Clermont ADU Rules (2026)

Clermont is one of the fastest-growing cities in Florida — the hill country west of Orlando has drawn significant residential development over the past decade — and it has a genuine ADU ordinance to match. Two facts are worth knowing before anything else: Clermont permits full accessory dwelling units with independent kitchens (not the restricted “guest house” framework that governs unincorporated Lake County), and a January 2026 ordinance cut the city’s ADU impact fees to one-quarter the standard rate. Those two things together make Clermont one of the more straightforward ADU jurisdictions in Central Florida right now.

One state-law clarification before the details: Florida’s SB 48 ADU preemption bill did not become law. It passed the Senate and died in the House when the legislative session ended on March 13, 2026. Clermont’s own Land Development Code governs, not any state mandate. Any resource describing statewide ADU rights granted by SB 48 is describing a bill that failed.

How Clermont differs from unincorporated Lake County

The single most important difference is the kitchen provision.

Unincorporated Lake County governs secondary structures as “guest houses” under a framework that historically prohibited independent kitchen facilities. A Lake County guest house cannot be a self-contained dwelling unit — it requires occupants to share the primary home’s kitchen. That prohibition remains in force following SB 48’s failure and has not been amended by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners.

The City of Clermont adopted Ordinance 2020-20, which amended LDC Chapter 125 to permit “accessory dwelling units” — the terminology itself signals the intent. An ADU in Clermont is a full independent dwelling unit. Independent kitchen and bathroom facilities are permitted. The unit can function as a self-contained residence, which is what makes it useful as a rental or a genuine in-law suite.

The second major difference is the impact fee structure. Ordinance 2026-001, adopted by Clermont City Council on January 13, 2026, reduces city-collected impact fees for ADUs to 25% of the standard rate. The ordinance text is explicit:

“To the extent any impact fee set forth in this Ordinance shall be assessed due to the construction or improvement of an ADU, such fee in the impact fee schedule shall be charged at one-quarter the rate.”

Standard Lake County residential impact fees for a typical ADU run $9,300–$14,600 depending on size and which transportation benefit district the parcel falls in (Clermont sits in either the Northeast/Wekiva or South district). At the 25% rate, that burden drops to roughly $2,300–$3,700 — a material difference in project economics. Confirm with Building Services whether the discount applies only to city-administered fees or extends to county fees collected through the city.

The third difference is the approval path. Clermont’s ADU applications go through an administrative review process — Zoning → Landscape/Irrigation → Building — through the eTRAKiT online portal. This appears to be a by-right or administratively approved use, not a conditional use requiring a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Board. Verify directly with the Zoning Division before filing, as Ordinance 2020-20’s text was not publicly accessible for confirmation at the time of this writing.

What to verify before you design

Several dimensional standards in LDC Chapter 125 (as amended by Ordinance 2020-20) require a direct call to the Zoning Division before designing anything:

• Maximum ADU square footage. The cap is in the LDC text but was not accessible for confirmation. Many Florida cities use 750–1,000 sq ft or 50% of the primary dwelling. Get the current number before scoping your design.
• ADU-specific setbacks. Primary structure setbacks in R-1-A run 35 ft front / 9 ft side / 25 ft rear; R-1 runs 25 ft front / 7.5 ft side / 25 ft rear. ADUs typically receive reduced rear and side setbacks — confirm the ADU-specific numbers from Chapter 125.
• Height limit. Not confirmed from public documents. Likely 25–35 ft per typical LDC standards.
• Owner-occupancy. Not confirmed. Some Florida cities require the property owner to occupy either the primary or accessory dwelling; some do not. This affects whether you can rent both units simultaneously.
• Eligible zoning districts. R-1-A and R-1 are the base single-family districts. Whether R-2, R-3-A, R-3, and the urban transition districts (UE, UT) permit ADUs requires confirmation.

Call the Clermont Zoning Division at (352) 394-4081 and ask for the “ADU development standards under LDC Chapter 125 as amended by Ordinance 2020-20.” This is a five-minute call that answers all of the above.

Short-term rental

Clermont’s vacation rental framework covers “non-occupied, whole-house” single-family and duplex units. An ADU as a secondary unit on a property where the primary dwelling is occupied does not appear to fit that framework. If short-term rental income is part of your ADU economics, verify directly with Development Services at (352) 394-4083 before finalizing any numbers. Do not assume the Disney/attractions proximity that draws vacation rental activity to southern Osceola County extends to Clermont’s residential zones.

Permit process in Clermont

The practical sequence for a Clermont ADU:

1. Confirm your address is inside Clermont city limits — not all Clermont-area addresses are. Check the municipality field on your Lake County Property Appraiser parcel record at lakecopropappr.com. If it shows unincorporated Lake County, see the Lake County ADU rules instead.
2. Call the Zoning Division at (352) 394-4081 to confirm your zoning district is ADU-eligible and to get the current dimensional standards from LDC Chapter 125.
3. Pull your deed and any HOA covenants from the Lake County Clerk of Courts before proceeding. Deed restrictions are not overridden by the zoning code.
4. Homeowners submit permit applications in person at 685 W. Montrose Street. Contractors may submit electronically through the eTRAKiT portal. The review sequence is: Intake Sufficiency → Zoning → Irrigation/Landscape → Building.
5. Required documents include a signed-and-sealed site plan, construction plans prepared by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer, energy calculations, truss package, Florida Product Approval numbers, and a Notice of Commencement if the project value exceeds $5,000. See the Clermont Building Permit Packet for the current complete list.
6. Florida Statute 553.792 (effective January 2025) requires the city to approve or deny residential permit applications within 30 business days, with a daily fee-reduction penalty for delays. This is a meaningful protection for applicants.
7. After permit issuance, impact fees are assessed — verify the current schedule and confirm whether Ord. 2026-001’s 25% ADU rate applies to county-collected fees. Utility connection fees are billed separately.
8. Construction, required inspections, and Certificate of Occupancy add 3–6 months depending on scope and contractor.

Permit and Zoning contacts:

• Building Services: (352) 241-7315 | inspection@clermontfl.org
• Zoning Division: (352) 394-4081
• Address: 685 W. Montrose Street, Clermont, FL 34711
• Online portal: etrakit.clermontfl.org/etrakit3

What state law does not change

Florida Building Code applies to all new construction in Clermont. Florida Statutes Chapter 489 governs contractor licensing — your contractor must hold the appropriate certified license class. Chapter 713 governs construction liens and Notice to Owner procedures. The optional affordable ADU pathway in § 163.31771 exists in state law; ask the Zoning Division whether Clermont has adopted it.

Before you start spending

The 25% impact fee reduction under Ord. 2026-001 is the most significant recent policy change for Clermont ADU projects and it is not widely known yet. Combined with the administrative approval path (no public hearing), Clermont is meaningfully easier to build in than Kissimmee and meaningfully more permissive than unincorporated Lake County on the kitchen question.

The gap is the unknowns. Until you have the current max size, setbacks, height limit, and owner-occupancy status confirmed directly from the Zoning Division, any design work is premature. That call takes five minutes and costs nothing.

Our zoning and lot check guide walks through the full parcel, survey, setback, and flood zone verification process step by step. Once you’ve confirmed parcel eligibility, the costs, financing, and builders sections apply to your project.