Highlands County, FL Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies in
- EU Estate, AU Agricultural, R-1A districts
- Governing section
- Highlands County Code Section 12.05.201.B.10
- Condition
- Owner must sign no-rental agreement
- R-1A process
- Board of Adjustment special exception
- Enforcement
- Code Enforcement Special Magistrate, ch. 2 art. XII
Summary
In unincorporated Highlands County, a guesthouse built as an accessory to a single-family home is allowed only if the owner signs an agreement that it will not be used for rental purposes. The restriction applies in the EU Estate, AU Agricultural and R-1A residential districts, and Development Services enforces it through the zoning permit process for the accessory structure.
10.One guesthouse as an accessory to a principal dwelling, provided that the owner shall sign an agreement that such guesthouse will not be used for rental purposes.
Full Breakdown
Highlands County's zoning code allows a guesthouse only as an accessory use tied to a principal single-family dwelling, never as an independent rental unit. 10 lists 'one guesthouse as an accessory to a principal dwelling' as a permitted principal use, but only if the owner signs an agreement that it will not be used for rental purposes. 19. 2, again conditioned on the same signed no-rental agreement. Development Services requires the agreement before it will sign off on the accessory structure permit, and the recorded condition runs with the approval rather than expiring.
Because the restriction is written into the permitted-use and special-exception language itself, a guesthouse used as a short-term or long-term rental is outside the use the county actually approved, regardless of whether the structure otherwise meets size, setback or height standards for an accessory building.
Violations & Fines
Renting a guesthouse breaks the no-rental agreement filed with the county, turning the approved accessory use into a code violation. Development Services' Code Enforcement Division can cite the property owner, and an unresolved case can be referred to the county's Code Enforcement Special Magistrate under chapter 2, article XII of the county code, which can impose fines and record a lien against the property until the rental use stops.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent out a guesthouse in unincorporated Highlands County?
What is a guesthouse under the zoning code?
What happens if a Highlands County guesthouse is rented anyway?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Highlands County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Highlands County to another location·View the Florida accessory structures overview
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