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

Section 106-106 of the city code sets the affordable housing density incentive: maximum densities in the High Intensity/Central Core, Medium Intensity/Special District, Low Intensity, and Neighborhood future land use classifications can rise by up to 25 percent for projects that qualify for housing incentive fund payments under section 106-105. The bonus does not reach zoning districts that measure density by floor area ratio instead of units per acre. A developer using the density bonus must state on its approved plans that the set-aside and affordable-unit requirements will be met, and the city places a temporary lien on the property until those units are actually constructed.

Section 106-105 sets the underlying eligibility: multifamily site plans need at least four proposed units and a minimum 20 percent set-aside as affordable, with fund payments capped at 60 units or 40 percent of new units, whichever is greater, and a hard cap of $20,000 per affordable unit. If the finished project's units intended to be affordable do not meet the affordable housing definition in section 106-102, the developer owes the city the 'shortfall amount,' calculated from the sales or rental price of the ten most expensive non-affordable units in the project, which must be paid into the housing incentive fund.

A developer that does not complete construction within the construction period, which section 106-102 sets at two or three years depending on whether the incentive attached to a building permit or a site plan, must reapply for the density incentive.