Tallahassee, FL Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- Regulating plan maps
- DT-1 through DT-5
- Sub-districts
- Central Core, North, East, South, West
- Design Review Districts
- Urban Design Commission review required
- Special Character District
- Architectural Review Board review required
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 13-O-03, 8-28-2013
- Governing law
- LDC §§ 10-282, 10-282.1
Summary
Every parcel inside Tallahassee's Downtown Overlay must follow the Downtown Regulating Plan set out in Land Development Code Sections 10-282 and 10-282.1: five maps, DT-1 through DT-5, that fix frontage setbacks, building heights, sidewalk-covering segments, and additional design-review triggers for specific sub-districts.
Parcels located within the Downtown Overlay shall adhere to the Downtown Regulation Plan as codified in Section 10-282.1 Downtown Map Series and the general regulations. Maps DT-1 through DT-5 contain dimensional standards for setbacks along the frontages and building heights. The maps also delineate street segments that require sidewalk covering and areas within the Downtown Overlay that have special explicit code requirements stated in following sections. ... The Downtown Regulating Plan map series is divided into five maps, as follows:(a)DT-1: Central Core(b)DT-2: Downtown North(c)DT-3: Downtown East(d)DT-4: Downtown South; and(e)DT-5: Downtown West. Applicability. Section 10-282 includes development and design standards that promote the creation of a high-quality urban neighborhood environment, and reflects the priorities and principles for the desired character for the Downtown and certain Design Review Districts.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Land Development Code: Supplement 75 | Code of Ordinances: Supplement 75).
Full Breakdown
1, whose Map Series DT-1 through DT-5 covers the Central Core, Downtown North, Downtown East, Downtown South, and Downtown West. Those maps carry the dimensional standards for setbacks along each street frontage and for building heights, and they mark which street segments require continuous sidewalk coverings such as awnings, canopies, arcades, or colonnades. 5. 1(a)(8). The whole overlay traces back to Ordinance No. 13-O-03, adopted August 28, 2013, which created the Multi-Modal Transportation District framework the Downtown Overlay sits inside.
Violations & Fines
Developing outside the Downtown Regulating Plan's dimensional standards, skipping a required Urban Design Commission or Architectural Review Board review, or building without required sidewalk coverings is a Land Development Code violation. Under Section 1-7, that carries a fine up to $500.00, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Downtown Regulating Plan?
Does every downtown project need design commission review?
Where do the actual setback and height numbers come from?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tallahassee
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