City · Florida
ADU rules in Jacksonville
These are the primary sources for accessory dwelling unit regulations in Jacksonville: 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
Sec. 656.403(g)(7): ADUs shall be accessory to a conforming single-family dwelling and may be attached to or detached from the principal structure. ADUs are handled as an accessory use citywide (Sec. 656.403 intro: accessory uses and structures are permitted in all districts when incidental and subordinate to a permitted principal use); the homestead exemption prerequisite and siting rules in the caveats apply.
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.403(g)(7)Sec. 656.403(g)(7) allows attached ADUs but requires that an attached ADU be physically separated from the principal structure so as to prevent direct, internal access between the primary structure and the ADU.
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.403(g)(7)Sec. 656.403(g)(3) caps the ADU's building footprint, measured against the principal structure's gross floor area. Height is limited per the accessory structure rules in Sec. 656.403(d): structures over 15 feet tall must meet the primary structure's setbacks and may not exceed the primary structure's height (except up to 35 feet in the RR-Acre district or on lots of at least one acre).
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.403(g)(3) and (g)(5); Sec. 656.403(d)The ordinance does not use the phrase owner occupancy; the mechanism is a homestead exemption prerequisite. Sec. 656.403(g)(6) (added by Ord. 2022-448-E) allows ADUs only on property subject to an existing homestead exemption, or property that meets the requirements for a homestead exemption which the owner has applied for through the Duval County Property Appraiser's Office with the expectation it will be granted.
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.403(g)(6)Sec. 656.403(g) is silent on parking, and the residential parking schedule in Sec. 656.604(a) has no line item for accessory dwelling units (single-family dwelling: two spaces). A full-code search for the term accessory dwelling confirms it appears in no parking provision.
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.604(a)(1); Sec. 656.403(g)ADUs are allowed as an accessory use subject to the listed criteria, not as a conditional or discretionary use: Sec. 656.403 states accessory uses and structures are permitted in all districts, and subsection (g) says ADUs shall be allowed subject to the following criteria. Sec. 656.403(g)(8) requires the Planning and Development Department to include an HOA/deed-restriction certification in the permit application for an ADU.
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.403 and Sec. 656.403(g), (g)(8)Sec. 656.403(g) does not address renting the ADU, and a full-code search for accessory dwelling found no rental or short-term-rental provision applying to ADUs. The homestead exemption prerequisite in (g)(6) applies to the property, not to who occupies the ADU.
Ordinance Code Sec. 656.403(g) (silent on rentals)The fine print: 7 caveats that can change the picture
- ADUs must be located behind the primary structure and may not be located in a required yard (Sec. 656.403(g)(1), (g)(4)).
- The ADU must be accessory to a conforming single-family dwelling; the term accessory dwelling unit does not appear in any zoning district use list, so eligibility follows the general accessory use rule wherever a conforming single-family dwelling exists (Sec. 656.403 and (g)(7)).
- Property must have, or qualify and have applied for, a Duval County homestead exemption before an ADU can be built (Sec. 656.403(g)(6), added by Ord. 2022-448-E).
- Attached ADUs must be physically separated from the main house with no direct internal access between the two (Sec. 656.403(g)(7)).
- Design compatibility is required: a visual relationship to the main house through similar roof shape, porches, paint color and other physical characteristics for new structures, or similar paint color and physical characteristics for existing structures (Sec. 656.403(g)(2)).
- At permit time the applicant must certify whether the property is in a deed-restricted community or subject to a homeowners, neighborhood or master association and, if so, that the association's rules allow an ADU (Sec. 656.403(g)(8)).
- Accessory structures over 15 feet tall must meet the primary structure's setbacks and may not exceed its height, except up to 35 feet in the RR-Acre district or on lots of at least one acre (Sec. 656.403(d)).
Summarized from Jacksonville'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.
ADU regulations
- library.municode.comOfficial sourceVerified July 2026Code of Ordinances §656.403https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXVIILAUS_CH656ZOCO_PT4SURE_SPBMIRE_S656.403ACUSSTACDWUN
- library.municode.comOfficial sourceVerified July 2026Code of Ordinances §656.604https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXVIILAUS_CH656ZOCO_PT6OREPAREPALORE_SPAOREPAREPALOMOVE_S656.604NUOREPASPRE
- library.municode.comOfficial sourceVerified July 2026Code of Ordinances, Ch. 656https://library.municode.com/fl/jacksonville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITXVIILAUS_CH656ZOCO
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 rulesSpotted something outdated?
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