Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
standard
Standard Euclidean residential/commercial/industrial + downtown/neighborhood overlays. Charter city under Fla. Const. Art. VIII & F.S. §166.021 home-rule; subject to Live Local Act preemption (SB 102/2023 + SB 328/2024) on commercial/industrial/mixed-use parcels for ≥40% affordable projects.
Worth knowing
- NBD overlay has FIVE areas, not eight (v1 profile claim of 8 was FM-1 pattern-overreach). Areas 1 (Palm Ave), 2 (East 4 Ave), 3 (SE 8 St / SR-112), 4 (West 16 Ave / West 37 St), 5 (East 9 St / East 4-8 Ave). Hialeah Racetrack (bounded E 21 St / E 32 St / Palm Ave / E 4 Ave) explicitly excluded per §98-1629.
- NBD density incentives are STILL ACTIVE — no Ord. 2025-004 was found in the §98-1627 amendment history (last confirmed amendment is Ord. 2016-03, Jan 2016). V1 profile claim of 'Ord. 2025-004 removed density bonuses' appears to be a fabricated citation (FM-7). §98-1630.5 provides up to 70 du/ac (Area 2: 60) via 12-point system.
- Area 2 (East 4 Ave) has stricter caps than other NBD areas: density max 60 du/ac (not 70); height max 65 ft / 6 stories (not 95 ft / 9 stories) regardless of points earned.
+ 8 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 2res_mf 2cbd 1spec 1mu 1ind 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-1 | Single-Family Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-2 | One- and Two-Family Residential | res_sf | — | — | 0.3[3] | — | — | — | — / formula: max(7.5, 10% of lot width); corner lot parallel to street 15 ft[1] / 25[2] |
| R-3 | Multiple-Family Residential | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 ft standard; lesser if adjacent structures closer, min 15 ft absolute[4] / 10 ft base per side (variances granted at 5 ft confirm 10 ft base)[5] / — |
| R-3-D | Downtown Multiple-Family Residential | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 32[6] | — | — / — / — |
| CBD | Downtown Business District | cbd | — | — | — | — | 40[7] | — | — / — / — |
| GUD | General Urban District | spec | — | — | — | — | 40[8] | — | — / — / — |
| CR | Commercial/Residential | mu | — | — | — | — | 32[9] | — | — / — / — |
| MH | Hialeah Heights Industrial | ind | 7,500 sf[13] | 45 ft[14] | 0.5[15] | — | — | — | 8[10] / 8 ft walls with doors/windows; 5 ft blank walls[11] / 20[12] |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
HDUC
Hialeah Downtown Urban Center (HDUC)
CBDMH
Hialeah Heights (MH Industrial)
INDNBD-1
NBD Area 1 — Palm Avenue Corridor
CORNBD-2
NBD Area 2 — East 4 Avenue Corridor
CORNBD-3
NBD Area 3 — SE 8 Street / Okeechobee / SR-112
CORNBD-4
NBD Area 4 — West 16 Avenue / West 37 Street
CORNBD-5
NBD Area 5 — East 9 Street between East 4 and East 8 Avenue
CORAICUZ
Airport Hazard Overlay (AICUZ-Influenced)
AICUZFP
Floodplain Overlay
FPState preemptions
FL-LiveLocal-SB102-2023applies
Qualifying condition
Hialeah is a Florida municipality subject to §166.04151(7). Hialeah has commercial (C-1, C-2, C-3), industrial (M-1, M-2, MH), and mixed-use (CR, CBD, GUD) base zones — the trigger categories. Charter-city status under F.S. §166.021 does not exempt from Live Local (SB 1730/2025 clarified that charter amendments cannot be required). City population 235,384 (Census 2024 PEP vintage); county population 2,791,914 (Census 2024 / WPR 2026 est.). Preemption applies statewide to all FL municipalities — no population threshold. Highest-residential-density in jurisdiction is HDUC CBD/GUD at 40 du/ac (§98-1578) or NBD with incentives at 70 du/ac (§98-1630.5); Live Local floors density at that value on C/I/MU parcels.
FL-LiveLocal-SB328-2024applies
Qualifying condition
All FL municipalities with qualifying Live Local projects. Hialeah has Metrorail heavy-rail service at Hialeah Market Station (at NW 79 St/NW 37 Ave, just outside city limits) and Tri-Rail service at Hialeah Market; bus service via Miami-Dade Transit. Metrorail qualifies as 'major transit stop' under FL statute; parcels within ½ mile of station qualify for the stronger parking reduction tier. General ≥20% parking reduction applies to all qualifying Live Local projects statewide.
FL-HB1339-2020applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide; Hialeah administers a SHIP program via Miami-Dade County's State Housing Initiatives Partnership allocation. Any Hialeah project funded by SAIL (state) or SHIP (local) may request §166.04151(6) preemption of base zoning.
FL-ComprePlan-163.3180applies
Qualifying condition
All FL municipalities under Community Planning Act (1985). Hialeah has an adopted Comprehensive Plan filed with Miami-Dade County and Florida DEO; all Ch. 98 zoning actions must demonstrate comprehensive-plan consistency.
FL-BuildingCode-553.73applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Florida Building Code is the exclusive statewide construction code; Hialeah local amendments require state approval.
FL-BertHarris-70.001applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide; Hialeah exposed to Bert Harris takings claims for any down-zoning or new restriction that inordinately burdens existing use or vested rights. Active litigation risk for any significant Ch. 98 amendment.
FL-ShortTermRental-509.032applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Hialeah has no pre-June-2011 grandfathered STR ordinance on record in Ch. 98. STRs licensed by FL DBPR.
Non-applicable laws (2)
FL-CoastalCCCL-Ch161not_applicable
Qualifying condition
Hialeah is inland (centered ~6 miles west of Biscayne Bay); city has no shoreline or Atlantic-facing parcels. FDEP CCCL line does not cross Hialeah jurisdiction.
FL-CHHA-163.3178not_applicable
Qualifying condition
Hialeah is inland; not within Category-1 SLOSH inundation polygon per FDEO CHHA mapping. Subject to FEMA riverine/freshwater flood overlay but not CHHA coastal-storm-surge preemption.
Adopted building codes
Statewide — FL Building Code 7th ed
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- NBD overlay has FIVE areas, not eight (v1 profile claim of 8 was FM-1 pattern-overreach). Areas 1 (Palm Ave), 2 (East 4 Ave), 3 (SE 8 St / SR-112), 4 (West 16 Ave / West 37 St), 5 (East 9 St / East 4-8 Ave). Hialeah Racetrack (bounded E 21 St / E 32 St / Palm Ave / E 4 Ave) explicitly excluded per §98-1629.
- NBD density incentives are STILL ACTIVE — no Ord. 2025-004 was found in the §98-1627 amendment history (last confirmed amendment is Ord. 2016-03, Jan 2016). V1 profile claim of 'Ord. 2025-004 removed density bonuses' appears to be a fabricated citation (FM-7). §98-1630.5 provides up to 70 du/ac (Area 2: 60) via 12-point system.
- Area 2 (East 4 Ave) has stricter caps than other NBD areas: density max 60 du/ac (not 70); height max 65 ft / 6 stories (not 95 ft / 9 stories) regardless of points earned.
- MH Industrial (Hialeah Heights) min lot is 7,500 sf (v1 profile incorrectly had 1,000 sf — that's the min industrial FLOOR area per §98-1601, not the lot). MH height measured from crown of road (unusual basis for South Florida low-relief sites, can change calc height 1-2 ft).
- HDUC section range is §§98-1571 through 98-1589 (Division 27); sections §98-1580 through §98-1589 are RESERVED (v1 profile incorrectly listed range as §§98-1578-1595). Density max 32 (R-3-D/CR) or 40 (CBD/GUD) du/ac per §98-1578; incentive bonuses via §98-1579 (land donation / fee contributions).
- Live Local Act SB 102 (2023) + SB 328 (2024) applies city-wide to all C/I/MU parcels for ≥40% affordable projects. Density floor = 70 du/ac (jurisdiction max, NBD-incentive tier). Height floor = tallest residential zoning height within 1-mile radius. Adjacency tempering caps SF-abutters at 150% of jurisdiction tallest.
- Airport adjacency dominates western/southern Hialeah parcels. Opa-locka Executive (KOPF) and Miami International (KMIA) AICUZ/Part 77 surfaces cap height at 30–50 ft AGL in approach zones, which FEDERALLY preempts the Live Local Act state height floor on those parcels. Triggers federal_state_conflict status on height-by-parcel. FAA Form 7460-1 required for any structure >200 ft AGL.
- Charter city under F.S. §166.021 home rule, but per SB 1730 (2025) a charter amendment CANNOT be required to authorize a Live Local Development. Hialeah home-rule authority does not carve out Live Local preemption.
- Hialeah almost entirely built out (235,384 population in 21.4 sq mi ≈ 11,000/sq mi — 6th-largest FL city by pop). Greenfield development effectively zero; infill and redevelopment via NBD incentives and Live Local pathways are the only realistic development mechanisms.
- R-2 lot coverage 30% max (§98-546) enforces pervious surface for drainage — unusually restrictive for modern infill; reflects mid-20th-century South Florida code.
- Hialeah Metrorail station at W 49 St & 5 Ave; Hialeah Market station at NW 79 St; qualifying 'major transit stop' under Live Local SB 328 enables stronger parking reductions within ½-mile buffers.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Measured from average finished grade to roof peak or top of parapet per general Ch. 98 rules; MH (§98-1601) is the exception — measured from crown of road
- lot_coverage
- Portion of lot covered by principal + accessory buildings as percentage of total lot area
- far
- Floor area ratio — total building floor area divided by lot area (not stated in retrieved districts; may not be a primary control mechanism in Hialeah Ch. 98)
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per net acre
Capacity calculations
- nbd_density_incentive_formula
Base 32 du/ac; with §98-1630.5 points system up to 70 du/ac (12 points required). Area 2 capped at 60 du/ac (10-point min).- nbd_height_incentive_formula
Base 55 ft / 5 stories; with §98-1630.4 points up to 95 ft / 9 stories (4 points). Area 2 capped at 65 ft / 6 stories.
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
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Max density
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Citations
- [1] §98-546
- [2] §98-547
- [3] §98-546
- [4] §98-589
- [5] §98-590
- [6] §98-1578
- [7] §98-1578
- [8] §98-1578
- [9] §98-1578
- [10] §98-1601
- [11] §98-1601
- [12] §98-1601
- [13] §98-1601
- [14] §98-1601
- [15] §98-1601
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | |
| confidence tags full form | passed | |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | |
| preempt section city specific | passed |
Data quality
70%completeness42 confirmed22 partial
Documented gaps
- R-1 complete dimensional standards (min_lot_sf, height, setbacks) — §98-5xx range not retrieved
- R-3 lot area minimums and rear setback
- R-3-D, CR independent base district parameters (standalone of HDUC overlay)
- CBD, GUD height, FAR, lot coverage, setback — not retrieved
- Complete use compatibility matrix across all districts
- Parking ratios per §98-2189(22) not retrieved as full table
- HDUC adopted Urban Design Plan specific plaza/paseo/landscape dimensions
- §98-1630.6–1630.9 NBD design/site-plan details
- C-1/C-2/C-3 commercial districts not listed (Live Local applies but local dimensional standards not extracted)
- M-1/M-2 general industrial district parameters
- NBD areas 1-5 parcel-level boundary GIS
- Parcel-level AICUZ boundary (requires FAA Form 7460-1 site-level determination)
- FEMA NFHL parcel-specific BFE (3-8 ft NGVD 29 varies)
- Any 2024-2026 ordinance amendments beyond those confirmed in §98-1601/1627 histories (e.g., search for post-Live Local Hialeah ordinance updates)
Known issues
data:gaps-present
Verification
| last_verified_at | 2026-04-19T00:00:00Z |
|---|---|
| verifier_specialist | verification-pass |
| verifier_version | 1.0 |
| verification_result | passed |
| atomic_claims_checked | 38 |
| atomic_claims_passed | 37 |
| atomic_claims_failed | 1 |
| failed_claims | Ord. 2025-004 narrative in prior v1 — REMOVED; could not be verified in primary amendment history for Div. 33 (§98-1627) |
| narrative_ref | narratives/hialeah-fl/hia-2026-04-19-v2.json |
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