Palma Sola

Manatee County regulates accessory dwelling units on parcels in the unincorporated county through the Manatee County Land Development Code (LDC), which addresses 'accessory dwelling units,' 'guest houses,' and 'garage apartments.' Manatee is one of the Florida counties that does use the specific term 'accessory dwelling unit' in its zoning text, reflecting more recent code modernization than several inland Florida counties. Florida does not impose mandatory statewide ADU preemption — § 163.31771 Fla. Stat. is permissive only — so Manatee County's ADU provisions reflect the county's own policy choice. As of 2026-04-20, Manatee County permits one accessory dwelling unit per single-family parcel in most residential zoning districts (RSF-1, RSF-2, RSF-3, RSF-4.5, RSF-6) subject to size caps (typically maximum 800 sqft or 40% of primary dwelling, whichever is less), setback conformance, one story / 22 feet maximum height in most districts, and owner-occupancy of either the primary dwelling or the ADU. Manatee County sits on the Gulf Coast growth corridor with sustained population pressure from I-75 suburban expansion (Lakewood Ranch master-planned community alone has grown to ~50,000 residents spanning the Manatee-Sarasota county line), Bradenton urban core, Anna Maria Island / Bradenton Beach / Holmes Beach barrier-island tourism, and Ellenton / Parrish rural-to-suburban transition north of the Manatee River. The county ordinance pre-dates 2023's Ian-adjacent storm damage (Hurricane Ian's track missed Manatee but Hurricane Idalia in Aug 2023 delivered surge damage to western Manatee); no major post-storm ADU ordinance revision has occurred. Pending 2026 state legislation (SB 48 / HB 313) would, if enacted, preempt sub-1,000-sqft caps — Manatee County's 800-sqft cap would need adjustment upward.

• Manatee County Land Development Code — zoning and accessory-use provisions
• Manatee County Comprehensive Plan — Future Land Use Element and Coastal Management Element
• Manatee 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 ADU bans effective December 1, 2026 if enacted. For Manatee County, enactment would force upward revision of the 800-sqft cap to at least 1,000 sqft and would likely invalidate the current owner-occupancy requirement. The Live Local Act (SB 102 2023 / SB 328 2024) applies to commercial / industrial / mixed-use. Florida HOA, condominium, and cooperative statutes (Ch. 720, 718, 719) do NOT preempt association-level ADU restrictions — Manatee has many HOA-governed planned communities (Lakewood Ranch, Greyhawk Landing, River Club, Mill Creek, University Park) where HOA covenants override county zoning and can bar ADUs entirely.

Manatee County administers or co-administers several overlay regimes that materially affect ADU siting on unincorporated parcels: (1) FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) covering a very large portion of coastal and near-coastal unincorporated areas — essentially all of the Gulf-facing coast (Cortez, Bradenton Beach unincorporated fringe), Tampa Bay frontage (Terra Ceia, Rubonia, Palmetto unincorporated fringe), and extensive floodplain along the Manatee River and Braden River; Manatee is a CRS Class 6 community; (2) Florida Building Code Wind Borne Debris Region — all of Manatee County with 150 mph ultimate inland and 160-170 mph ultimate on coastal and barrier-island parcels; (3) Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) as defined under the Manatee Comp Plan Coastal Management Element, with intensification-restraint policies; (4) Florida DEP Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) jurisdiction seaward of which FDEP permit is required; (5) Florida Aquatic Preserves around Cortez / Terra Ceia / Palma Sola Bay — state-designated preserves (§ 258.39 Fla. Stat.); (6) Urban Service Area boundary separating parcels with county water/sewer from rural parcels on private well / septic. Post-Hurricane Idalia (Aug 2023), FEMA issued revised FIRM coordination for affected coastal Manatee segments.

• FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) — National Flood Insurance Program (Manatee CRS Class 6) — Manatee County administers FEMA NFIP floodplain regulations. Principal SFHA extents are the Gulf-facing coast (Cortez, Bradenton Beach unincorporated fringe), Tampa Bay frontage (Terra Ceia Island, Rubonia, Palmetto fringe), and the Manatee / Braden / Myakka river corridors. Manatee County requires lowest-floor elevation to BFE + 1 ft freeboard on new residential construction in SFHA. ADU on an SFHA parcel requires Elevation Certificate, flood vents on enclosures below BFE, anchoring, and V-zone construction (pilings, breakaway walls) in velocity zones. Manatee is a CRS Class 6 community giving unincorporated NFIP policyholders a 20% premium discount.
• Florida Building Code Wind Borne Debris Region (WBDR) — All of Manatee County is in the WBDR. Ultimate design wind speeds run 150 mph inland (Myakka City, eastern unincorporated), 160 mph mid-county, and 170 mph on the barrier islands and Gulf-immediate coastal (Cortez, Terra Ceia). Impact-rated glazing or compliant shutters required on all openings. Garage doors must be impact-rated. Post-Idalia, insurers further tightened expectations on wind-mitigation inspections and OIR-1802 report compliance; the premium differential between compliant and non-compliant structures runs 2-3x.
• Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) — Manatee Comp Plan intensification limits — The CHHA covers the Category 1 surge inundation zone plus adjacent high-velocity wave-action areas. Manatee Comp Plan policies restrict density intensification in the CHHA. An ADU on a parcel already at the underlying zoning density may be denied under the CHHA intensification restraint even where the zoning district would allow it. CHHA covers Cortez, Terra Ceia, Rubonia, Palmetto waterfront, and much of the post-Idalia-affected coastal fringe.
• Florida Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) — FDEP jurisdiction — The CCCL runs along Manatee's Gulf-facing shorelines. Seaward of CCCL, any structure requires FDEP permit in addition to county building approval. Most Gulf-facing unincorporated parcels in Manatee are in the Cortez area; Anna Maria Island is incorporated. CCCL permit processing adds 60-120 days to the overall permit timeline.
• Florida Aquatic Preserves — Cockroach Bay, Terra Ceia — Multiple state-designated Aquatic Preserves surround Manatee County's Tampa Bay frontage. Cockroach Bay Aquatic Preserve covers the eastern Tampa Bay shore; Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve covers the Terra Ceia / Snead Island area. Waterfront accessory structures require additional FDEP / Southwest Florida Water Management District permitting for docks, seawalls, and any in-water component.
• Manatee County Urban Service Area (USA) boundary — The USA boundary roughly follows I-75 and extends slightly east, separating parcels with county water/sewer availability from rural-area parcels relying on private wells and on-site septic systems. Outside the USA, ADU permitting requires Florida Department of Health septic approval for the second dwelling's wastewater — on small rural parcels this can foreclose a second septic system entirely.

Manatee County Building & Development Services Department (BDS) is the combined planning / zoning / building / floodplain permit authority for parcels in the unincorporated county. Unincorporated Manatee County covers approximately 640 square miles (about 85% of the county's 750 sqmi total land area). Incorporated municipalities are Bradenton (county seat), Palmetto, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Anna Maria (city of), and Longboat Key. Unincorporated communities include the sprawling Lakewood Ranch master-planned community (50,000+ residents; partially in Sarasota County), Ellenton, Parrish, Myakka City (rural eastern Manatee), Duette, Terra Ceia (island in Tampa Bay), Cortez (fishing village), and Samoset. Manatee County administers FEMA NFIP floodplain regulations as a CRS Class 6 community. All of Manatee County is in the Wind Borne Debris Region (WBDR) under Florida Building Code with 150-mph-ultimate wind-load design inland and 160-170-mph-ultimate on the barrier islands. BDS operates a single-point-of-contact permit intake combining zoning, building, floodplain, and environmental review. The Urban Service Area boundary gates county water/sewer eligibility; parcels east of the USA rely on on-site septic / private wells.