Zoning › Florida › Orange County › Orlando

Orlando, FL Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 30 districts · 6 overlays · 9 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
standard

Euclidean base with parallel Traditional City (TC) dimensional set embedded throughout Ch. 58. R-1 uses lot-size lettered suffixes (R-1, R-1N, R-1A, R-1AA — all grouped as R-1S for use-table purposes but distinct for dimensional standards). R-2/R-3 density-scaled by letter suffix (A<B<C<D). MXD/O/MU/AC commercial tiers by number. 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
  • Traditional City as a parallel code system. Orlando's TC boundary creates a parallel set of development standards embedded throughout Ch. 58 (not a single overlay chapter). Inside vs. outside the TC boundary matters for setbacks, use permissions (separate Figure 1 / Figure 2 use tables), parking, and design. Identifying whether a site is inside or outside the TC boundary is a prerequisite for correct code interpretation.
  • R-1S grouping for use table purposes. R-1, R-1N, R-1A, and R-1AA share the same use permissions (grouped as R-1S in the use table) but have distinct dimensional standards (lot size, setback, coverage — all shrink as sub-letter increases). The use table tells you what's allowed; you must look up the specific district's dimensional table for lot-level standards.
  • Non-conforming lot FAR cap. Non-conforming residential lots are limited to FAR 0.50 and max 2 stories per §58.1152. This is a material constraint on many older urban lots in the Traditional City that don't conform to current lot-size minimums.

+ 9 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

mu 10res_sf 6res_mf 4special 4off 3ind 3
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R-1Single Family Ares_sf9,000 sf[4]35 ft[5]0.35[6]0.5[7]12[8]2[9]25[1] / 7.5[2] / 20[3]
R-1NSingle Family A — Narrowres_sf5,000 sf[10]35 ft[11]——12[12]2[13]— / — / —
R-1ASingle Family A — Smallres_sf5,000 sf[14]35 ft[15]——12[16]2[17]— / — / —
R-1AASingle Family A — Very Smallres_sf5,000 sf[18]35 ft[19]——12[20]2[21]— / — / —
R-2ATwo-Family Ares_sf5,000 sf[22]35 ft[23]——12[24]2[25]— / — / —
R-2BTwo-Family Bres_sf—35 ft[26]——16[27]2[28]— / — / —
R-3AMulti-Family Ares_mf—35 ft[32]——21[33]—25[29] / 10[30] / 20[31]
R-3BMulti-Family Bres_mf—75 ft[37]——30[38]—25[34] / 10[35] / 20[36]
R-3CMulti-Family Cres_mf—75 ft[42]——30[43]—25[39] / 10[40] / 20[41]
R-3DMulti-Family Dres_mf—75 ft[47]——75[48]—25[44] / 10[45] / 20[46]
MXD-1Mixed Residential-Office 1mu———0.3[49]21[50]—— / — / —
MXD-2Mixed Residential-Office 2mu—55 ft[51]—0.35[52]75[53]—— / — / —
O-1Office 1off———0.4[54]21[55]—— / — / —
O-2Office 2off———0.7[56]40[57]—— / — / —
O-3Office 3off———1[58]75[59]—— / — / —
MU-1Mixed Use 1mu———0.5[60]30[61]—— / — / —
MU-2Mixed Use 2mu———1[62]75[63]—— / — / —
AC-NNeighborhood Activity Centermu———0.3[64]30[65]—— / — / —
AC-1Activity Center 1mu———0.7[66]40[67]—— / — / —
AC-2Activity Center 2mu—100 ft[68]—1[69]100[70]—— / — / —
AC-3Activity Center 3mu———3[71]200[72]—— / — / —
AC-3AActivity Center 3Amu——[73]—3[74]200[75]1[76]— / — / —
ICIndustrial Conservationind———0.7[77]——— / — / —
IGGeneral Industrialind———0.7[78]——— / — / —
IPIndustrial Parkind———0.7[79]——— / — / —
PPublicspecial——————— / — / —
HHospitalspecial——————— / — / —
CConservationspecial——————— / — / —
URUrban Reservespecial——————— / — / —
NONNon-Residential (Traditional City)mu——————— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

TC
Traditional City
CBD
Embedded throughout Ch. 58 and Ch. 62; Traditional City boundary mapped in appendix materials; non-conforming lot provisions at §58.1152 · c§58.1152
SPO
Special Plan Overlays (Chapter 62)
SPD
Ch. 62, Special Plan Overlays; §§62.608–62.614 design standards referenced in Ch. 58 for bonus-eligibility; per-area ordinances (Parramore Heritage, Creative Village PD, Southeast Orlando Sector Plan) · c§62
HP
Historic Preservation Overlay
HP
Ch. 58 references to Historic Districts; §1111.0900 Downtown Review (historic district review component) · c§58
RPO
Resource Protection Overlay
ENV
Ch. 58 Resource Protection Overlay provisions; bonus-exclusion footnote in density/intensity bonus section · c§58
AHO
Aircraft Hazard / Noise Compatibility Overlay (MCO + ORL)
AICUZ
Ch. 58 / Ch. 60 airport-hazard provisions; FAA Part 77 surfaces; noise compatibility per Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Orlando Executive Airport (ORL) approach zones · p§58
TOD
SunRail TOD Overlay Incentives
TOD
Ch. 58 embedded TOD incentives; Planning Division TOD policy at planning.cityoforlando.net; Ch. 61 parking-reduction provisions · p§58

State preemptions

FL-LiveLocal-SB102-2023applies
Qualifying condition
Orlando is a Florida charter municipality under Fla. Const. Art. VIII + F.S. §166.021 home-rule (charter city status does not exempt from Live Local per SB 1730/2025 clarification). City population 318,468 (Census 2024 PEP vintage); county population 1,497,072 (Orange County; Census 2024). Preemption applies statewide to all FL municipalities — no population threshold. Orlando has commercial (O-1/O-2/O-3), mixed-use (MXD-1/MXD-2, MU-1/MU-2), activity-center (AC-N/AC-1/AC-2/AC-3/AC-3A), and industrial (IC, IG, IP) base zones — the trigger categories. Highest-residential-density in jurisdiction is in the AC-3/AC-3A tier (value not retrieved live but is the Live Local reference benchmark); Live Local floors density at that value on C/I/MU parcels. Extensive tourism corridor (International Drive, SODO, Mills 50, College Park) and Medical City have large quantities of eligible C/I/MU parcels; Live Local pathway is now the dominant entitlement vector for Orlando multifamily.
FL-LiveLocal-SB328-2024applies
Qualifying condition
All FL municipalities with qualifying Live Local projects. Orlando has SunRail commuter rail (5 stations within city: Church Street, LYNX Central Station, Orlando Health/Amtrak, Sand Lake Road, Meadow Woods), LYNX bus network, and a future Brightline station. SunRail stations qualify as 'major transit stops' under FL statute; parcels within ½ mile qualify for the stronger parking reduction tier. General ≥20% parking reduction applies to all qualifying Live Local projects statewide.
FL-PrivatePropertyRights-163.3168applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide; all FL municipalities must include a Private Property Rights Element in their comprehensive plan per 2021 legislation (HB 59 / SB 59). Orlando's Comprehensive Plan Growth Management Plan (GMP) must contain this element; any Ch. 58/62 amendment must be evaluated against private-property-rights principles.
FL-HomeRule-166.021applies
Qualifying condition
Orlando is a charter municipality under Fla. Const. Art. VIII and F.S. §166.021 home-rule. Home-rule authority allows broad municipal powers EXCEPT where preempted by state statute (Live Local, Short-Term Rental, Building Code, etc.).
FL-HB1339-2020applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Orlando administers a SHIP program via Orange County's State Housing Initiatives Partnership allocation and has its own Trust Fund for Low and Very-Low Income Housing (referenced in Ch. 58 density/intensity bonus section). Any Orlando 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). Orlando's Growth Management Plan (GMP) is filed with Orange County and Florida DEO; all Ch. 58 zoning actions must demonstrate GMP consistency. Ch. 66 Concurrency covers transportation/schools/potable water/sewer/solid waste/drainage/parks.
FL-BuildingCode-553.73applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Florida Building Code is the exclusive statewide construction code; Orlando local amendments require state approval per §553.73(4).
FL-BertHarris-70.001applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide; Orlando 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. 58/62 amendment. Ord. 2024-18 (density/intensity bonus amendment) and Southeast Orlando Sector Plan Amendments represent the recent amendment cadence.
FL-ShortTermRental-509.032applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Orlando's STR landscape is significant due to Disney/Universal tourism proximity; International Drive corridor and many R-series parcels have active STR use. Orlando DOES have a locally-registered pre-June-2011 ordinance that imposed some STR restrictions (historical city ordinance), which may be partially grandfathered under §509.032(7) — specific grandfather application requires per-ordinance review. STRs otherwise licensed by FL DBPR.
Non-applicable laws (2)
FL-CoastalCCCL-Ch161not_applicable
Qualifying condition
Orlando is inland Central Florida; 50+ miles from Atlantic coast, 80+ miles from Gulf coast. No shoreline parcels; FDEP CCCL line does not cross Orlando jurisdiction.
FL-CHHA-163.3178not_applicable
Qualifying condition
Orlando is inland; not within Category-1 SLOSH inundation polygon per FDEO CHHA mapping. Subject to FEMA riverine/freshwater flood overlay (lake-adjacent parcels, Shingle Creek, Econlockhatchee River watersheds) but not CHHA coastal-storm-surge preemption.

Adopted building codes

Statewide — FL Building Code 7th ed

IBC
2021 FBC
IRC
2021 FBC
NEC
2020
IFC
2021
IECC (Residential)
2021
IECC (Commercial)
2021

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • Traditional City as a parallel code system. Orlando's TC boundary creates a parallel set of development standards embedded throughout Ch. 58 (not a single overlay chapter). Inside vs. outside the TC boundary matters for setbacks, use permissions (separate Figure 1 / Figure 2 use tables), parking, and design. Identifying whether a site is inside or outside the TC boundary is a prerequisite for correct code interpretation.
  • R-1S grouping for use table purposes. R-1, R-1N, R-1A, and R-1AA share the same use permissions (grouped as R-1S in the use table) but have distinct dimensional standards (lot size, setback, coverage — all shrink as sub-letter increases). The use table tells you what's allowed; you must look up the specific district's dimensional table for lot-level standards.
  • Non-conforming lot FAR cap. Non-conforming residential lots are limited to FAR 0.50 and max 2 stories per §58.1152. This is a material constraint on many older urban lots in the Traditional City that don't conform to current lot-size minimums.
  • Height penalty for tall R-3 buildings. Above 75 ft in R-3 districts, an additional 1 ft of rear yard is required per additional 4 ft of building height (§58 use-table footnotes). This scaling rear setback can significantly constrain tall residential buildings on shallower lots.
  • Density/intensity bonus system restricted to non-residential tiers. Density and intensity bonuses available in O, MXD, MU, and AC districts in exchange for: a 2.0% contribution to the City's Trust Fund for Low and Very-Low Income Housing OR on-site provision of LI/VLI units equal in count to the bonus units permitted. Project must: (1) comply with applicable design regulations (§§62.608–62.614); (2) undergo Neighborhood Compatibility review. R districts have no bonus mechanism. (Ord. 2024-18, May 13, 2024; Ord. 2024-2, Jan 22, 2024 amended the bonus section.)
  • Resource Protection Overlay explicitly excludes density/intensity bonuses. Bonus-section footnote removes eligibility within RPO — an important intersection to check on any site near environmental features (lakefront, wetland buffer, conservation land).
  • SunRail TOD parking reduction to 1.0 space/unit. Within 0.5 mi of SunRail stations (Church Street, LYNX Central Station, Orlando Health/Amtrak, Sand Lake Rd, Meadow Woods), parking minimums can be reduced to 1.0 space/unit — a significant reduction from Orlando's standard 2.0 spaces/du in R-1. Stacks with Live Local Act SB 328 further reductions.
  • Live Local Act supersedes local MU/commercial/industrial zoning. Any O/MXD/MU/AC/IC/IG/IP-zoned parcel in Orlando can theoretically support multifamily at jurisdiction-max density under Live Local (40%+ affordable threshold). AC-3/AC-3A density becomes feasibility benchmark for Live Local projects citywide, not the density of the site's local zone. Most consequential planning fact for Orlando multifamily.
  • MCO + ORL aircraft-hazard parcels federally preempt Live Local height floor. Southern Orlando parcels under MCO Part 77 surfaces and eastern parcels near ORL approach zones are capped by FAA Part 77, which preempts state Live Local height floor on those parcels. FAA Form 7460-1 required for any structure >200 ft AGL near airport.
  • Charter-city status does NOT exempt from Live Local. Per SB 1730 (2025) clarification, charter amendment cannot be required to authorize a Live Local Development. Orlando home-rule authority under F.S. §166.021 does not carve out Live Local preemption.
  • 2024 code volatility. Ord. 2024-2 (Jan 22, 2024) + Ord. 2024-18 (May 13, 2024) amended the Ch. 58 density/intensity bonus section; Southeast Orlando Sector Plan Amendments updated Ch. 62 in 2024. Creative Village PD updates in 2024. Freshness cadence should be ≤12 months; treat as volatile tier.
  • Short-Term Rental preemption has partial grandfather layer in Orlando. Unlike Hialeah (no pre-2011 grandfathered STR ordinance), Orlando may have a locally-registered pre-June-2011 ordinance that imposed some STR restrictions, which may be partially grandfathered under §509.032(7). Per-ordinance review required. Practical impact is significant due to Disney/Universal tourism proximity.

Formulas

Definitions

height
Grade to highest point of structure; R-3 over 75 ft triggers scaling rear-yard requirement (+1 ft rear yard per 4 ft additional height).
lot_coverage
Building footprint / lot area.
far
Gross floor area / lot area. Non-conforming residential lots capped at FAR 0.50 per §58.1152.
du_ac
Dwelling units per gross acre.
setback_front
Front property line to nearest building face; Traditional City permits 30% of principal-building frontage to extend 20% into required front yard with appearance review approval.
setback_side
Side property line to nearest building face.
setback_rear
Rear property line to nearest building face; scaling rule in R-3 above 75 ft.
parking
Spaces per dwelling unit for residential; §61 traffic/parking; SunRail TOD reduces to 1.0 space/unit within 0.5 mi of station.

Capacity calculations

density_intensity_bonus_pct_affordable
2.0% trust-fund contribution OR on-site VLI/LI units 1:1 with bonus units; available only in O/MXD/MU/AC districts (not R-series)
r3_tall_building_rear_setback
Above 75 ft, additional 1 ft rear yard per each additional 4 ft of building height (§58 use-table footnotes)
non_conforming_lot_cap
FAR 0.50 max; 2 stories max (§58.1152)
traditional_city_front_encroachment
Up to 30% of principal-building frontage may extend 20% into required front yard with appearance review approval
max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage
max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far
buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2
buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft

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.

—
—
Sort by —
LOW
HIGH
drag to orbit · scroll to zoom
Max height
— ft
——
Floor area ratio
—
——
Lot coverage
—%
——
Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
◄
prev
►
next
Copy zoning profile
Loading…
District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Primary source
Land Development Code, Title III, Code of Ordinances — City of Orlando
Through Ord. 2024-18 (May 13, 2024, density/intensity bonus amendment); prior 2024 amendments Ord. 2024-2 (Jan 22, 2024) Southeast Orlando Sector Plan and Creative Village PD updates · retrieved 2026-04-25
Citations
  1. [1] §58
  2. [2] §58
  3. [3] §58
  4. [4] §58
  5. [5] §58
  6. [6] §58
  7. [7] §58
  8. [8] §58-fig1
  9. [9] §61.302
  10. [10] §58
  11. [11] §58
  12. [12] §58-fig1
  13. [13] §61.302
  14. [14] §58
  15. [15] §58
  16. [16] §58-fig1
  17. [17] §61.302
  18. [18] §58
  19. [19] §58
  20. [20] §58-fig1
  21. [21] §61.302
  22. [22] §58
  23. [23] §58
  24. [24] §58-fig1
  25. [25] §61.302
  26. [26] §58
  27. [27] §58-fig1
  28. [28] §61.302
  29. [29] §58
  30. [30] §58
  31. [31] §58
  32. [32] §58
  33. [33] §58-fig1
  34. [34] §58
  35. [35] §58
  36. [36] §58
  37. [37] §58
  38. [38] §58-fig1
  39. [39] §58
  40. [40] §58
  41. [41] §58
  42. [42] §58
  43. [43] §58-fig1
  44. [44] §58
  45. [45] §58
  46. [46] §58
  47. [47] §58
  48. [48] §58-fig1
  49. [49] §58-fig1
  50. [50] §58-fig1
  51. [51] §58
  52. [52] §58-fig1
  53. [53] §58-fig1
  54. [54] §58-fig1
  55. [55] §58-fig1
  56. [56] §58-fig1
  57. [57] §58-fig1
  58. [58] §58-fig1
  59. [59] §58-fig1
  60. [60] §58-fig1
  61. [61] §58-fig1
  62. [62] §58-fig1
  63. [63] §58-fig1
  64. [64] §58-fig1
  65. [65] §58-fig1
  66. [66] §58-fig1
  67. [67] §58-fig1
  68. [68] §58-fig1c
  69. [69] §58-fig1
  70. [70] §58-fig1
  71. [71] §58-fig1
  72. [72] §58-fig1
  73. [73] §58
  74. [74] §58-fig1
  75. [75] §58-fig1
  76. [76] §61.342
  77. [77] §58-fig1
  78. [78] §58-fig1
  79. [79] §58-fig1

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassed
no aggregator citedpassed
confidence tags full formpassed
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed
preempt section city specificpassed

Data quality

65%completeness68 confirmed25 partial2 inferred
Documented gaps
  • R-1N, R-1A, R-1AA complete dimensional standards (min_lot_sf, lot_coverage, setbacks) — grouped as R-1S for use-table purposes but dimensional variation across the 4 sub-districts not retrieved
  • R-2A, R-2B exact min_lot_sf, lot_coverage, setbacks — density confirmed but lot/setback table not retrieved live
  • R-3A–R-3D max_height_ft per-tier exact values (75 ft baseline applied; sub-tier variations not confirmed)
  • MXD-1, MU-1, MU-2 lot_coverage, setbacks — density/FAR confirmed via Ch. 58 Figure 1, but setbacks/coverage not retrieved
  • O-1/O-2/O-3 setbacks, lot_coverage — density/FAR confirmed via Ch. 58 Figure 1
  • AC-N/AC-1/AC-3/AC-3A max_height_ft (AC-2 100 ft confirmed; AC-3A no general max confirmed; AC-N/AC-1/AC-3 not confirmed)
  • AC-N/AC-1/AC-2/AC-3 setbacks, lot_coverage
  • IC/IG/IP density and height max (only FAR 0–0.70 confirmed; Ord. 2016-39 referenced 55 ft for wireless, not general)
  • Density/intensity bonus quantitative tables (exact bonus ratios per district) — qualitative mechanism confirmed but quantitative bonus values not retrieved
  • Special Plan Overlay inventory beyond Parramore Heritage / Creative Village PD / Southeast Orlando Sector Plan — transect-based SPOs likely exist for SODO, Downtown, Mills 50, College Park but not individually enumerated
  • Aircraft Hazard Overlay specific code section (citation partial — referenced in Ch. 58 but section number not confirmed)
  • SunRail TOD overlay specific code section and quantitative density-bonus values
  • Historic district complete roster (Lake Lawsona/Fern Creek, Lake Cherokee, Downtown confirmed; complete inventory per Historic Preservation Board not retrieved)
  • Ch. 66 Concurrency specific thresholds
  • Complete parking ratio table for non-residential per §61.322
  • STR pre-2011 grandfather ordinance specifics (text and scope of any grandfathered Orlando STR regulations)
  • HCD-equivalent FL compliance status for Orlando Growth Management Plan
  • Parcel-level MCO + ORL AICUZ/Part 77 boundary (requires FAA Form 7460-1 site-level determination)

Known issues

cohort:needs-dom-retrievalfreshness:volatileblocker:municodedata:gaps-present

Verification

last_verified_at2026-04-19T00:00:00Z
verifier_specialistverification-pass
verifier_version1.0
verification_resultpassed
atomic_claims_checked34
atomic_claims_passed34
atomic_claims_failed0
failed_claims
narrative_refnarratives/orlando-fl/orl-2026-04-19-v2.json

Other cities in this state

Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.

Cape CoralDeFuniak SpringsFort LauderdaleFort Walton BeachHialeahJacksonvilleLehigh AcresMiramar