ADU Pass
Wewahitchka
Calhoun County portion
Also in: Gulf County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Wewahitchka, Calhoun County, Florida navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: allowed
Wewahitchka's actual jurisdiction is Gulf County. SB 184 makes one-ADU-per-lot non-discretionary statewide, but every permit physically routes through Gulf County Building & Planning, with the City handling only zoning concurrence. Floodplain (Dead Lakes / Chipola overflow), Hurricane Michael wind exposure, and septic-only sewer drive most schedule and cost variation.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 400 | $2,200 | $92,000 | $94,200 |
| 600 | 600 | $3,400 | $156,000 | $159,400 |
| midpoint | 700 | $3,900 | $189,000 | $192,900 |
| 900 | 900 | $4,800 | $252,000 | $256,800 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- City zoning concurrence (~5d)
Visit Wewahitchka City Hall (109 N 2nd St) for a zoning compliance letter confirming lot is in an SF zoning district, accessory-dwelling caps (900 sqft / 50% rule) are met, and setbacks (10 ft side, 15 ft rear typical) are satisfied. City Manager Michael Gortman's office routes the request; turnaround is 2-3 business days for routine SF parcels. - Gulf County floodplain determination (~10d)
Submit a FEMA elevation certificate request through Gulf County Building & Planning. Wewahitchka straddles AE flood zone along the Dead Lakes / Chipola backshore and X zones on the upland east side. Lots in AE require finished-floor elevation above BFE; the County GIS overlay drives whether stem-wall or piling foundation is needed. - Septic / well sign-off (FDEP / Gulf County DOH) (~21d)
Wewahitchka has no centralized sewer; ADUs require either a new septic drainfield permit (Florida DOH, Gulf County office) or proof of capacity for shared use. Well-water parcels need a flow test. This step is rate-limiting on rural lots and can extend to 4-6 weeks if a new drainfield is needed. - Submit Gulf County Building Permit application (~3d)
Gulf County Building Department at 1000 Cecil G. Costin Sr. Blvd, Port St. Joe (850-229-8944) accepts paper applications with sealed plans showing 130 mph 3-second gust wind design, FBC 8th Edition (2023) compliance, energy calc per Climate Zone 2A, and floodplain certification. Online intake for Gulf County is limited; most submittals are in-person or by mail. - Plan review (building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing) (~30d)
Gulf County reviews structural, MEP, and floodplain compliance. Reviewers historically focus on hurricane connectors, opening protection (impact glazing or shutters), and septic separation. Post-Michael rebuild backlog has eased since 2024 but 4-6 week reviews are still common in storm season (June-November). - Permit issuance and fee payment (~5d)
Permit fee is calculated on construction valuation; Gulf County uses the FBC Building Valuation Data table. State Building Code surcharges (1.5% DCA + 1.5% DBPR) apply. No city or county impact fee for ADUs in Wewahitchka. Pay at counter or by mailed check; permit card and approved plans returned to applicant. - Construction inspections
Required Gulf County inspections: footing, slab/stem-wall, framing/sheathing nail-pattern, rough-in MEP, insulation, final building, final electrical. 24-hour notice via Gulf County phone scheduling. Inspectors travel from Port St. Joe; weather and storm-event reroutes can add days. - Certificate of occupancy (~5d)
After all final inspections pass, Gulf County issues the CO. ADU may then be occupied or rented (long-term or registered short-term). Wewahitchka does not separately register STRs but Gulf County DOR sales-tax registration is required for stays under 6 months.
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes (F.S. Chapter 83 (Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)) Long-term rental fully permitted; SB 184 bars local restrictions on renting an ADU on a homestead parcel.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions (Florida DBPR vacation-rental license; Gulf County tourist development tax) STR demand is moderate, anchored by Dead Lakes fishing tourism, tupelo-honey heritage tourism, and proximity to Apalachicola NF and Port St. Joe coastal beaches.
- DBPR vacation-rental license required for stays under 30 days
- Gulf County 5% tourist development tax registration required
- FL DOR sales tax (6%) collection required
- City of Wewahitchka does not separately register STRs but reserves right under SB 184 to require 30+ day leases by ordinance
- Office rental: no City LDRs limit accessory dwellings to residential use; commercial tenancy disallowed.
- Home office: yes Home occupation allowed by city LDR with no walk-in customers, no signage beyond standard residential, and no nuisance generation.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal art / craft / honey-extraction studio is a permitted accessory residential use given Wewahitchka's beekeeping heritage.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions (Gulf County Agricultural zoning; Florida Right to Farm Act (F.S. 823.14)) Bee-keeping (apiaries) is broadly permitted under Florida Right to Farm; small livestock subject to Gulf County zoning district.
- Relative support: yes Granny-flat assessment reduction applies; multi-generational use is the most common Wewahitchka ADU pattern given low rental demand.
Incentives
- Rebuild Florida Hurricane Michael CDBG-DR — Variable, income-qualified (Gulf County low-to-moderate income owner-occupants with documented Michael damage)
- Granny Flat Assessment Reduction (F.S. § 193.703)
- Homestead exemption preservation under SB 184
Contacts
Staff: Michael Gortman (City Manager, City of Wewahitchka), Rachel Jackson (City Clerk, City of Wewahitchka)
Utilities
- Water: City of Wewahitchka Water (in-town) / private well (rural) · 14d connect · $1,850
- Sewer: On-site septic (no central sewer in Wewahitchka) · 35d connect · $7,800
- Electric: Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative (most of Wewahitchka) · 21d connect · $1,650
- Gas: Propane (no piped natural gas in Gulf County rural service area) · 10d connect · $1,200
Property values & taxes
Market rent by ADU size
| Sq ft | Rent |
|---|---|
| 400 | $825/mo |
| 600 | $975/mo |
| 800 | $1,150/mo |
| 900 | $1,240/mo |
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 18mo
Post-Michael GC capacity in Gulf County is concentrated in Port St. Joe. Wewahitchka jobs incur travel surcharge from Panama City / Port St. Joe trade base. Hurricane-season material delivery and code-cycle review delays drive worst-case.
Modular pathway Florida DBPR Modular Building Program · inspectors are occasional with modular
SR-71 and CR-381 corridor adequate for module transport; Dead Lakes shoreline lots have narrow access roads requiring careful staging.
Financing
State ADU loans:
- Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program (Florida Housing Finance Corporation) up to $35,000
Insurance impact
Gulf County is a high-wind, depopulation-zone insurance market post-Michael. Citizens Property Insurance is the de facto carrier for many parcels; private market re-entry slow. NFIP flood policy typically required regardless of zone for federally-backed loans.
HOA prevalence & preemption
Wewahitchka is overwhelmingly fee-simple rural and small-town parcels with negligible HOA penetration. Florida SB 184 does not preempt HOA covenants on ADUs - HOA boards retain authority where they exist.
Regulatory overlays (4)
- flood-zone — FEMA AE Zone along Chipola River / Dead Lakes western Wewahitchka shoreline; X-shaded transition zones throughout town center · +14d · +18% cost
Lots within AE require finished floor elevation at or above BFE; stem-wall or piling foundation typical, adds $8-15K. Insurance typically requires NFIP policy. (map) - other — FBC 8th Edition (2023) Wind Borne Debris Region - 130 mph 3-second gust design wind speed for Gulf County · +5d · +7% cost
Engineered straps, opening protection (impact glazing or shutters), continuous load path mandatory. Not full HVHZ but inland WBDR. (map) - wui-fire-zone — Apalachicola National Forest interface south and east of Wewahitchka; Florida Forest Service WUI advisory area · +5d · +3% cost
FFS recommends defensible space; FBC has no statewide WUI chapter equivalent to California 7A. (map) - other — Apalachicola Regional Estuarine Research Reserve nutrient-management area for septic drainfields · +14d · +8% cost
FDEP nutrient-reducing OSTDS may be required on parcels draining to Chipola/Apalachicola; adds ~$3-5K to septic install. (map)
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- FBC 8th Edition (2023) Wind Borne Debris Region — 130 mph 3-second gust ASD design wind speed for Gulf County; opening protection required.
Contractor market (aggregate)
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: City of Wewahitchka Land Development Regulations - Accessory Structures and Dwellings, adopted 2024-04-25, last amended 2025-12-01
- 2018-10-10 — Hurricane Michael landfall - Cat 5, Mexico Beach (other)
Michael made landfall ~25 miles southwest of Wewahitchka with 160 mph sustained winds, devastating Gulf County and the L.L. Lanier tupelo apiaries on the Dead Lakes / Chipola.
Effect: Most ADU and accessory-structure stock in Wewahitchka post-dates Michael; FEMA / FBC 8th Edition wind-load enforcement (130 mph 3-second gust) became universal. Wewahitchka and Gulf County remain in a multi-year FEMA Public Assistance reimbursement cycle. - 2024-04-25 — City of Wewahitchka Land Development Regulations refresh (city-ordinance)
City Council adopted a comprehensive LDR refresh aligning local zoning, accessory-structure, and floodplain provisions with FBC 8th Edition (2023) and post-Michael wind/flood code.
Effect: Codified setback, height, and accessory-dwelling allowances on lots within city limits; cross-references Gulf County for plan review and inspections. - 2025-07-01 — Florida SB 184 (2025) - ADU statewide mandate effective (state-law)
Statewide one-ADU-per-lot allowance in any single-family-zoned area; bars owner-occupancy mandates and extra parking; protects homestead exemption when ADU is rented.
Effect: Removed any residual local discretion to ban ADUs on conforming Wewahitchka single-family parcels. Local conformance ordinance required by 2025-12-01. - 2026-03-13 — Florida SB 48 / HB 313 (2026) - died in committee (state-law)
Follow-on bills proposing fully by-right ADU approval (no discretionary review) failed to pass in the 2026 session.
Effect: No further statewide preemption beyond SB 184. Wewahitchka's discretionary site-plan and floodplain reviews remain in force.
Known issues (1)
- infrastructure (since 2018-10) — FEMA continued PA reimbursement through 2025; flood maps and insurance markets remain in flux. Any pre-Michael accessory structure on a permit-pulled parcel may trigger re-inspection. (source)
Calhoun County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Calhoun County is a small rural panhandle Florida county (population ~13,000, Blountstown is the county seat) with a forestry / timber and small-scale agriculture economic base. Non-charter commission government. The Calhoun County Land Development Code (LDC), administered by the Planning & Building Department under the Board of County Commissioners, governs unincorporated land use. The LDC does NOT contain a standalone ADU ordinance; accessory dwellings appear through A-1 Agricultural district second-dwelling provisions (second dwelling allowed on parcels >=5 acres in most ag zones), R-1 Rural Residential guest-house allowances, and MH (mobile-home) district second-mobile-home allowances. The county has three incorporated municipalities (Blountstown ~2,400, Altha ~500, and a few other small places). Hurricane Michael (2018) caused catastrophic damage to Calhoun County — essentially every tree in the longleaf/slash-pine timber stands was damaged or destroyed, and reconstruction remains ongoing in some sectors. No standalone ADU rulemaking is pending as of 2026-04-20.
County regulatory overlays
Calhoun County overlays: (1) FEMA SFHAs along the Chipola River and Apalachicola River (west edge) — otherwise most of the county is Zone X; (2) NWFWMD jurisdiction including Chipola River protection; (3) Florida Building Code 130-140 mph non-HVHZ design-wind-speed; (4) Hurricane Michael reconstruction overlay — dominant post-2018 regulatory context; (5) minor karst / Dougherty Plain influence in parts of the county (less extensive than Jackson County to the north).
County permitting (unincorporated parcels)
Almost all of Calhoun County's area is unincorporated. ADU-adjacent construction is permitted by the Calhoun County Building Department at the county courthouse in Blountstown. Calhoun uses the Florida Building Code as adopted. Paper/email intake; no ePermits portal. Typical single-family permit review 3-5 weeks. Hurricane Michael (2018) rebuild activity has dominated the department's workload 2018-present.
Florida state — ADU law and programs
State ADU law
Florida does NOT currently have a statewide ADU preemption law in effect. Florida Statutes § 163.31771 (enacted 2004, last amended 2020) is permissive — it authorizes local governments to adopt ADU ordinances but does not require them to. ADU rules are therefore set municipality-by-municipality: Miami-Dade, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tampa, and a growing set of Florida cities have their own ordinances; many smaller counties and cities still prohibit or restrict ADUs by default. A preemption bill (SB 48 / HB 313) is pending in the 2026 legislative session and is likely to pass given that its 2025 predecessor cleared the Senate 37-0 and House 97-10 before dying on a procedural amendment dispute.
- Florida Statutes § 163.31771 — Accessory dwelling units — Permissive (not mandatory) statute. Defines an ADU as 'an ancillary or secondary living unit, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping area, existing either within the same structure, or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling unit.' Authorizes — but does not require — local governments to adopt ordinances allowing ADUs in single-family residential zones. Contains no size caps, no owner-occupancy rules, no HOA preemption. All substantive rulemaking is local.
State financing programs
Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) does not operate an ADU-specific state loan or grant program. FHFC's primary affordable-housing lever at the ADU tier is the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), which distributes state documentary-stamp-tax revenue to all 67 counties and 52 entitlement cities for locally-administered housing programs — some of which may fund ADU construction at the local level (notably Orange County's Affordable ADU Loan Program, run through the Orange County Housing Finance Trust). FHFC's FL Assist down-payment programs and HFA Preferred / HFA Advantage conventional loans apply to ADU-eligible primary residences but do not single out ADUs. Proposed CS/SB 1440 would create a state property-tax exemption of up to 100% of assessed value for an ADU rented at affordable rates.
State housing programs
Florida does not currently operate a statewide pre-approved ADU plan catalog (unlike California or Washington). State-level ADU implementation is driven by (a) the permissive § 163.31771 which lets willing jurisdictions adopt ordinances, (b) SHIP pass-through funding to local ADU programs (Orange County's Affordable ADU Loan Program is the model), and (c) the affordable-housing property-tax exemption under the Live Local Act (SB 102 / SB 328). The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) — now reorganized as the Department of Commerce — provides technical assistance to local governments but no statewide ADU-specific mandate or program. Major counties (Miami-Dade, Orange, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Broward) have published their own ADU ordinances and guidance documents.
Federal (United States) — ADU-relevant rules and programs
Federal ADU law
The United States has no federal statute that directly regulates accessory dwelling unit entitlement or design. Land-use authority over ADUs resides with states and local governments under the traditional police power. Federal engagement is limited to financing (Fannie/Freddie/FHA/VA/USDA), flood insurance (FEMA/NFIP), and discretionary housing programs (HUD), which are recorded in sibling sections of this file.
Federal financing programs
Federal housing-finance agencies and GSEs set nationwide underwriting rules that govern whether an ADU can be financed, appraised, and counted toward mortgage qualifying income. The relevant actors are Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA (HUD), VA, and USDA Rural Development.
Federal tax credits
There is no ADU-specific federal tax credit. ADUs may incidentally qualify for existing federal energy-efficiency and clean-energy tax credits when the ADU construction includes qualifying measures.
Federal housing programs
HUD administers several discretionary programs that can fund ADU-related activity at the grantee's election, but none is an ADU-specific program.
ZIP Code
- 32449
Post Office
- 432 Highway 22, 32465