ADU Pass
Geneva
ADU Pass helps homeowners in Geneva, Seminole County, Florida navigate the permit paperwork for building an accessory dwelling unit. This area covers 1 ZIP code.
Map
Seminole County — county ADU rules and overlays
County ADU ordinance
Seminole County (county seat Sanford; part of the Orlando metropolitan statistical area) regulates accessory dwelling units on unincorporated parcels through the Seminole County Land Development Code. Seminole is a densely developed suburban county north of Orlando with a population of approximately 475,000 and seven incorporated cities (Sanford, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Lake Mary, Longwood, Oviedo, Winter Springs). Unincorporated Seminole is substantial and includes rapidly growing suburban areas including Fern Park, Goldenrod, Mid-Florida, and Wekiva. Florida has no statewide ADU preemption; § 163.31771 FS is permissive only. Pending SB 48 / HB 313 (2026 session) would establish a statewide ADU floor with a December 1, 2026 conformance deadline if enacted.
State-floor overlay: Florida has no statewide ADU preemption as of April 2026. § 163.31771 FS is permissive only. Pending 2026 bills (SB 48 / HB 313) would impose a statewide floor; Seminole's ordinance would need audit against the final statutory text if enacted (December 1, 2026 deadline in current drafts).
County regulatory overlays
Seminole County administers several consequential overlays including the Wekiva Study Area (WSA), which covers substantial western and northern county territory and imposes elevated water-quality, septic, and habitat standards. FEMA floodplain overlays along the St. Johns River (northern county boundary), the Econlockhatchee River, and Lake Jesup / Lake Monroe shorelines affect many parcels. St. Johns River Water Management District jurisdiction governs the county's wetlands and stormwater. Orlando Sanford International Airport and small general-aviation airports impose airspace and noise compatibility zones.
- Wekiva Study Area (WSA) — § 369.318 Florida Statutes and Seminole County LDC overlay — The WSA covers approximately one-third of Seminole County (northern and western county including Heathrow, Wekiva, Longwood, and north-county rural-residential areas). Parcels within the WSA face density caps, water-quality protection requirements (including enhanced septic-system design or mandatory connection to central sewer), and tree-protection and open-space requirements. An ADU on a WSA parcel often requires advanced septic treatment or sewer connection, adding material cost.
- FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) — Seminole participates in NFIP. Parcels along the St. Johns River (northern county boundary), the Econlockhatchee River, Lake Jesup, Lake Monroe, and tributary corridors face Zone A or AE designations. ADU construction in a mapped floodplain requires elevation-certificate review.
- St. Johns River Water Management District Environmental Resource Permits — Seminole sits within SJRWMD jurisdiction. ADU site work affecting wetlands or altering stormwater requires an ERP. Seminole's mixed-density suburban landscape contains many small wetland features on suburban parcels.
- Hurricane Wind Zone — approximately 130-140 mph ultimate design wind speed — Seminole sits in approximately the 130-140 mph ASCE 7-22 ultimate design wind-speed zone (Risk Category II residential). Inland relative to Atlantic coast but still subject to hurricane construction requirements; Hurricane Ian (2022) produced substantial wind and flood impact in Seminole despite being inland.
- Orlando Sanford International Airport and general-aviation airport zones — Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) and smaller general-aviation airports (Orlando Apopka Airport) impose airspace and noise-compatibility zones. Parcels within the mapped noise-compatibility zone face additional review for new residential construction.
County permitting (unincorporated parcels)
Permits for ADUs on parcels in unincorporated Seminole County are issued by the Seminole County Development Services Department, which consolidates planning, zoning, and building review. Seminole has seven incorporated cities; about 40% of county population lives in unincorporated territory. Unincorporated suburban areas including Fern Park, Goldenrod, Forest City, and Wekiva are the primary markets for ADU permits.
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
- 32732
Post Office
- 199 Pine St, 32732