Carroll County · New Hampshire
ADU rules in Freedom, NH
Freedom is a Carroll County town on Ossipee Lake and the Maine line.
Freedom is in our service area. This page covers what the town ordinance says about ADUs.
Town ADU rules
What’s allowed on your lot in Freedom.
Freedom allows one ADU by right wherever a single-family home is allowed, up to 800 sq ft and two bedrooms.
- Size limit
- Max 800 sq ft total living space; max 2 bedrooms
- Where it can go
- Attached (incl. inside a preexisting detached structure) or detached
- Owner on site
- Owner must live in the house or the ADU
- Parking
- At least 1 space for the ADU, on-site or legally dedicated off-site
- Approval
- By right in districts that allow single-family dwellings
- Rentals
- No ADU may be used as a short-term rental
- Water setback
- Shore Front District: 75 ft from normal high water; 125 ft for leach fields
Allowed
- ApprovalOne ADU, attached or detached, is permitted by right in zoning districts that allow single-family homes. Listed as a Permitted Use in VR, GR, RR and R/LC.§1104.3; Tables 304.1-304.4
- Attached or detached'Attached' includes a unit within or physically connected to the house, or completely inside a preexisting detached structure. 'Detached' is anything else. ADUs may be built at the same time as the house.§1104.2, §1104.2.1-2
- How manyOne ADU per lot with a single-family dwelling.§1104.3
- SizeTotal living space no more than 800 sq ft. No more than two bedrooms.§1104.3.7
- Owner on siteOne of the two units must be owner-occupied.§1104.3.3
- ParkingAt least one parking space for the ADU, on-site or at a legally dedicated off-site location, as the owner chooses. Parking schedule: 1 per ADU.§1104.3.2; §1004.1
- SepticAll town and NHDES septic rules must be met before an ADU is permitted, including a sewage disposal system application under RSA 485-A. Adding bedrooms or load requires RSA 485-A:38 approval plus zoning and building permits.§1104.3.5; §807
- LotSingle-family rules (including lot coverage and HUD occupancy-per-bedroom standards) apply to the house and ADU together, but may not be stricter for ADUs than for any single-family use in the same district.§1104.3.6
- RentalsNo ADU may be used as a short-term rental.§1104.3.8
- HeightNo ADU-specific height rule; all buildings max 35 ft above average grade.§308.3.1
- ShorelandThe town adopts and extends the state minimum shoreland standards (RSA 483-B). Shore Front overlay: rear yard 75 ft from normal high water, leach field 125 ft, driveway 75 ft, 200 ft shore frontage. Waterfront buffer: 75 ft from the reference line. No construction or land disturbance within 50 ft of rivers, lakes, ponds and 1st-5th order streams (stormwater article). Impervious surface max 25% within protected shoreland without an engineered system.Table 304.5; §701; §704; §603.1; §705
Not allowed
- Not allowedNo ADUs with attached single-family homes such as townhouses.§1104.3.1.1
- Not allowedADU title cannot be separated from the house and no ADU may become a condominium. A detached ADU may become separately owned only through a full subdivision meeting all rules without exception.§1104.3.4, §1104.3.4.1
- Not allowedNo short-term rental of an ADU.§1104.3.8
- Not allowedNo more than two bedrooms or 800 sq ft.§1104.3.7
Read 2026-11-15 from Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Freedom, New Hampshire, 1987 (Amendments through March 10, 2026 (file dated 6.15.26); §1104 'Amended 3/10/2026'). Anything not listed here, we check with the Freedom land-use office for your lot.
Setbacks
Front, side and rear in Freedom.
NH RSA 674:71-73 (HB 577) - one attached or detached ADU by right on a single-family lot
Freedom's dimensional table, as printed in the ordinance.
| District | Front | Side | Rear | Lot / cover / height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VRprimaryVillage ResidentialTable 304.1; §308.3; §310.1.6. VR frontage 200 feet. | 50 feet | 30 feet | 40 feet | 1.0 acre · 15% total structure footprint (lots of record, §310.1.6) · Height 35 ft |
| GRGeneral ResidentialTable 304.2; §308.3. GR frontage 200 feet. | 50 feet | 30 feet | 40 feet | 2 acres · 15% total structure footprint (lots of record, §310.1.6) · Height 35 ft |
| RRRural ResidentialTable 304.3; §308.3. RR frontage 400 feet. | 50 feet | 30 feet | 40 feet | 5 acres · 15% total structure footprint (lots of record, §310.1.6) · Height 35 ft |
| R/LCResidential/Light CommercialTable 304.4; §308.3. R/LC frontage 200 feet. | 50 feet | 30 feet | 40 feet | 1 acre · 15% total structure footprint (lots of record, §310.1.6) · Height 35 ft |
| SF (overlay)Shore Front District (lakes and ponds over 10 acres and Ossipee River, 300 ft inland)Table 304.5; §705. SF (overlay) frontage same as underlying district; 200 feet shore frontage. | same as underlying district | same as underlying district | 75 feet (from normal high-water level) | same as underlying district · Impervious max 25% of lot within protected shoreland unless engineered stormwater system; over 15% needs a stormwater system (§705) · Height 35 ft |
| SFWH (overlay)Single Family Workforce Housing OverlayTable 304.7; §1105. SFWH (overlay) frontage 100 feet (GR, R/LC); 200 feet (RR). | Same as underlying district | Same as underlying district | Same as underlying district | 1 acre (GR, R/LC and RR); development min 20 acres (§1105.2.1.2) · Height 35 ft |
Verified 2026-11-15 against Zoning Ordinance of the Town of Freedom, New Hampshire, 1987. Towns amend ordinances, so confirm with the land-use office before you build. Official source
FAQ
ADUs in Freedom.
- How big can an ADU be in Freedom?
- Max 800 sq ft total living space; max 2 bedrooms, per §1104.3.7 as read 2026-11-15.
- Does the owner have to live on the lot in Freedom?
- Owner must live in the house or the ADU (§1104.3.3).
- Can an ADU in Freedom be detached?
- Attached (incl. inside a preexisting detached structure) or detached, under §1104.2, §1104.2.1-2.
Planning an ADU in Freedom?
Call (978) 987-0089 and we will read the ordinance against your lot. See the ADU models