Sarasota, FL Accessory Structures: Garage Conversions (2026)

1 lists 'converting existing living area, attic or garage' as the first of four accepted methods for creating an accessory dwelling unit in Sarasota, alongside adding floor area to an existing house, building a new detached structure, or building a new house with the ADU included from the start. 4, so a homeowner typically needs a separate exterior or side entrance. Any balcony or exterior staircase added as part of the conversion must face the front or interior of the lot rather than an abutting neighbor, and windows above 12 feet on any wall of the converted garage that encroaches into the underlying zone district's setback are limited to clerestory windows.

2(ii), no additional off-street parking space is required for the new unit if the garage conversion sits on a lot with an existing single-family home and at least one abutting street allows on-street parking; only if none of the abutting streets allow on-street parking, or the ADU is created at the same time as the primary house, does the code require one extra parking space. A garage conversion counted as an addition of floor area to the principal dwelling, rather than a standalone conversion, additionally has to match the exterior finish, roof pitch, trim, windows and eaves of the main house under (cc)(3)d.