Accessory Dwelling Units in Clearwater: What the City Actually Allows

Our free check confirms which rules govern your address — the single most useful first step, because city and county ADU rules differ.

Clearwater defines an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) as a secondary dwelling unit with its own kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, located within or on the same lot as a detached (single-family) home. Locally you may also hear mother-in-law suite, garage apartment, granny flat, backyard cottage or casita — the city treats these as ADUs.

ADUs are permitted in these residential zoning districts:

• Low Density Residential (LDR)
• Low Medium Density Residential (LMDR)
• Medium Density Residential (MDR)

They are also allowed in some nonresidential districts (with a smaller size cap): Commercial (C), Tourist (T), Downtown (D), Office (O), Institutional (I), Industrial, Research and Technology (IRT). Districts not listed are not eligible — confirm your parcel’s district before planning.

Development standards by residential district

Source: City of Clearwater LDR/LMDR/MDR ADU standards (Tables 2-103 / 2-203 / 2-303). Figures are the district standards a planner applies to your parcel.

Design standards

• The ADU must use an architectural style consistent with the principal home.
• A detached ADU must match the main home’s window style, paint scheme and roof design.
• The entrance of an attached ADU may not be visible from the street.
• One legal on-street parking space may substitute for the required off-street space, if the City Engineer approves.

Two homes with similar “Clearwater, FL” mailing addresses can fall under different rules — one inside the city limits, one in unincorporated county. Confirm which governs your parcel before relying on either set of numbers.

Covered by the county instead? See our unincorporated Pinellas County ADU guide.

1. 1Confirm the jurisdiction of your parcel — City of Clearwater vs unincorporated Pinellas County.
2. 2Identify your zoning district (e.g. LDR, LMDR, MDR).
3. 3Review that district’s ADU development standards (size, setbacks, height, parking, lot).
4. 4Check for overlays — coastal/FEMA flood or historic-district constraints that add requirements.
5. 5Confirm the interpretation with City of Clearwater Planning & Development staff.
6. 6Review Florida Building Code and permit requirements for your project.

Your zoning district is public information. You can look it up yourself for free, or have us do the parcel-level research and planning-department confirmation for you.

1. 1Zoning approval comes first: apply for a Flexible Standard Development (FLS) “Level One” application. The fee is $200.
2. 2The FLS application is an administrative review by the city’s Development Review Committee (DRC) — there is no public hearing.
3. 3Applications run on a monthly cycle: they are due by noon on the first business day of the month, and are submitted online.
4. 4An Owner Occupancy Affidavit is required before the building permit stage.
5. 5After zoning approval, apply for a building permit; construction must meet the Florida Building Code.

Fees

We don’t publish a single “Clearwater ADU price” — real cost depends on your design, site, utilities, and whether coastal/flood construction requirements apply. Budget separately for planning/design, survey, engineering, permits and fees, utility work, site conditions, and construction. For statewide cost ranges and what drives them, see our Florida ADU cost guide.

Once you’ve confirmed your parcel qualifies, the next step is a builder who knows Clearwater’s process. We match homeowners with builders after eligibility is established; matched builders may pay a referral or marketing fee. We don’t rank “best builders” for a fee.

There is no statewide Florida law that forces cities to allow ADUs. Florida Statute §163.31771 is permissive — it says a city “may” adopt ADU rules — and Clearwater has done so through its own ordinance. Two bills that got a lot of press, SB 184 (2025) and SB 48 (2026), both died in the Legislature and never became law, so neither creates a statewide ADU right or size entitlement. What governs your project is the City of Clearwater’s Community Development Code.