ADU rules in Tampa

A detached ADU is allowed inside a conforming accessory structure (or a nonconforming one per Article VII), but only through an S-1 special use permit and only inside the mapped ADU-eligible areas in the Sec. 27-156 Table 4-1 note 17 (the boundary areas the city describes as Seminole Heights, Lowry Park Central, Sulphur Springs, Temple Crest, Wellswood and parts of Riverside Heights, plus the East Tampa Overlay District). In the Tampa Heights Overlay District an ADU, including one in an accessory structure, is a permitted use in all residential districts under Sec. 27-244(e)(2)e. Everywhere else in the city a detached ADU is not available; only a family-only Extended Family Residence can go in an accessory structure.

An ADU may be located within the single-family dwelling with a separate entrance, under the same S-1 special use permit and geographic limits; permitted use in the Tampa Heights Overlay District. Outside the eligible areas, the only internal option is an Extended Family Residence (S-1 in nearly all districts) restricted to family members.

Sec. 27-132: an accessory dwelling unit approved by S-1 special use permit 'shall be limited to a maximum of nine hundred fifty (950) square feet of living space', and an extended family residence 'shall be limited to a maximum of six hundred (600) square feet of living area'. In the Tampa Heights Overlay District, where ADUs are a permitted use rather than a special use, the ADU conditions in Sec. 27-244(e)(2)e. set no floor-area limit; the overlay instead caps accessory structures at 'a maximum of one thousand one hundred (1,100) square feet in size' (Sec. 27-244(e)(2)d.ii.), and the city's Tampa Heights ADU handout lists 1,100 sq ft as the ADU maximum size. Separately, Sec. 27-290 requires an accessory structure larger than 15 percent of the minimum required lot size to meet principal-structure setbacks.

Sec. 27-132: an ADU 'may only be approved when the property owner resides on the property', so the owner may live in either the main house or the ADU (the 2024 amendment, Ord. 2024-76, replaced the older requirement that the main residence be owner occupied). An Extended Family Residence 'may only be approved when the property is homesteaded'. Exception: in the Tampa Heights Overlay District, where ADUs are a permitted use, the conditions in Sec. 27-244(e)(2)e. do not include owner occupancy.

The citywide off-street parking schedule (Sec. 27-283.7) has no accessory dwelling unit row (a single- or two-family dwelling is 2.0 spaces per dwelling unit), and neither Sec. 27-132 nor Sec. 27-290 sets an ADU parking number. However, the city's 'ADU General Standards' handout, linked from its ADU page for the eligible areas outside the overlays, lists 'Required Parking: 1 parking space per unit'; no codified section found supports that number, so confirm with zoning staff before designing. Tampa Heights Overlay Sec. 27-244(e)(2)e.i.: one space per ADU on-site, 'only required for accessory dwelling units greater than six hundred (600) square feet in size. Tandem parking is permitted.' NMU-16/24/35 districts (Sec. 27-212.4 Table 212-2 note [K]): 'No additional parking spaces, above the required count provided for the associated dwelling unit, shall be required for this use.'

Table 4-1 lists 'Dwelling unit, accessory' as X/S1 in the RS-150 through RM-75 residential districts plus CN and CG: a permitted use (X) in the Tampa Heights Overlay District per Sec. 27-244, and an S-1 special use permit (zoning administrator review with a written determination due within 45 days of a complete application, Sec. 27-127(b)(1)) in the other mapped ADU-eligible areas and the East Tampa Overlay District. Seminole Heights SH districts (Sec. 27-211.8) and NMU districts (Sec. 27-212.4) also list accessory dwelling as S1. The S-1 permit is reviewed annually by staff, and if any conditions change a new permit is required. Outside the eligible areas ADUs are not available at all.

Chapter 27 is silent on ADU lease terms, and a full-text search of the Code of Ordinances for 'short-term rental' returns zero hits. §27-132 limits an ADU to no more than two (2) unrelated occupants and requires annual staff review of the special use permit. For an Extended Family Residence, occupants must be family members related by marriage, blood, adoption, or legal guardianship and 'may not pay rent for the use of the residence or property'.