City · Florida

ADU rules in Fort Lauderdale

3 sources

These are the primary sources for accessory dwelling unit regulations in Fort Lauderdale: the city's own zoning code, planning department pages, and permit guides. Start here before talking to anyone: the rules below are what your permit reviewer will apply.

Rules at a glance

Detached (backyard) ADU

Conditional

Accessory dwellings (granny flats or cottages) may be permitted only when accessory to a standard single family dwelling in the RS-8, RD-15, RC-15, RM-15, RML-25, RMM-25, RMH-25 and RMH-60 zoning districts, subject to size, density, minimum parcel size and parking limitations. In RS-8 and RD-15 the only accessory dwelling allowed is servant's quarters for persons, other than the immediate family, employed on the premises, so a general-purpose ADU is effectively limited to the RC-15, RM-15, RML-25, RMM-25, RMH-25 and RMH-60 districts.

ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.A and 47-19.2.A.7

Attached or internal ADU

Conditional

The ordinance expressly contemplates an accessory dwelling attached to another accessory structure (for example a garage): it must have a separate entrance from the attached accessory structure and be separated from it by a common fire resistant wall. The accessory dwelling provisions do not address a unit attached to or contained within the principal dwelling; the section regulates accessory buildings and structures.

ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.A.3

Maximum size

600 sq ft of gross floor area or 49 percent of the gross floor area of the principal structure, whichever is less; the unit is limited to a one bedroom/one bath unit or an efficiency

Sec. 47-19.1.J separately caps the aggregate gross floor area of all accessory uses and structures on a parcel at 49 percent of the principal building's gross floor area.

ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.A.1 and A.2; Sec. 47-19.1.J

Owner occupancy

Not required

The accessory dwelling limitations in Sec. 47-19.2.A contain no owner occupancy requirement, and a search of the full Sec. 47-19 text and the ULDR definitions (Sec. 47-35.1) found none. In RS-8 and RD-15, however, occupancy of the unit itself is restricted: it may only be servant's quarters for persons other than the immediate family employed on the premises.

ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.A (no owner occupancy provision); Sec. 47-19.2.A.7

Extra parking

1 space for the accessory dwelling, in addition to the 2 spaces required for the principal single family dwelling; Table 1 of Sec. 47-20.2 lists 'Single family dwelling unit + accessory dwelling (granny flat)' at 2 per dwelling unit plus 1 per accessory unit

Sec. 47-19.2.A.6 requires parking for each dwelling unit per Section 47-20, Parking and Loading Requirements.

ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.A.6; Sec. 47-20.2 Table 1

Approval process

Permitted use

Accessory uses, buildings and structures per Section 47-19 appear in the permitted uses lists of the residential district use tables (for example Sec. 47-5.11 for RS-8 and Sec. 47-5.16 for RM-15), not among the conditional uses referred to Section 47-24.3; the accessory dwelling is allowed subject to the standards of Sec. 47-19.2.A rather than a conditional use approval.

ULDR Sec. 47-5.11.4, Sec. 47-5.16.6, Sec. 47-19.2.A

Rental restrictions

The ULDR accessory dwelling standards are silent on renting the unit. Citywide, renting any dwelling unit as a vacation rental (rented to transient occupants more than 3 times per calendar year for periods under 30 days or one calendar month, or advertised as such) requires annual registration with the city and a certificate of compliance under City Code Sec. 15-272; advertising a unit for periods under 30 days is direct evidence of a violation

Vacation rental registration renews annually on or before September 30 and units are subject to compliance inspections (Secs. 15-272 and 15-279).

ULDR Sec. 47-19.2.A (silent); City Code of Ordinances Ch. 15, Art. X, Secs. 15-271 and 15-272

The fine print: 5 caveats that can change the picture

In RS-8 and RD-15 districts, no accessory dwelling may be built except servant's quarters for persons other than the immediate family employed on the premises (Sec. 47-19.2.A.7); a flat 'allowed' reading in those two districts would mislead.
Minimum parcel sizes apply for a principal plus accessory dwelling: 10,890 sq ft in RS-8; 6,000 sq ft in RD-15; 5,808 sq ft in RC-15 and RM-15; 5,000 sq ft in RML-25, RMM-25, RMH-25 and RMH-60 (Sec. 47-19.2.A.5).
Only one accessory dwelling per single family lot, and the accessory dwelling together with the principal dwelling may not exceed the maximum density of the zoning district (Sec. 47-19.2.A.4 and A.5).
The unit is limited to a one bedroom/one bath unit or an efficiency (Sec. 47-19.2.A.2).
General accessory structure rules in Sec. 47-19.1 also apply: no accessory structure before the principal building is under construction, no use of the accessory structure if the principal structure is no longer in use, height limits (generally not taller than the principal building, max 24 ft, or 35 ft on lots over one acre with 30 ft setbacks), and total accessory buildings limited to 35 percent of the rear yard area.

Summarized from Fort Lauderdale's ordinance text, read July 2026; every row links the code section it came from. Rules often vary by zone and lot, so treat this as orientation, not a permit determination, and confirm with the planning department before you commit to a design.

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ADU regulations

Florida statewide law also applies

Florida sets baseline ADU rights at the state level. Where local rules are stricter than state law allows, state law usually wins, so both are worth reading.

See Florida statewide rules

Spotted something outdated?

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