ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) permits across Florida
Where each city draws the line on adu (accessory dwelling unit) work. Sort any column — useful if you build across several towns and need to know where the rules change.
Cities compared
36
Always need one
36
Depends on size
0
The statewide starting point is Florida Building Code, Building, 2023, 8th edition. Cities that changed the rule are the interesting rows below.
| Where the line falls | Fee | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville | 1,009,833 | Yes | You need a building permit and zoning approval to build a… | The code lists no dollar amounts. An ADU is new residential… |
| Miami | 487,014 | Yes | You need a building permit to construct an accessory (anc… | The code names no ADU-specific amount. For homes of up to t… |
| Tampa | 414,547 | Yes | You need permits to build an accessory dwelling unit. An … | The code names no ADU amount. Sec. 5-109.2 sets building pe… |
| Orlando | 334,854 | Yes | You need a building permit to build a garage apartment, c… | The code names no ADU amount. Orlando publishes its permit … |
| St. Petersburg | 267,102 | Yes | Building a garage apartment, casita, or other accessory d… | Permit fee is based on the total construction value of all … |
| Port St. Lucie | 258,575 | Yes | You need a building permit to build an accessory dwelling… | Beyond the building permit fee, a new dwelling unit may owe… |
| Hialeah | 235,388 | Yes | You need a building permit to construct a new accessory d… | The code names no ADU amount. Sec. 14-3 says building permi… |
| Cape Coral | 233,025 | Yes | Building an accessory dwelling unit (garage apartment, ca… | No flat permit fee is stated in the code. A new ADU is a ne… |
| Tallahassee | 205,089 | Yes | You need a building permit to construct an accessory dwel… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Fees come from a schedule… |
| Fort Lauderdale | 190,641 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | — |
| Gainesville | 148,720 | Yes | You need a building permit and zoning approval to build a… | The code lists no dollar amounts. An ADU is new residential… |
| Miramar | 143,242 | Yes | Building a new accessory dwelling unit is new constructio… | — |
| Coral Springs | 140,808 | Yes | You need a building permit to construct an accessory dwel… | A deposit of $100 per single-family residential unit is due… |
| West Palm Beach | 127,744 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | — |
| Lakeland | 124,990 | Yes | Building a garage apartment, casita, or other accessory d… | — |
| Clearwater | 116,811 | Yes | ADU разрешён как accessory use в жилых зонах (LDR/LMDR/MD… | Appendix A (Schedule of Fees): one/two-family permit fee $3… |
| Miami Gardens | 116,173 | Yes | You need a building permit to construct an accessory dwel… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Fees are set by the city;… |
| Davie | 112,052 | Yes | You need a building permit to build an accessory dwelling… | Permit fees are set by council resolution (Sec. 5-2) and ar… |
| Palm Coast | 106,729 | Yes | You need a building permit to build an accessory dwelling… | A new dwelling unit is impact-generating; a transportation … |
| Boca Raton | 102,238 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | The dollar amount is set by the city's municipal facilities… |
| Plantation | 100,694 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | New residential construction: Structural 0.90% + Electrical… |
| Deltona | 100,513 | Yes | Building a garage apartment, casita, or other accessory d… | — |
| Sunrise | 100,128 | Yes | Building a garage apartment, casita, or other accessory d… | — |
| Fort Myers | 99,918 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | При выдаче разрешения на новую жилую единицу взимается comm… |
| North Port | 92,875 | Yes | Building an accessory dwelling unit (garage apartment, ca… | — |
| Deerfield Beach | 90,507 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | Permit fees shall be established by the city commission by … |
| Melbourne | 87,561 | Yes | You need a building permit to build an accessory dwelling… | The code lists no dollar amount. Building permit fees are s… |
| Daytona Beach | 86,015 | Yes | You need a building permit to build an accessory dwelling… | The code lists no dollar amounts. Building permit fees are … |
| Homestead | 85,796 | Yes | Building a garage apartment, casita, or other accessory d… | Building permit application fee based on scope: $288 flat f… |
| Kissimmee | 84,756 | Yes | You need a building permit to build an accessory dwelling… | The code sets permit fees on a project-valuation scale (Sec… |
| Doral | 83,625 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | Building permit fees are set by Schedule A, a fee schedule … |
| Miami Beach | 83,251 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | Building permit fees follow Appendix A, the city's fee sche… |
| Boynton Beach | 83,095 | Yes | You need a permit to build a garage apartment, casita, or… | — |
| Largo | 82,337 | Yes | Building an accessory dwelling unit (garage apartment, ca… | — |
| Lauderhill | 76,627 | Yes | Building a garage apartment, casita, or other accessory d… | — |
| Tamarac | 75,147 | Yes | No size threshold in the code | Building permit fees are set by city commission resolution … |
“Unconfirmed” means the city's code doesn't state the rule plainly enough to publish. Those city pages link straight to the ordinance section instead.
Why neighboring cities disagree
Every city starts from a model code and then edits it. One town raises the shed cutoff, the next lowers the fence height, a third exempts the structure where its neighbor only exempts repairs to it. None of that is visible from a national article — you have to read each ordinance, which is what these pages do.