Clarcona

ADU Pass helps homeowners in Clarcona, No County, Florida navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.

1 ZIP code

ADU details

ADU legality: allowed-with-restrictions

Statewith-restrictions (Florida Statutes § 163.31771 (Accessory Dwelling Units)) — Florida's enabling statute is permissive; counties retain authority over unincorporated areas.
Countywith-restrictions (Orange County Code (geographically; this entry is filed under no_county for the ADU Pass index)) — Clarcona is an unincorporated CDP in northwestern Orange County; the county code governs ADUs. Filed under no_county/ in this index per ADU Pass routing convention.
Citywith-restrictions (Clarcona is a CDP - no municipal code; Orange County Code governs) — Clarcona is an unincorporated census-designated place; there is no city government.

Clarcona is a small unincorporated community in northwestern Orange County, between Apopka and Pine Hills, along Clarcona-Ocoee Road. Predominantly suburban-residential and rural-equestrian. Home to Clarcona Horse Park, a major Orange County equestrian facility. Population approximately 3,300.

Cost scenarios

ScenarioSq ft PermitBuildTotal
minimum 200 $2,700 $46,000 $48,700
600 600 $2,700 $138,000 $140,700
midpoint 600 $2,700 $138,000 $140,700
maximum 1,000 $2,700 $230,000 $232,700
Fee breakdown (as of 2026-04)
Plan review$750
Building permit$1,600
Impact fees$350
Total$2,700

Permitting process

Typical duration65 days
Backlog30 days

Viability (permitted uses)

  • Long-term rental: yes Long-term rental permitted; Orlando-metro workforce demand.
  • Short-term rental: with-restrictions Florida § 509.032 partially preempts STR regulation. Clarcona STR demand benefits from Orlando-metro/theme-park visitor traffic and equestrian-event lift around Clarcona Horse Park.
  • Office rental: with-restrictions Detached office rental requires home occupation permit.
  • Home office: yes Home occupation permitted.
  • Studio / workshop: yes Personal artist studio is a permitted accessory use.
  • Agriculture: yes Agricultural and equestrian accessory uses common; livestock allowed in agricultural zoning. § 604.50 FS bona fide farm housing exemption may apply on producing horse farms.
  • Relative support: yes Family-occupancy ADU permitted; § 193.703 FS granny-flat reduction available.

Incentives

Contacts

DepartmentOrange County Planning, Environmental, and Development Services (Clarcona is unincorporated)

Utilities

  • Water: Orange County Utilities; private well in rural sections · 30d connect · $5,500
  • Sewer: Orange County Utilities; FDOH septic in rural sections · 30d connect · $7,500
  • Electric: Duke Energy Florida; OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission) in pockets · 21d connect · $1,800
  • Gas: TECO Peoples Gas (limited mains); LP / propane elsewhere · 30d connect · $1,500

Property values & taxes

Median value$295,000
Median tax$3,245/yr
Effective rate1.1%

Construction timeline

Detached build22 weeks
Conversion12 weeks
Contractor lead4 months

Realistic total: best 7mo · typical 11mo · worst 16mo

Modular pathway inspectors are occasional with modular

Financing

Insurance impact

Annual premium delta$1,900
Landlord policyrecommended
Umbrella threshold$1M umbrella when renting; FL wind/hurricane peril dominates premium

HOA prevalence & preemption

State HOA preemptionno

Newer Clarcona-area subdivisions carry HOAs; legacy rural-equestrian parcels are HOA-free.

Regulatory overlays (3)

  • flood-zone
    Localized FEMA SFHAs along Lake Apopka and Wekiva basin tributaries; many upland Clarcona parcels are Zone X.
  • wetland-overlay
    Lake Apopka basin wetlands subject to FDEP, SJRWMD, and Lake Apopka North Shore Restoration constraints.
  • wui-fire-zone
    Pine flatwoods adjacency; FFS WUI moderate exposure.
Technical envelope (climate & building code)

Climate & energy code

IECC climate zone2A
Heating degree days1,300
Cooling degree days2,700
Design low / high32°F / 92°F
Wind design speed130 mph
Seismic design cat.A
Annual rainfall53"
Wildfire exposuremoderate
Energy codeIECC
Version / adopted2021 / 2024

Building code

Base codeIRC
Version year2,021
Adopted2024
Fire sprinklernone
Egress window5.7 sqft min
Min ceiling7 ft
Attic R-valueR-38 min
Wall R-valueR-13 min

Amendments:

  • Amendment
  • Amendment

Known issues (1)

  • other — Lake Apopka North Shore Restoration overlay can constrain wetland-edge parcels.
County: no attribution (synthetic bucket)

No county

This city sits in the state's "no county" bucket — its ADU rules derive directly from state law and city ordinance without a county intermediary. No county-level sections apply.

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

  • 32710

Post Office

  • 7228 Clarcona Ocoee Rd, 32710