In unincorporated Manatee County, garages and carports (attached and detached) are allowed accessory uses under the Land Development Code. They must meet the zoning district's setback, height, and lot-coverage standards and require a building permit. Coastal and flood-zone lots have added construction requirements.
Manatee County Land Development Code lists garages and carports, attached and detached, as permitted accessory residential uses (former Section 703.2.9, carried into the current LDC Chapter 5). As accessory structures they must comply with the standard zoning-district setbacks, height limits, and overall lot-coverage rules for the parcel, and construction requires a building permit under the Florida Building Code. A carport or garage may not be used as a separate dwelling. Because Manatee County includes Gulf-coast and flood-prone land (Anna Maria Island, Cortez, coastal Bradenton), carports and garages in flood zones must meet floodplain and wind-load standards. Inside Bradenton, Palmetto, and the island cities, the city code governs.
Building a carport or garage without a permit, over the height or coverage limit, or inside a required setback is a Land Development Code violation subject to correction or removal.
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