ADU Pass
Labelle
Glades County portion
Also in: Hendry County · No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Labelle, Glades County, Florida navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: allowed-with-restrictions
LaBelle straddles the Hendry/Glades county line; the city is primarily in Hendry but with a Glades-side sliver. ADU rules follow whichever county the parcel sits in.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $2,400 | $27,750 | $30,150 |
| 600 | 600 | $2,400 | $111,000 | $113,400 |
| midpoint | 575 | $2,400 | $106,375 | $108,775 |
| maximum | 1,000 | $2,400 | $185,000 | $187,400 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
- Cross-listing reality check (LaBelle is in HENDRY County, not Glades) (~1d)
This catalog entry is filed under Glades County for completeness, but LaBelle is the seat of HENDRY County. Glades County (Moore Haven seat) holds only a tiny sliver across the Caloosahatchee River. Verify the parcel ID with the Hendry vs Glades Property Appraiser before any submittal. Mainline LaBelle parcels follow Hendry County permitting; only a handful of north-bank Glades-side parcels follow Glades. - Glades County Building Department intake (north-bank Caloosahatchee parcels only) (~7d)
If the parcel actually sits on the Glades side of the Caloosahatchee River, route through Glades County (Moore Haven) Building & Zoning, not Hendry. Glades is Florida's smallest county by population (~13K) with thin staffing; expect longer turn-around on plan review. - City of LaBelle zoning clearance (Chapter 4, Code of Ordinances Appendix B Land Development Code) (~7d)
Even for Glades-side parcels within city limits, City of LaBelle Chapter 4 zoning still applies. LaBelle uses an Accessory Use Building Permit Application (2024 version) for accessory dwelling intake at citylabelle.com. - Submit county building permit (Glades-side: Glades County BD; Hendry-side: Hendry BS&A portal) (~1d)
Glades County does not currently use BS&A; Hendry does (https://bsaonline.com/DirectUrl/Cd_PermitApplication/3193). For Glades-side parcels, submit paper application directly to Glades County Building & Zoning at the Government Center, Moore Haven. - Plan review (FBC 8th Edition / IRC 2020 with FL amendments) (~21d)
Reviewed for FBC 8th Edition (2023). Climate Zone 2A; 160 mph ASCE 7-22 wind-design near the lake. Lake Okeechobee floodplain and Caloosahatchee River corridor put many parcels in FEMA AE; finished-floor elevation certificates required. - Septic / well coordination with Florida DOH-Glades County (~21d)
Most Glades-side LaBelle parcels are on private septic and well rather than city utilities; Florida Department of Health Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System (OSTDS) review applies. Coordinate before bedroom-add ADU. - Pay county fees plus statewide FBC surcharges (~1d)
Glades County permit fees plus 3% statewide DBPR + DCA Building Code Administrators / Florida Building Commission surcharges per FS 553.721. Glades has not adopted residential transportation impact fees as of 2026. - Construction inspections + Certificate of Occupancy (~5d)
Glades County BD or Hendry County BD performs inspections per parcel. Florida amendments to IRC R313 mean detached ADUs do not need sprinklers. Final inspection pass triggers CO; sugar cane and citrus economy supports family-compound and ranch-hand ADU use cases.
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU generally permitted; landlord-tenant law applies.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions LaBelle STR rules — check minimum-stay limits, registration, and HOA covenants.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit.
- Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with restrictions on signage and customer traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio is a permitted accessory use.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture permitted in residential zones; livestock varies by district.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted; § 193.703 FS granny-flat assessment reduction available.
Contacts
Staff: Glades County Building & Zoning (County BD intake for north-bank Caloosahatchee Glades-side parcels), City of LaBelle Community Development (Municipal zoning intake (Chapter 4 Code, accessory-use permit application)), Florida DOH-Glades County (OSTDS septic permitting (rural parcels))
Utilities
- Water: Private well typical (Glades-side north-bank Caloosahatchee parcels are mostly outside City of LaBelle franchise water service area) · 45d connect · $8,500
Glades-side parcels predominantly use private Floridan-aquifer wells. New well permitting via Florida DOH-Glades and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). - Sewer: Private septic / OSTDS typical (Glades County does not provide central wastewater along the north-bank Caloosahatchee corridor near LaBelle) · 45d connect · $12,000
Florida DOH Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System (OSTDS) permit required for ADU bedroom add. AE-zone parcels may need mound or aerobic system. - Electric: Glades Electric Cooperative (rural electric coop covering Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Okeechobee counties) · 30d connect · $2,400
Glades Electric Cooperative is the dominant rural-electric provider for Glades-side parcels; not Duke or FPL. Some near-river parcels may be served by FPL on the Hendry-side overlap. - Gas: Propane only (no piped natural gas service in Glades County) · 14d connect · $1,800
Glades County has no municipal natural-gas distribution; bulk propane providers (Suburban, AmeriGas) serve rural Glades.
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 16mo
Financing
State ADU loans:
- Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC)
- State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP)
- Glades County SHIP / HOME assistance
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
Florida has no HOA-ADU preemption; HOA covenants restricting ADUs are enforceable.
Regulatory overlays (2)
- flood-zone
Lake Okeechobee floodplain and Caloosahatchee/Kissimmee River corridors; FEMA AE zones widespread. - rural-agricultural
Sugar-cane / cattle / citrus region; Ag-zoned land dominates outside city limits.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: City of LaBelle Code — Accessory Dwelling Units, adopted 2018-01-01, last amended 2024-01-01
- 2024-01-01 — City of LaBelle ordinance refresh (city-ordinance)
Conforming local-code amendments aligning with current Florida accessory-dwelling framework.
Effect: Codified permissive ADU standards consistent with state law and local zoning.
Known issues (3)
- issue —
- issue —
- issue —
Glades County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Glades County (Moore Haven; Lake Okeechobee west shore; ~13,000 residents, among Florida's smallest counties) has no standalone accessory dwelling unit ordinance. Accessory dwelling provisions sit inside the general Land Development Code administered by the Board of County Commissioners. Rural agricultural and single-family residential zoning districts typically allow a single accessory dwelling or guest house subject to lot size, setback, and family-occupancy limits. Florida F.S. § 163.31771 (permissive ADU statute) applies; no local preemptive floor adopted.
County regulatory overlays
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
- 33944
Post Office
- 35 W Washington Ave, 33935