ADU Pass
Marianna
Jackson County portion
Also in: No County
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Marianna, Jackson County, Florida navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 2 ZIP codes.
Map
ADU details
ADU legality: allowed-with-restrictions
Florida's ADU statute is enabling, not preemptive. Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023) wind-design (per ASCE 7-22) governs structural review. Local historic-district overlay design review applies in mapped areas. FEMA NFIP flood-zone requirements apply on SFHA parcels.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 200 | $1,900 | $43,000 | $44,900 |
| 600 | 600 | $1,900 | $129,000 | $130,900 |
| midpoint | 600 | $1,900 | $129,000 | $130,900 |
| 1000 | 1,000 | $1,900 | $215,000 | $216,900 |
| maximum | 1,000 | $1,900 | $215,000 | $216,900 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of an ADU is generally permitted; Florida landlord-tenant law (Chapter 83 FS) governs.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions Florida § 509.032 partially preempts STR regulation; vacation rentals must register with FDBPR. Local rules on noise, parking, and density may still apply. HOA covenants frequently restrict STR independently.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental to a non-resident requires home occupation permit or rezoning.
- Home office: yes Home occupation by owner is permitted with restrictions on signage, customer traffic, and outside employees.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio / workshop is a permitted accessory use in residential zones.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Limited urban agriculture permitted in residential zones; livestock allowance is district-dependent (broader in A-1 / agricultural zones).
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted; § 193.703 FS granny-flat assessment reduction available for qualifying senior-relative additions.
Incentives
Contacts
Utilities
- Water: Marianna municipal water where central; FDOH-Jackson well permit on rural parcels · 30d connect · $4,000
- Sewer: Limited central sewer; FDOH septic on most parcels · 30d connect · $4,800
- Electric: West Florida Electric Cooperative / Florida Public Utilities / Gulf Power (Florida Power Light) · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: LP / no central gas in most areas · 30d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 8mo · typical 13mo · worst 18mo
Modular pathway inspectors are occasional with modular
Financing
State ADU loans:
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
Florida Chapter 720 FS does not preempt HOA ADU bans; covenants restricting ADUs are enforceable.
Regulatory overlays (3)
- flood-zone
FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area mapping is present along low-lying lake/river frontage; ADUs in mapped SFHA require elevation certificates and flood-resistant construction. - historic-district
Marianna Historic District covers a substantial slice of the downtown/courthouse-square area; Architectural Review Board review applies to ADUs visible from public rights-of-way. - other
Jackson County sits on the Dougherty Plain karst region — sinkholes, caves, springs, and subsurface conduits are endemic. Florida Geological Survey (FGS) maps identify high-risk areas and foundation design for new construction (including ADUs) often requires soil boring and may rule out slab-on-grade in sinkhole-prone areas.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: City of Marianna Land Development Regulations - Accessory Residential Use, adopted 2018-01-01, last amended 2024-01-01
- 2007-07-01 — Florida Statutes § 163.31771 enacted (state-statute)
Enabling statute authorizing local governments to adopt ADU ordinances on parcels zoned for single-family residential use.
Effect: Set the permissive Florida ADU framework still in force in 2026. - 2023-03-29 — Live Local Act (SB 102) signed (state-statute)
Affordability framework with by-right multifamily preemption on commercial/industrial/mixed-use parcels for projects with at least 40% affordable units.
Effect: Indirect ADU effect; does not compel ADU approvals in single-family zones.
Known issues (1)
- other — Hurricane Michael (October 2018) Cat 5 landfall in neighboring Bay County caused widespread Jackson County tree, roof, and structure damage. Rebuild permits 2018-2022 absorbed substantial county and city department bandwidth and shaped current Code-Enforcement caseloads. Older damaged accessory structures may require permit-of-record reconciliation before an ADU can be added.
Jackson County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Jackson County is a rural north-Florida panhandle county (population ~47,000, Marianna is the county seat) with a non-charter commission form of government. The Jackson County Land Development Code (LDC), administered by the Jackson County Planning & Zoning Department under the Board of County Commissioners, governs unincorporated land use and also applies in the county's smaller towns that have not adopted independent zoning (several of the seven incorporated municipalities — Alford, Bascom, Campbellton, Cottondale, Graceville, Grand Ridge, Greenwood, Jacob City, Malone, Marianna, Sneads — rely on the county LDC with only a municipal zoning overlay). The LDC does NOT contain a standalone ADU ordinance; accessory dwellings are handled as guest houses / mother-in-law suites under the R-1, R-2, and A-1 Agricultural district provisions. Typical provisions: one accessory dwelling allowed per A-1 parcel >=5 acres without conditional-use approval; guest houses without kitchens are broadly permitted in residential districts; second kitchens or full dwelling units in residential districts typically require a conditional-use permit. The LDC has not been updated for Florida s 163.31771 alignment and no ADU-specific rulemaking is pending as of 2026-04-20.
County regulatory overlays
Jackson County overlays most relevant to ADU siting: (1) FEMA SFHAs along the Chipola River, Apalachicola River tributaries, and Marianna's urban creek systems (concentrated flood-risk corridors rather than county-wide); (2) Dougherty Plain karst terrain — sinkholes, caves, and springs that require geotechnical due diligence on new-construction siting; (3) NWFWMD water-management jurisdiction with spring-protection overlays around Blue Spring, Merritt's Mill Pond, and Florida Caverns State Park; (4) Hurricane Michael rebuild-zone permit priority for parcels with verified pre-storm dwelling structures; (5) Florida Building Code 130-140 mph design-wind-speed region (lower than south-FL but still hurricane-zone) without HVHZ. No seismic, no coastal-commission, no WUI-specific overlay.
- Chipola River / Apalachicola Tributaries FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas
- Dougherty Plain Karst / Sinkhole Terrain
- NWFWMD Spring-Protection Overlays (Blue Spring, Merritt's Mill Pond, Jackson Blue)
- Florida Building Code 130-140 mph design-wind-speed region (non-HVHZ)
- Hurricane Michael (2018) rebuild / reconstruction overlay
County permitting (unincorporated parcels)
Most of Jackson County's area is unincorporated rural and agricultural land. ADU-adjacent construction is permitted by the Jackson County Building & Code Enforcement Department at the county courthouse complex in Marianna. Jackson uses the Florida Building Code as adopted without material local amendments. The department operates a limited online intake (email/PDF submission) and in-person counter service. Typical single-family / accessory-dwelling permit review runs 3-6 weeks including septic review by DOH-Jackson. Panhandle Florida is still recovering in some sectors from Hurricane Michael (2018-10-10, Cat 5 landfall in neighboring Bay County that caused extensive wind damage across Jackson County) — rebuild permits from 2018-2022 absorbed substantial department bandwidth.
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 Codes
- 32446
- 32448
Post Office
- 4396 Lafayette St, 32446