Broward County, FL Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Broward's Planned Development District (PDD), created under Article XX of Chapter 39, is the only mechanism in the zoning code that can push a development's density above what the underlying land use category would otherwise allow. Section 39-334(b) states the PDD's purpose directly: it exists to encourage innovative site design that discourages urban sprawl through the county's concurrency management and levels-of-service standards, and it 'shall provide for density or intensity bonus incentives which promote compact urban areas,' while also using the same bonus tool to protect land designated Agriculture on the Future Unincorporated Area Land Use Element.

A PDD rezoning carries real thresholds: Section 39-339(a) requires a minimum of five contiguous acres (waivable for a development of regional impact), and while the district sets no fixed minimum lot size or building separation of its own, Section 39-339(b)(4)a still requires a twenty-five-foot setback along any public road right-of-way. Density and intensity within the PDD must still conform to the Future Unincorporated Area Land Use Element, applied through the specific planned-development category chosen, whether a planned residential community (Section 39-341), planned commercial center (Section 39-342), or planned special complex (Section 39-344), the last of which is specifically flagged for using the comprehensive plan's flexibility provisions to add density and intensity bonuses.

Once the Board of County Commissioners approves a Master Development Plan, Section 39-336(b) locks the project to that density; no building permit issues for a higher density unless the county approves a deviation under Section 39-337, where minor changes can be approved administratively by the department director but anything departing from the plan's principal concept goes back to the Board for a public hearing.