Accessory Structures in Tampa, FL (2026)
4 verified accessory structures rules for Tampa, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
ADU Rules
Tampa allows an accessory dwelling unit only as a discretionary special use under Sec. 27-132, capping every unit at 950 square feet of living space and confining the use to specific mapped neighborhoods and overlay districts rather than allowing it citywide by right.
Accessory Dwelling Unit Zoning Rules Tampa
Significant RestrictionsTampa Code § 27-132
Accessory dwelling unit. The following specific standards shall be used in deciding an application for approval of this use: a.An accessory dwelling unit shall be limited to a maximum of nine hundred fifty (950) square feet of living space. ... c.An accessory dwelling unit may be located within the single-family dwelling with a separate entrance, within a conforming accessory structure, or with...
ADU Owner Occupancy
Tampa will only approve an accessory dwelling unit special use permit if the property owner actually resides on the parcel. Sec. 27-132(b) rules out absentee-landlord ADUs and pure rental-investment backyard units from the start.
Tampa ADU Owner-Occupancy Requirement
Significant RestrictionsTampa Code § 27-132(b)
b.An accessory dwelling unit may only be approved when the property owner resides on the property.
ADU Rental Restrictions
Tampa caps an accessory dwelling unit at two unrelated occupants at any time. Sec. 27-132(d) blocks group-house or multiple-roommate rentals in a backyard unit even though the owner is otherwise free to rent it out.
Tampa ADU Unrelated-Occupant Cap
Some RestrictionsTampa Code § 27-132(d)
d.At no time may the number of unrelated occupant(s) of an accessory dwelling unit exceed two (2).
Shed & Carport Rules
A backyard tool or storage shed in Tampa skips a building permit only if it's one story and 120 square feet or less, under Sec. 5-105.2. Bigger sheds need a full building permit, and every detached accessory structure, permitted or not, must still clear the zoning setbacks and fifteen-foot height cap fixed in Sec. 27-290.
Tampa Shed Size and Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Tampa Code § 5-105.2
Permits shall not be required for the following: Building: 1.Permits are not required if exempted by federal or State of Florida law.2.One-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses, provided the floor area does not exceed one hundred twenty (120) square feet (11 m2).
Looking for Hillsborough County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tampa city rules.
Accessory Structures in Hillsborough County →