It starts with identifying your exact zoning district and checking whether your specific city or county has adopted an ADU ordinance that applies to that district — this varies enough between neighboring jurisdictions that we check it property by property rather than assuming based on general area.

In unincorporated areas, county ordinances apply directly. Inside an incorporated city, that city's own municipal code typically governs instead — and cities within the same county can have very different ADU rules from each other and from the county's unincorporated areas. We confirm which jurisdiction actually governs your specific address.

Not currently. Recent bills that would have mandated ADU approval statewide have failed in the legislature multiple sessions running, most recently in March 2026. Florida's ADU statute remains permissive — it allows local governments to adopt ADU ordinances but doesn't require it. This could change in a future session, but it hasn't yet.

Often yes. HOA covenants are private agreements that can be more restrictive than public zoning, and passing county or city zoning review doesn't override an HOA restriction. We recommend checking both, and we flag this as part of our review.

Not necessarily. Zoning can vary lot by lot even on the same street, ordinances can change between when your neighbor built and now, and there's always a chance your neighbor's unit wasn't permitted correctly in the first place. We verify your specific property rather than relying on what's next door.

Some jurisdictions have a variance or special exception process for properties that don't qualify by right, though it adds time and isn't guaranteed. We'll tell you honestly if that's the situation on your property and what the realistic path looks like.

It varies by jurisdiction and by how straightforward your property's zoning situation is — a property that clearly qualifies under an existing ordinance moves faster than one requiring a variance or special review. We give you a realistic estimate once we've pulled your specific zoning information.

You can start by looking up your property's zoning district on your county or city's public zoning map, but interpreting how ADU-specific ordinance language applies to your exact lot — setbacks, size limits, overlay districts — is where it gets genuinely easy to misread. We do this as a formal first step specifically to avoid costly misreads.