Water Only' (front/rear/side 55/55/25, accessory rear 30) and 'Without Town Water and Sewer' (front/rear/side 60/60/30, accessory rear 30); values shown here use the…
- Front
- 30 ft
- Side
- 15 ft
- Rear
- 40 ft
- Max coverage
- 70% impervious
- Min lot
- —
Mixed business/residential district; single-family detached dwelling Permitted (sec 143-19). minLotSqft is null for the 'Without Town Water & Sewer' column: B1 minimum lot sizes are defined ONLY 'With Town Water & Sewer' = 10,000 sf (any permitted use) plus +4,000 sf per…
- Front
- 20 ft
- Side
- 10 ft
- Rear
- 30 ft
- Max coverage
- 90% impervious
- Min lot
- —
Downtown/village core; single-family detached dwelling Permitted (sec 143-19). minLotSqft is null for 'Without Town Water & Sewer': B2 minimum lot sizes are defined ONLY 'With Town Water & Sewer' = 5,000 sf (any permitted use, marked * - the ZBA may reduce residential…
- Front
- 50 ft
- Side
- 25 ft
- Rear
- 40 ft
- Max coverage
- 70% impervious
- Min lot
- 87,120 sf (~2.00 ac)
Single-family detached dwelling NOT permitted in C1 (sec 143-19 row A.1 = '-'); existing residential uses in C1 are governed by the R1 regulations for that dwelling type (sec 143-21 note 2). minLotSqft 87,120 sf (2 acres) for any permitted use in ALL utility columns (with…
- Front
- 30 ft
- Side
- 15 ft
- Rear
- 40 ft
- Max coverage
- 70% impervious
- Min lot
- 116,000 sf (~2.66 ac)
Single-family detached dwelling Permitted (sec 143-19); existing and new residential uses in LO are subject to R1 regulations for that dwelling type (sec 143-21 note 3). Setbacks front/rear/side = 30/40/15 ft; accessory-building rear 15 ft minLotSqft 116,000 sf = 'Without…
- Front
- 40 ft
- Side
- 20 ft
- Rear
- 30 ft
- Max coverage
- 70% impervious
- Min lot
- —
Added 3-12-2002 Town Meeting (Amendment No 5). Setbacks and frontage may be reduced up to 50% by the Planning Board via the incentive provisions in sec 143-72.8 (table note #). minLotSqft is null for the 'Without Town Water & Sewer' column: SR minimum lot size is defined ONLY…
Form-based and downtown districts may use build-to lines instead of fixed setbacks (shown as “—”); verify your parcel's district before you build.
Pembroke 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 Pembroke (Merrimack County). A detached ADU can be up to 950 sf.
In Pembroke's R1 zone, ADUs follow the single-family setbacks: 30 ft front, 15 ft side, and 40 ft rear. Pembroke has 7 zoning districts in total — see the full table below. Confirm your exact zone with the town.