Martin County, FL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- GC and HI maximum coverage
- 60 percent
- LC, CC, WRC, WGC, GI
- 50 percent
- CO, COR-1, COR-2, LI
- 40 percent
- R-1, R-1A, R-2, E-1, WE-1
- 35 percent
- RS-BR3 maximum coverage
- 30 percent, with 50 percent open space
- PR, PC, PS-1, PS-2
- 45 percent
- Measured at
- ground-floor exterior walls of principal and accessory structures
Summary
Martin County caps building coverage district by district in Table 3.12.1 of Land Development Regulations Section 3.12. GC and HI allow the most at 60 percent, LC, CC, WRC and WGC allow 50, CO and LI allow 40, R-1 and R-1A allow 35, and RS-BR3 allows 30. Many other residential districts print a dash and are held in check by a minimum open space percentage instead.
The land development standards set forth in Tables 3.12.1 and 3.12.2 shall apply to all lands zoned in accordance with this Division. TABLE 3.12.1 DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS C A T Zoning District Min. Lot Area (sq. ft.) Min. Lot Width (ft) Max. Res. Density (upa) Max. Hotel Density (upa) Max. Building Coverage (%) Max. Height (ft)/(stories) Min. Open Space (%) Other Req. (footnote) ... A RS-BR3 10,000 75 3.00 — 30 35 50 — ... A CO 10,000 80 — — 40 30 40 — A COR-1 10,000(h) 80(h) 5.00 10.00 40 30 40 — A COR-2 10,000(h) 80(h) 10.00 20.00 40 30 40 — A LC 10,000 80 10.00 20.00 50 30 30 — A CC 10,000 80 — 20.00 50 30 30 — A GC 10,000 80 — 20.00 60 40 20 — A WRC 10,000(h) 80(h) 10.00 20.00 50 30 30 — A WGC 10,000 80 — 20.00 50 40 30 — ... A LI 15,000 100 — 20 40 30(l) 20 — A GI 30,000 125 — 20 50 40 20 — A HI 1 ac. 125 — — 60 40 20 — A PR — — — — 45 40 40 — A PC — — — — 45 30 40 — ... B R-1 15,000 100 (a) — 35 30/3 50 — B R-1A 10,000 85 (a) — 35 30/3 30 — ... B R-2 7,500 60 (a) — 35 30/3 30 — ... B E-1 30,000 150 (a) — 35 30/3 50 — B WE-1 30,000 100 (a) — 35 30/2 50 —
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 62 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 62).
Full Breakdown
Section 3.12 applies Tables 3.12.1 and 3.12.2 to all lands zoned under that division of Article 3. The Section 3.3 glossary defines building coverage as the horizontal area measured from the exterior surface of the exterior walls of the ground floor of the principal and accessory structures on a lot. A detached garage or workshop therefore counts against the same percentage as the house itself, and the measure is taken at the ground-floor walls, not the roof edge.
Commercial and office districts carry the highest caps. CO, COR-1 and COR-2 stop at 40 percent. LC, CC, WRC and WGC stop at 50 percent. GC allows 60 percent, which on its 10,000 square foot minimum lot works out to 6,000 square feet of ground-floor footprint, alongside a 20 percent minimum open space requirement and a 40 foot height limit.
Industrial and public districts follow the same pattern. LI allows 40 percent, GI 50 percent and HI 60 percent. PR, PC, PS-1 and PS-2 all allow 45 percent. LI-1 and PAF print a dash in Table 3.12.1, but their own district sections carry the limit: Section 3.31 sets maximum building coverage at 50 percent for LI-1 and Section 3.32 sets it at 40 percent for PAF.
Residential coverage is narrower. RS-BR3 allows 30 percent, so a 10,000 square foot lot there holds 3,000 square feet of ground-floor building. R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-2B, R-2T, E-1 and WE-1 allow 35 percent. The agricultural, RE, RS (other than RS-BR3), RM and MH districts and HR-1, R-1B and R-2C print a dash in the coverage column. In those districts the Min. Open Space column does the limiting: 50 percent in R-1 and E-1, 30 percent in R-1A, R-2 and HR-1.
Table 3.12.2 adds structure setbacks that shrink the buildable area further, for example 50 feet on the front, rear and side at every story in AG-20A and 40 feet in AR-5A. The table's history line ends with Ord. No. 1165, adopted 8-10-2021, so the printed figures are in force now.
Violations & Fines
Section 3.12 prints no fine or penalty of its own. The coverage percentage works as an approval standard for building permits issued under Chapter 21, Article 1 of the General Ordinances. A plan whose ground-floor footprint of principal and accessory structures exceeds the district maximum fails Section 3.12 and has to be redrawn smaller. Accessory buildings count toward the cap, so a new detached garage can fail alone on a lot already near its limit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest building coverage Martin County allows?
How does Martin County measure building coverage?
Why does my residential district show a dash for coverage?
What coverage applies in the LI-1 and PAF districts?
What else limits how much of a Martin County lot I can build on?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Martin County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Martin County to another location·View the Florida building setbacks & zoning overview
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