ADU Pass
Labelle
Hendry County portion
Also in: Glades County · No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Labelle, Hendry 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 is the seat of Hendry County and straddles the Hendry/Glades line at the Caloosahatchee River; the bulk of the city is in Hendry County. ADU permitting follows City of LaBelle code with county coordination.
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
- City of LaBelle zoning intake (Chapter 4 Code of Ordinances Appendix B Land Development Code) (~7d)
City of LaBelle does not operate its own internal building department; it routes all permitting through Hendry County. The City handles zoning intake first via Community Development at citylabelle.com using the Accessory Use Building Permit Application (2024 version). LaBelle Code Chapter 4 (Zoning) sets districts and accessory-dwelling allowances. The bulk of LaBelle (Hendry County seat) is in Hendry; verify a Glades-county sliver does not apply. - Submit Hendry County building permit via BS&A online portal (~1d)
Hendry County Building & Licensing implemented BS&A as their permitting software. Apply at https://bsaonline.com/DirectUrl/Cd_PermitApplication/3193. Department located at 640 S. Main St, LaBelle FL 33935 (mailing PO Box 2340, LaBelle FL 33975), Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. Phone (863) 675-5245. - Plan review by Hendry County Building Official Eric Longshore (~18d)
Reviewed for FBC 8th Edition (2023; effective Dec 31, 2023) plus IRC 2020 with FL amendments. Climate Zone 2A; 160 mph ASCE 7-22 ultimate wind-design - among the highest in inland Florida due to Lake Okeechobee proximity. Email: eric.longshore@hendryfla.net. General permit email: permit@hendryfla.net. - Caloosahatchee River / Lake Okeechobee floodplain compliance (FEMA AE elevation cert) (~14d)
LaBelle straddles the Caloosahatchee River; significant portions of the city sit in FEMA AE flood zones along the river and the C-43 canal corridor. Finished-floor elevation certificates and dry/wet floodproofing required for AE-zone ADUs. NFIP flood insurance required for federally-backed financing. - Hendry County Impact Fees (effective Feb 10, 2025) (~1d)
Hendry County implemented Impact Fees effective February 10, 2025; these now apply to any building permits submitted on or after that date. Verify current fee zones via Hendry County Impact Fee Zone Map. ADU sometimes receives a partial credit if attached to existing single-family. - Pay Hendry County fees + statewide FBC surcharges (~1d)
Pay through BS&A online or in-person at LaBelle (640 S Main) or Clewiston (1100 Olympia St) office. Includes 3% combined DBPR + DCA Building Code surcharges per FS 553.721. Hendry impact-fee schedule per Resolution 2019-31 baseline updated for 2025 implementation. - Utility connection (City of LaBelle Water/Sewer or rural well/septic) (~21d)
City of LaBelle Water Utility serves the urban core; rural and annexed-area parcels often use private septic and well requiring Florida DOH-Hendry OSTDS review. Caloosahatchee provides surface-water permitting context but city water draws from Floridan aquifer wells. - Construction inspections (footer, slab, framing, MEP rough, insulation, final)
Inspections requested through BS&A, scheduled with Hendry County Building Inspectors (Building_Inspectors@hendryfla.net). Florida amendments to IRC R313 remove residential sprinkler mandate so detached ADUs do not require NFPA 13D. Sugar cane and cattle / citrus economy supports family-compound ADU use. - Certificate of Occupancy issued by Hendry County Building Official (~5d)
Final inspection pass triggers CO. Hendry Property Appraiser updates parcel record; Florida Statute 193.703 'granny-flat' assessment reduction available for parent/grandparent occupancy. LaBelle is the Hendry County seat (Pop ~5K) with annexation history that grew the city from ~4 sq mi to ~12 sq mi.
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: Eric Longshore (Hendry County Building Official) eric.longshore@hendryfla.net, Hendry County Building Inspectors (Field inspections (LaBelle and Clewiston offices)) Building_Inspectors@hendryfla.net, Hendry County Contractor Licensing (Local contractor licensing and reciprocity) contractors@hendryfla.net, City of LaBelle Community Development (Municipal zoning intake (Chapter 4 Code, accessory-use permit application)), Hendry County Clewiston Office (Secondary intake office (US 27 corridor / sugar belt))
Utilities
- Water: City of LaBelle Water Utility · 30d connect · $4,500
- Sewer: City of LaBelle Wastewater · 30d connect · $5,500
- Electric: Duke Energy Florida / Talquin Electric Cooperative / FPL (varies) · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Propane · 30d connect · $1,500
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)
- Hendry 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 —
Hendry County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Hendry County is a rural inland south-Florida county (population ~42,000, LaBelle is the county seat) with a non-charter commission form of government. The economy is dominated by sugarcane (U.S. Sugar Corporation, based in Clewiston), citrus, cattle, and winter vegetable production. The Hendry County Land Development Code (LDC), administered by the Planning & Community Development Department, governs unincorporated land use and applies to most of the county's area. The LDC does NOT contain a standalone ADU ordinance; accessory dwellings are handled through the A-1 Agricultural district (second dwelling allowed on parcels >=5 acres as accessory to an ag operation, typically for farmworker or family housing), A-2 Agricultural Residential, and R-1/R-2 residential districts (guest houses <=800 sqft without full kitchen broadly permitted, second full dwellings require conditional-use approval). Hendry is notably heavy on mobile-home and manufactured-home housing — 30%+ of county housing stock is mobile/manufactured — and the LDC explicitly permits mobile-home second dwellings and farmworker barracks in several districts. No standalone ADU rulemaking is pending as of 2026-04-20.
County regulatory overlays
Hendry County's county-wide overlays relevant to ADU siting: (1) FEMA SFHAs concentrated along the Caloosahatchee River corridor, Lake Okeechobee shoreline (northeast corner), and canal systems; (2) Lake Okeechobee Service Area regulatory overlay (northeast Hendry) with SFWMD stormwater and BMAP requirements; (3) SFWMD jurisdiction county-wide including Everglades restoration easements on some southwestern parcels; (4) Florida Panther Focus Area (federally designated critical habitat for the Florida panther) covering portions of southwestern Hendry, requiring USFWS consultation for some development; (5) Seminole Tribe trust lands in the Big Cypress Reservation (southeastern Hendry) — NOT under county jurisdiction, separate tribal land-use authority; (6) Florida Building Code 140-150 mph design-wind-speed region (non-HVHZ) with hurricane-zone construction. No seismic, no coastal-commission.
- Caloosahatchee River / Lake Okeechobee FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas
- Lake Okeechobee Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP) / SFWMD Service Area
- Florida Panther Focus Area / Primary Zone
- Seminole Tribe Big Cypress Reservation (sovereign tribal land)
- Florida Building Code 140-150 mph design-wind-speed region (non-HVHZ)
- Mobile-home park overlay districts
County permitting (unincorporated parcels)
Almost all of Hendry County's developable area is unincorporated — the two municipalities (LaBelle, Clewiston) together cover under 10 square miles of a ~1,200 sq mi county. ADU-adjacent construction is permitted by the Hendry County Building Department (part of Development & Environmental Services) at the county government complex in LaBelle. Hendry uses the Florida Building Code as adopted without material local amendments. The department handles substantial mobile-home / manufactured-home permit volume (installation, tie-down, skirting) alongside stick-built permits. Typical single-family / accessory-dwelling permit review runs 3-6 weeks; mobile-home placement permits (common for farmworker-housing additions) run faster (1-3 weeks).
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
- 33935
Post Office
- 35 W Washington Ave, 33935