ADU Rules for Incorporated Cities in Central Florida
Incorporated cities in Central Florida set their own ADU rules on top of county codes. Kissimmee needs a public hearing; Orlando offers fee rebates.
If your property is inside an incorporated city’s limits, the city’s Land Development Code governs your ADU, not the county’s. A Kissimmee mailing address in Osceola County does not mean you are under Kissimmee’s rules; what matters is the municipality field on your parcel record. When city and county rules conflict, the city rules govern inside city limits.
The cities below have published their own ADU ordinances that differ meaningfully from the surrounding county. Each page covers the key differences, the permit process, fees, and realistic timelines.
Kissimmee
ADUs in Kissimmee’s residential zones require a Conditional Use Permit: a public hearing before the Planning Advisory Board. That is the single most consequential difference from unincorporated Osceola County, where ADUs meeting dimensional standards are approved administratively. Kissimmee’s LDC §14-6-2 caps ADUs at 800 sq ft (or 40 percent of the primary dwelling’s gross floor area, whichever is less) with a 500 sq ft minimum, and properties in city limits owe both city and county impact fees. The well-known vacation rental communities near the attractions corridor are largely outside the zones where residential ADUs are permitted.
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Orlando
Orlando permits ADUs by right in most single-family residential zones (no public hearing required) and runs a financial incentive program through 2027 that can offset $13,000–$14,000+ in permit and impact fees for qualifying projects. Properties in city limits are subject to Orange County impact fees plus city fees, but the incentive program is designed to partially offset that burden. Impact fee rates in Orange County are among the most significant cost factors for any ADU project in the area.
Clermont
Clermont permits full accessory dwelling units with independent kitchens, a meaningful step beyond unincorporated Lake County, where the guest-house framework historically prohibited kitchen facilities. The bigger news for 2026: Ordinance 2026-001, adopted January 13, 2026, cut city-collected ADU impact fees to one-quarter the standard rate, reducing a typical impact fee burden from $9,300–$14,600 down to roughly $2,300–$3,700. The approval process is administrative; no public hearing required. Several dimensional standards (max size, ADU-specific setbacks, owner-occupancy) require a direct call to the Zoning Division before designing.
Winter Park
Winter Park is inside Orange County but runs its own rules, and two things stand out immediately. First, the city bans all rentals shorter than one month (Section 22-177); this is citywide, enforced, and legally protected. No Airbnb, no VRBO, no exceptions. Second, Winter Park stacks its own city impact fees (transportation: ~$6,425; parks: ~$2,000) on top of Orange County’s school and other fees, pushing combined impact fees to the $15,000–$25,000+ range. Administrative approval, no public hearing required. Several dimensional standards are still being updated; confirm with Planning at (407) 599-3290 before designing.
Oviedo
Oviedo is in Seminole County and went through a major Land Development Code overhaul in November 2024 (Ordinance 1752), creating a dedicated ADU section for the first time. Key facts: size cap is 1,000 sq ft or 50% of the primary home (whichever is less); no owner-occupancy requirement; Seminole County collects impact fees (estimated $8,000–$15,000 range). Short-term rentals are allowed with a vacation rental permit, but check your HOA covenants first, as many Oviedo neighborhoods are deed-restricted. The specific setback and height numbers are in the new code but need direct confirmation from the city.
Sanford
Sanford is Seminole County’s county seat: a revitalized historic waterfront city on Lake Monroe with three National Register of Historic Places districts covering a significant portion of its residential grid. That distinction is the most consequential fact for ADU projects here: any external modification to a property in the Downtown Commercial, Sanford Residential, or Georgetown historic districts requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board before a building permit can issue. Outside those district boundaries, standard LDR review applies. Specific dimensional standards (setbacks, height, maximum size) are set by zoning district and should be confirmed with Planning at (407) 688-5140 before commissioning plans.
Leesburg
Leesburg is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, driven almost entirely by The Villages spillover. The healthcare workers, service staff, and tradespeople who keep the retirement community running need affordable housing within commute distance, and Leesburg is that housing market. The city’s population grew roughly 40 percent between 2020 and 2024. For ADU owners, that translates to durable long-term rental demand from a large, stable workforce tenant pool. Leesburg sits inside Lake County, where unincorporated parcels prohibit independent kitchens in guest houses, but the City of Leesburg’s own Chapter 25 zoning code may differ on that point. Confirm with Planning at (352) 728-9700 whether your district permits a full-kitchen unit before designing.
Lakeland
Lakeland is Polk County’s largest city and the employment anchor of the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando. Publix Super Markets headquarters (8,000+ employees), Amazon’s Polk County operations (5,500 employees), and Lakeland Regional Health (6,000+ employees) create year-round workforce housing demand that makes ADU rental income projections durable rather than seasonal. The two facts that distinguish Lakeland from the surrounding unincorporated Polk County: ADUs require a compatibility review by the Planning and Zoning Board rather than administrative approval (a discretionary process that adds 30–60 days), and only parcels in the city’s designated Urban areas are eligible. The upside is a significant one: transportation impact fees are exempt, keeping total ADU impact fees around $754 compared to $9,631 for a new single-family home. Call Planning at (863) 834-7526 with your parcel ID before doing anything else.
Ocala
Ocala is inside Marion County but operates under its own Chapter 122 zoning ordinance, which differs from the county code in a significant way: the City of Ocala’s Table of Permitted Uses (Sec. 122-287) does not list “accessory dwelling unit,” “guest house,” or any equivalent secondary dwelling type as a permitted use in any standard residential district. Marion County has dedicated provisions for both (§4.2.6 guest cottage; §4.3.18 accessory apartment). The city has a general accessory structures provision (Sec. 122-254), but whether a habitable dwelling qualifies under it requires a direct conversation with City Planning before committing to design. Properties in RBH (Residential Business Historic) zoning and the downtown FBC (Form Based Code) district face additional review (including Historic Preservation Board design review adding 30–60 days) under separate frameworks entirely. One call to (352) 629-8247 with your parcel ID answers the threshold eligibility question before anything else.
More cities are added as ordinances are published or updated. If your city is not listed, start with your county page and confirm your jurisdiction on the Osceola, Orange, or other county property appraiser portal.