Cpu Bellview

Escambia County (Florida's westernmost Panhandle county) regulates accessory dwelling units on parcels in the unincorporated county through the Escambia County Land Development Code (LDC), which addresses 'Accessory Dwelling Units,' 'guest houses,' and 'caretaker residences.' Escambia is the Pensacola area's county — the Panhandle's largest metro and home to Naval Air Station Pensacola (the 'Cradle of Naval Aviation') and the large Pensacola Naval Complex (NAS Pensacola, NAS Whiting Field in Santa Rosa, Corry Station, Saufley Field). Florida has no mandatory statewide ADU preemption — § 163.31771 Fla. Stat. is permissive only. As of 2026-04-20, Escambia County permits one ADU per single-family parcel in most residential zoning districts (LDR, MDR, HDR, AG, Commercial-Residential) subject to size caps (typically 750 sqft or 40% of primary, whichever is less), setback conformance, height limits, and utility-sharing requirements. The coastal Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach (incorporated as the Santa Rosa Island Authority jurisdiction), Gulf Breeze (in Santa Rosa County), and the broader Pensacola Bay / Escambia Bay / Perdido Bay frontage are hurricane-surge-exposed. Hurricane Sally (Sept 2020) delivered catastrophic surge and rainfall flooding to Escambia; Hurricane Ivan (2004) was the major prior event. Ongoing post-Sally rebuild dominates the coastal permit pipeline. Pending 2026 state legislation (SB 48 / HB 313) would preempt sub-1,000-sqft caps — Escambia's 750-sqft cap requires upward adjustment.

• Escambia County Land Development Code — ADU and accessory-use provisions
• Escambia County Comprehensive Plan — Future Land Use and Coastal Management Elements
• Escambia County Board of County Commissioners — agenda archive

State-floor overlay: Florida has no mandatory statewide ADU preemption. § 163.31771 Fla. Stat. is permissive only. Pending 2026-session SB 48 / HB 313 would preempt sub-1,000-sqft caps and single-family-zone bans effective December 1, 2026 if enacted. Escambia's 750-sqft cap requires upward adjustment. Live Local Act applies to commercial / industrial / mixed-use. Florida HOA / condominium / cooperative statutes (Ch. 720, 718, 719) do NOT preempt association-level ADU restrictions — Escambia has extensive HOA / condominium jurisdiction on Perdido Key (condo-dominant), and in mainland master-planned communities (Nature Trail, Hidden Creek, Kingsfield Lakes, Scenic Highway bayfront communities) where covenants commonly bar ADUs.

Escambia County administers or co-administers overlays materially affecting ADU siting: (1) FEMA SFHA covering Perdido Key, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Bay frontage, Escambia Bay frontage, Perdido Bay frontage, and inland along the Escambia River / Perdido River corridors; Escambia is CRS Class 6 giving 20% NFIP discount; post-Sally FIRM revisions substantially raised BFEs; (2) Florida Building Code Wind Borne Debris Region at 150 mph inland / 160-170 mph barrier-island; (3) Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) — post-Sally tightened; (4) Florida DEP Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL); (5) Naval Air Station Pensacola Air Installations Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) — extensive overlay covering Navy-adjacent parcels with FAA Part 77 / DoD Instruction 4165.57 safety zones and noise contours; (6) Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) consumptive-use and stormwater; (7) Florida Forest Service Firewise zones in rural north Escambia (Blackwater River State Forest — actually in Santa Rosa, but approaches Escambia line); (8) Santa Rosa Island Authority — unique special district governing Pensacola Beach on Santa Rosa Island, operating a 99-year leasehold structure (no fee-simple ownership on most of the barrier island).

• FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) — NFIP (Escambia CRS Class 6, post-Sally FIRM) — Escambia administers FEMA NFIP. SFHA covers all barrier-island and coastal frontage plus river corridors. CRS Class 6 gives 20% NFIP premium discount. Post-Sally FIRM revisions raised BFEs on affected coastal segments.
• Florida Building Code Wind Borne Debris Region (WBDR) — 150 mph inland / 160-170 mph barrier-island and Pensacola Bay immediate coastal. Impact-rated glazing or shutters required.
• Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) — Escambia Comp Plan (post-Sally tightened) — Post-Sally, Escambia tightened CHHA intensification policies. ADUs on coastal parcels face intensification review.
• Florida Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) — FDEP — CCCL along Gulf shoreline. Seaward of CCCL requires FDEP permit.
• Naval Air Station Pensacola AICUZ — DoD airport land-use compatibility — NAS Pensacola AICUZ covers extensive Pensacola-adjacent parcels including Warrington, parts of Myrtle Grove, Pensacola Beach approaches. Safety zones (APZ-I, APZ-II, Clear Zone) limit density and use; noise contours (65-85+ dB DNL) require noise-attenuation construction (STC-rated windows, forced-air HVAC with acoustic treatment). The Navy provides AICUZ comment on county permits in AICUZ. Corry Station, Saufley Field, and NAS Whiting Field (Santa Rosa) have their own AICUZs affecting some Escambia fringe.
• Santa Rosa Island Authority — Pensacola Beach (unique) — Santa Rosa Island Authority is a unique special district governing Pensacola Beach (on Santa Rosa Island, within Escambia County's territorial jurisdiction despite its name). Most Pensacola Beach parcels are held under 99-year leaseholds rather than fee-simple — a distinctive feature. ADU permitting on the island goes through SRIA's land-use review in addition to Escambia County building. SRIA has its own lease-based covenants that effectively bar most single-family ADU additions (the leasehold framework doesn't accommodate second-unit additions in typical terms).
• Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) — NWFWMD is Escambia's water management district. Residential consumptive-use exemptions below ~6,000 gpd. Minor-system ERP for ADU additions.

Escambia County Development Services Department is the combined planning / zoning / building / floodplain permit authority for parcels in the unincorporated county. Unincorporated Escambia covers approximately 555 square miles (about 87% of the 656 sqmi total land area). Incorporated municipalities are Pensacola (county seat, dominant city) and Century (small town in far north Escambia). Principal unincorporated communities include Myrtle Grove, Warrington (Navy-base-adjacent), Ferry Pass, Brent, Pensacola Beach (actually Santa Rosa Island unincorporated — governed via Santa Rosa Island Authority), Perdido Key (unincorporated), Cantonment, Beulah, West Pensacola, Bellview, and rural north Escambia. Escambia is a CRS Class 6 community for NFIP. All of Escambia County is WBDR at 150-mph-ultimate inland / 160-170-mph-ultimate on barrier islands (Pensacola Beach / Perdido Key) and immediate coastal. Development Services operates one-stop permit intake. Naval Air Station Pensacola's Air Installations Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) overlay covers substantial fringe parcels and requires Navy-coordinated review.