ADU rules in Fort Lauderdale

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.

The ordinance expressly allows 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. It does not provide for a unit attached to or inside the house, and the ULDR definitions point the other way: a 'principal building' includes 'any addition or alteration to an existing principal building', and a 'single family dwelling' is a building containing one dwelling unit, while accessory dwellings are allowed only 'when accessory to a standard single family dwelling'. A second kitchen-equipped unit added onto or carved out of the house would therefore make it a two-family dwelling, a separate use listed in the RD-15, RC-15 and RM-15 districts (Sec. 47-18.45) but not in RS-8, rather than an accessory dwelling; this is our reading of the definitions, not an express rule, so confirm with the city's zoning staff.

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.

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.

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

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.

Vacation rental registration renews annually on or before September 30 and units are subject to compliance inspections (Secs. 15-272 and 15-279). The City Commission adopted Ord. No. C-26-39 on 9-15-2026, effective 30 days after adoption and not yet codified on 2026-09-27: it leaves the vacation rental definition and registration duty unchanged but adds a civil penalty of $1,000 per day for operating without a valid (or with an expired) certificate of compliance, bars issuing or renewing a certificate while fines or liens are unpaid, and requires inspection access for safety complaints. State law (F.S. 509.032(7)) bars the city from banning vacation rentals or limiting their duration or frequency, which is why the city regulates them through registration rather than a minimum lease term.