Florida Senate Bill 48 would have required every county and city in the state to allow ADUs, no exceptions. It passed the Florida Senate 38 to 0. Then it stalled in the House, got dropped from a related housing bill during last-minute budget negotiations, and never received a floor vote. When the legislative session ended on March 13, 2026, SB 48 died with it.
What SB 48 would have done
If it had passed, SB 48 would have:
- Required every Florida county and city to allow ADUs in any neighborhood that already permits single-family homes
- Banned local governments from requiring the homeowner to live on the property
- Banned local rules that cap ADU size below 1,000 sq ft
- Banned design rules that are stricter for ADUs than for the main house
What this means for you
None of those protections exist right now. Each county and city in Florida still sets its own ADU rules, and they vary widely.
If you’re a homeowner: The rules that apply to your property are your county’s or city’s own code, not any state law. If you’ve read anything online suggesting SB 48 passed and changed your rights, that information is wrong.
If you’re an investor: Any project plan built around SB 48 passing needs to be reworked using your jurisdiction’s actual current rules. The county pages on this site reflect what’s in place now.
The earliest any new statewide ADU law could take effect is the 2027 legislative session.
Sources
- Florida Senate SB 48 (2026)
- SB 48 post-mortem: full legislative history
- Florida ADU law primer