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

Section 27-140 governs the bonus provisions available to projects requesting CD-2, PD, PD-A, YC-9, or SH-PD zoning within the CBD Periphery or a future land use category allowing bonus density/FAR. The section states plainly it 'does not mandate the award of the bonus to the applicant': city council keeps full discretion. A developer submits bonus cost incentive estimates to the zoning administrator during the rezoning process, and before the first vertical construction permit issues, certified construction cost documentation confirming the amenities were actually funded. A menu of seven amenity categories can earn the bonus: dedicating 10 percent of units as affordable housing (affordable to households earning 80-120 percent of area median income for at least 30 years from certificate of occupancy), using unused transfer-of-development-rights credits under section 27-141, funding public sidewalks/trails/bike lanes tied to the city's capital improvement plan, achieving LEED Silver or higher, providing 24-hour public parking, funding a transit subsidy through HART, undergrounding utilities, or installing graywater systems (25 percent bonus for 75 percent graywater coverage, 35 percent for full coverage).

The dollar value of each contribution converts to bonus square footage at a 10:1 ratio everywhere in the city except the Channel District, where the ratio jumps to 100:1. Every bonus deal must be memorialized in a written bonus provision agreement between the developer and the city, executed before or at the second-reading public hearing on the rezoning, describing the amenity, its timing, and penalties for noncompliance.