ADU Pass
Cortez
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Cortez, Manatee 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
Florida has no statewide ADU preemption; local ordinance is the binding constraint. Cortez permits ADUs subject to local conditions.
Cost scenarios
| Scenario | Sq ft | Permit | Build | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minimum | 150 | $3,300 | $52,500 | $55,800 |
| 600 | 600 | $3,300 | $210,000 | $213,300 |
| midpoint | 575 | $3,300 | $201,250 | $204,550 |
| 1000 | 1,000 | $3,300 | $350,000 | $353,300 |
| maximum | 1,000 | $3,300 | $350,000 | $353,300 |
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Permitting process
Viability (permitted uses)
- Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental of ADU permitted; Florida landlord-tenant law (Ch. 83) applies.
- Short-term rental: with-restrictions STR registration may apply per county vacation-rental ordinance and Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) licensing.
- Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit or rezoning.
- Home office: yes Home occupation permitted with conditions on signage and traffic.
- Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist/maker studio is a permitted accessory use.
- Agriculture: with-restrictions Rural-zoned parcels permit limited agriculture; livestock varies by district.
- Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU explicitly permitted in residential zones.
Contacts
Utilities
- Water: Manatee County or local utility · 30d connect · $4,500
- Sewer: Manatee County or local utility · 30d connect · $5,500
- Electric: Florida Power & Light (FPL) or LCEC · 21d connect · $1,800
- Gas: Propane typical (no municipal natural gas) · 14d connect · $1,500
Property values & taxes
Construction timeline
Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 16mo
Modular pathway inspectors are occasional with modular
Standard rural-road transport with permitted oversize loads
Financing
State ADU loans:
Insurance impact
HOA prevalence & preemption
Florida Ch. 720 HOA, Ch. 718 condo, and Ch. 719 cooperative statutes do not preempt HOA-level ADU bans. Recorded covenants control where they exist.
Regulatory overlays (3)
- flood-zone
Cortez has FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (AE/VE/AO/X-shaded). Lowest-floor elevation to BFE + Manatee County freeboard required; FEMA Elevation Certificate required at CO. NFIP flood insurance effectively mandatory for coastal mortgaged parcels. - wetland-overlay
Wetland delineation may be required where parcels border lakes, streams, or jurisdictional wetlands. SWFWMD/SJRWMD/SRWMD/NWFWMD jurisdiction applies depending on basin. - historic-district
Cortez Historic District (NRHP) covers the village core; design review applies to new accessory structures.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)
Climate & energy code
Building code
Amendments:
- Amendment
- Amendment
Contractor market (aggregate)
Legal history (timeline)
Current ordinance: Manatee County Land Development Code — Accessory Dwellings / Guest Houses, adopted 2010-01-01, last amended 2024-01-01
- 2022-09-28 — Hurricane Ian landfall (state-event)
Cat 4 hurricane made landfall near Cayo Costa, severely impacting southwest Florida coastal communities.
Effect: Indirect effect on insurance market - 2024-01-01 — Florida Building Code 8th Edition update (building-code)
Statewide adoption of FBC 8th Edition (IECC 2020 base with Florida amendments).
Effect: Updated wind, energy, and structural standards apply to new accessory dwellings
Manatee County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
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.
County regulatory overlays
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.
County permitting (unincorporated parcels)
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.
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
- 34215
Post Office
- 12112 44th Ave W, 34215