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

Section 13-415 creates the conservation subdivision option as a density bonus tied to preserving agricultural and forestry land, natural and cultural features, scenic viewsheds and rural character. Eligibility under subsection (b) requires a landowner request, a site within the Agricultural Future Land Use category, a minimum project size of 100 acres, and a location on or within half a mile of an arterial or collector road; the developer pays for any traffic study the county needs to verify required road and access improvements. Subsection (d) sets the payoff: within the agriculture future land use category, the maximum density inside the development area of a conservation subdivision is one dwelling unit per three gross acres, not to exceed 100 lots total, well above the one unit per parcel baseline that applies in the standard agricultural district.

Subsection (e) sets a 1-acre minimum for individual lots within that development area. Getting there requires a pre-application meeting with county staff at least five working days before submitting a land preservation plan and a geographic features and land use map, followed by processing the whole project through the PUD rezoning track under subsection (c). The design has to split the property into a reserve area, permanently protected as open space and comprising at least 50 percent of the total parcel, and a development area capped at 50 percent of the parcel where the bonus density is built out.