An ADU has its own kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, which makes it a legally separate dwelling unit subject to Florida's ADU statute and local zoning rules. An in-law suite without a full kitchen is legally just additional space within the primary residence, not an independent unit.

You can, but doing so makes it an accessory dwelling unit under state and county definitions, which means the property has to independently qualify — Miami-Dade's ordinance requires a lot of at least 7,500 square feet in a designated zoning district, with the unit capped between 400-800 square feet and no more than 50% of the primary home's size.

Under Miami-Dade's current ordinance, between 400 and 800 square feet, and not exceeding 50% of the primary dwelling's square footage — assuming your lot and zoning district qualify in the first place.

Not legally required for an in-law suite, but it's one of the most requested features because it gives both households real independence — daily schedules, guests, and privacy all work better with separate access, even when the space shares a roofline with the main house.

Only a legally qualifying ADU (with its own kitchen, meeting lot size and zoning requirements) can function as an independently rentable unit. An in-law suite without a full kitchen generally cannot be rented as a separate dwelling.

With sound-isolating wall and floor assemblies (added insulation, resilient channel, staggered framing where feasible) and independent HVAC zoning, you can get meaningfully better separation than standard interior construction provides — though it's rarely equivalent to two fully detached homes unless you're building a detached ADU.

It depends on lot size (7,500+ square feet minimum) and whether your property sits in a zoning district where ADUs are permitted — this needs to be confirmed against your specific address before design work starts.

Converting existing interior space (like a garage or attached suite) is typically less expensive than new detached ADU construction, which requires its own foundation, full structural build, and separate utility connections — but a detached unit offers the most genuine independence between households.