Plantation, FL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Section 27-11 defines 'lot coverage' as the percent of total lot area occupied by the ground floor of all principal and accessory buildings, and the definition specifically counts covered exterior spaces such as covered balconies, porches or patios, covered walkways, cantilevers and overhangs toward the ratio; open, uncovered decks and patios are not counted. That definition drives every dimensional table in Chapter 27. In the B-1P Neighborhood Business District, Table 85-1 under Section 27-85(b)(2) caps lot coverage at 30 percent alongside a 35-foot height limit, a five-acre minimum plot, and setbacks of 50 feet from a major arterial and 25 feet from any other street or property line.

The same 30 percent ceiling repeats in the dimensional tables for the B-2L Limited Community Business and B-2P Central Business districts, making 30 percent the default commercial cap in Plantation. Property developed under a Planned Community Development (a PRD-Q residential or B-7Q commercial rezoning) is not governed by a single district table; instead Section 27-92(7)a sets its own baseline: the ground area occupied by any building or structure in a PCD shall not exceed thirty percent (30%). Within a PCD, however, minimum lot size, percentage of lot coverage, and setbacks are ultimately fixed for that specific project at site-plan approval by the City Council in its discretion, under Section 27-92(6)c, so an approved PCD development order can set a different figure than the 30 percent baseline.

Coverage is checked when the Planning, Zoning and Economic Development Department reviews a site plan or issues a building permit; a plan that exceeds the applicable percentage is not approved, and a structure built beyond the limit without approval is treated as a Code violation rather than a legal nonconforming structure.