Sanford, FL Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Sanford's Land Development Regulations define an accessory dwelling unit, in Section 11.2, as one dwelling unit contained within the principal building on the premises and occupied by the owner, a relative of the owner-occupant, a caretaker or a watchman employed on the premises. Schedule B, Permitted Uses, then fixes where that use may go: the table marks Accessory Dwelling Unit "A" in the SR-1AA, SR-1A and SR-1 single-family districts, the same marking used for the paired "Accessory Residential Structure" entry, and marks it "C" for conditional-use review in the MR-1, MR-2, MR-3, RMOI, RC-1, GC-2, RI-1, MI-2 and AG districts.

It carries no entry in SR-2, PD or PRO. Footnote (7) to the table adds a downtown twist: on commercial buildings in the SC-3 district, accessory dwelling units or multi-family dwellings are permitted on the second floor and above, while ground-floor residential use in the same building may be allowed only with a conditional use approval if appropriate. Any use flagged "C" must go through the development-approval process in Article III, Section 3.2, where minor and major conditional uses require review and, for major conditional uses, City Commission approval, rather than the administrative sign-off given to as-of-right development.

Planning and Development Services' administrative official processes the site development permit application and confirms the proposed ADU also meets Schedule C's area and dimension standards for the parcel's district before a building permit issues.