Tamarac, FL Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Tamarac's Land Development Code allows only one accessory dwelling unit per lot, and only as a companion to a single-family detached dwelling, duplex dwelling, single-family attached dwelling, or live/work dwelling under LDC §10-3.4(D)(1). The unit may sit inside or attached to the principal home, such as an upstairs or downstairs apartment, or exist as a detached structure like an apartment above a garage or a guesthouse, but a detached ADU can never sit closer than 10 feet to the principal structure and cannot occupy more than 50 percent of the required rear setback.

Size is capped at 33 percent of the principal unit's habitable floor area, and the ADU is limited to a single bedroom with only one kitchen, so it cannot be split into multiple rental units. It must, however, contain its own private sanitary facilities with hot and cold running water plus cooking and food storage space to function as an independent unit. At least one off-street parking space must be provided for the ADU, and ownership cannot be severed: the ADU can never be sold apart from the principal dwelling on the same lot.

ADUs do not count toward the district's maximum net density standards, but they must otherwise meet the site and building design standards that apply to principal dwellings in that zoning district. Community Development reviews ADU permits through the standard building permit process.