Volusia County, FL Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Volusia County's land planning code permits accessory dwelling units (ADUs), also called garage apartments, mother-in-law suites or carriage houses, as of right in the FR, RC, A-1 through A-4, RA, RR, R-1 through R-6, R-9, MH-3 through MH-6, MH-8, B-8, PUD, OMV, OUR, OTR, ORE, OCR and SWR zoning classifications, per § 72-277(e)(1). Only one ADU is allowed per parcel. Size is capped: an ADU may not exceed 50 percent of the principal home's living area, and on lots under one acre it must fall between 240 and 1,200 square feet of living area; on lots of one acre or more the 240-square-foot floor and 50-percent cap still apply but the 1,200-square-foot ceiling drops away.

' The ADU must meet the same setbacks as the principal dwelling, and on lots under an acre a detached ADU's front façade must sit behind the rearmost point of the principal house. Only one front-façade entrance is allowed on the primary home; an attached ADU's entrance must be on the side or rear. One additional, non-tandem parking space is required for the ADU, and the two units generally must share a single driveway connection, though the zoning enforcement official can waive that for a converted structure with a pre-existing separate driveway, two already-legal driveways, dual road frontage, or an alternative design that reduces total driveway area.

An ADU cannot be built on a parcel with a nonconforming or duplex/triplex principal dwelling, cannot be subdivided off or sold separately, and cannot be a mobile home unless the principal dwelling is also a mobile home in a classification that allows it.