Building Setbacks & Zoning in Miami, FL (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Miami, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Miami requires a minimum 50-foot building setback from the mean high water line on waterways, dropping to 20 feet in the T3, T4-R, D1, D2 and D3 Transect Zones under Miami 21's waterfront standards.
Miami Waterfront Building Setback Minimums
Some RestrictionsMiami 21 (Zoning Code) § 3.11, Waterfront Standards
For properties fronting a Waterway, the Setback shall be a minimum of fifty (50) feet measured from the mean high water line provided along any Waterfront, except where the depth of the Lot is less than two-hundred (200) feet the Setback shall be a minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the Lot depth; and except for T3, T4-R, D1, D2 and D3 Transect Zones where a minimum Setback of twenty (20) ...
Structure Height Limits
Miami 21 caps most stories at 14 feet floor-to-floor, with a 25-foot ground-level allowance and a 39-foot two-story combined limit citywide.
Miami Building Height Measured in Stories
Some RestrictionsMiami 21 Code, Article 3, § 3.5.2 (Measurement of Height)
A Story is a Habitable level within a Building with a maximum Height of fourteen (14) feet from finished floor to finished floor. Basements are not considered Stories for the purposes of determining Building Height... A ground-level Story may exceed this limit up to a total height of twenty-five (25) feet... The first two Stories' total combined Height shall not exceed thirty-nine (39) feet, or...
Lot Coverage Limits
In Miami's T3 Sub-Urban Transect Zone, covering most single-family and duplex lots, buildings can cover up to 50% of the lot on the first floor, with second-story coverage capped at 30% in T3-R and T3-L zones.
Miami T3 Zone Lot Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsMiami 21 Code § 5.3.1, Illustration 5.3 (Sub-Urban Transect Zone T3 — Lot Occupation)
Lot Coverage by Building shall not exceed that shown in Illustration 5.3. ... c. Lot Coverage 50% max. first floor 30% max. second floor (T3-R & T3-L only)
Looking for Miami-Dade County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Miami city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Miami-Dade County →