Zoning › Florida › Leon County › Tallahassee

Tallahassee, FL Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 16 districts · 5 overlays · 6 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
abbreviation-encoded with letter and numeric suffixes (RP-1 / RP-2 / RP-MH / RP-UF / RP-R for Residential Preservation tiers; CU-XX with numeric density ceiling, e.g. CU-18 = 18 du/ac, CU-26 = 26 du/ac, CU-45 = 45 du/ac; CC for Central Core; C-1/C-2 for Commercial; CP Commercial Parkway; CM Medical Arts Commercial; IC Interchange Commercial; OR-1/OR-2/OR-3 Office Residential; MR-1 Medium Density Residential; M-1 Light Industrial; PUD/U-PUD Planned Unit Development; ASN-A through ASN-D All Saints Neighborhood; UV University Urban Village; UT University Transition)

Traditional Euclidean district-and-overlay code under Chapter 10 of the Tallahassee LDC. Numeric suffix on Central Urban (CU-XX) districts encodes maximum residential density in du/acre; CU-18 / CU-26 / CU-45 derive their dimensional standards from Division 4 of Chapter 10 (the Downtown Overlay Regulating Plan / MMTD master plan), not from a per-district dimensional table. Three structural quirks: (1) Capitol Complex State-owned land creates jurisdictional gaps in Downtown / Central Core; (2) FSU + FAMU campuses likewise occupy state land partially exempt from local zoning; (3) Canopy Road Overlay (§10-302 city / §10-6.707 BCC) is a stand-alone 100-ft-from-centerline tree-protection / setback / height overlay derived from Ord. 92-3 / 92-10. Live Local Act (SB 102/2023, SB 328/2024, SB 1730/2025) overrides commercial / industrial base zoning for qualifying affordable multifamily.

Worth knowing
  • CC Central Core allows 150 du/ac per §10-197 — anomalously high density for a mid-size Florida city; intentional for downtown revitalization but creates the city-wide LLA density floor (any qualifying LLA project anywhere in commercial/industrial Tallahassee is entitled to up to 150 du/ac).
  • CU-18 / CU-26 / CU-45 numeric suffix encodes maximum residential density; the three districts share Division 4 / MMTD dimensional standards rather than carrying their own per-district setback / height tables.
  • CC, CU-18, CU-26, CU-45 carry stackable density bonuses: 25% per §10-289 (DORP enhancement-based) or 35% per §10-200 (U-PUD); each enhancement under §10-280.7 yields +5% up to those caps. CU-45 with full U-PUD stack → 60.75 du/ac on bonus.

+ 9 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

res_sf 5res_mf 3off 2com 2planned 2cbd 1ind 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
RP-1Residential Preservation 1res_sf6,000 sf[4]35 ft[5]——3.6[6]—25[1] / 10[2] / 25[3]
RP-2Residential Preservation 2res_sf6,000 sf[10]35 ft[11]——6[12]—15[7] / 7.5[8] / 25[9]
RP-MHResidential Preservation Mobile Homeres_sf3,600 sf[16]35 ft[17]——6[18]—10[13] / 7.5[14] / 7.5[15]
RP-UFResidential Preservation Urban Fringeres_sf20,000 sf[22]35 ft[23]——3.6[24]—25[19] / 15[20] / 25[21]
RP-RResidential Preservation Ruralres_sf20,000 sf[28]35 ft[29]——3.6[30]—25[25] / 15[26] / 25[27]
CU-18Central Urban 18res_mf————18[31]—— / — / —
CU-26Central Urban 26res_mf————26[32]—— / — / —
CU-45Central Urban 45res_mf————45[33]—— / — / —
OR-1Office Residential 1off5,000 sf[37]———8[38]—15[34] / 7.5[35] / 25[36]
OR-2Office Residential 2off5,000 sf[42]———16[43]—15[39] / 7.5[40] / 25[41]
CCCentral Corecbd————150[44]—— / — / —
C-2C-2 General Commercialcom————16[48]—25[45] / 15[46] / 10[47]
CPCP Commercial Parkwaycom————16[49]—— / — / —
M-1M-1 Light Industrialind——————25[50] / 25[51] / 10[52]
PUDPlanned Unit Developmentplanned——————— / — / —
U-PUDUrban Planned Unit Developmentplanned——————— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

HPOD
Historic Preservation Overlay District
historic_preservation
c§10-319 (ARB jurisdiction and COA requirement confirmed); p§Ch. 10 Article III divisions for full overlay procedural / dimensional table
DORP
Downtown Overlay Regulating Plan
design_character
c§10-200 (U-PUD); c§10-280.7 (DORP enhancement-based density / intensity bonus); c§10-289 (CU-XX 25% density bonus); c§Ch.10 Div.4 (MMTD master-plan dimensional standards)
FP
Floodplain Overlay
floodplain
p§Ch. 5 (Environmental Management — stormwater and floodplain provisions); FEMA DFIRM (City of Tallahassee / Leon County panels)
CRO
Canopy Road Overlay
environmental
c§10-302 (city Canopy Roads Overlay District); c§10-6.707 (BCC Canopy Roads Overlay District); Ord. 92-3 / 92-10 (100-ft CRPZ + understory protection + tree-removal mitigation); Ord. 75-12 (setback / height baseline)
UAO
University Area Overlay (FSU / FAMU)
special_purpose
c§10-242 (UT University Transition District); c§10-205 (UV University Urban Village District); city PDFs ut.pdf and uuv.pdf retrieved live

State preemptions

FL Live Local Act — SB 102 (2023) + SB 328 (2024) + SB 1730 (2025)applies
Qualifying condition
Applies to all Florida municipalities including Tallahassee. Per-parcel qualifying trigger: site must be zoned commercial (C-1 / C-2 / CP / CM / IC / OR-1 / OR-2 / OR-3) or industrial (M-1) under Ch. 10 LDC AND ≥40% of units affordable at or below 120% AMI for a 30-year minimum term. Central Core (CC) is a downtown mixed-use district allowing residential up to 150 du/ac and is also LLA-eligible given commercial uses are permitted. SB 1730 (2025 session) clarified that LLA applies to mixed-use districts where commercial is permitted, which strengthens applicability to CC and the CU-XX Central Urban tiers when used for mixed-use.
FL Short-Term Rental Preemption — c§509.032(7), F.S.applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide preemption: Tallahassee cannot regulate STR duration or frequency beyond general rules applicable to all residential dwellings unless an STR-specific ordinance pre-dates June 1, 2011. Tallahassee's pre-2011 STR-specific status requires city ordinance archive review; Tallahassee is a moderate STR market driven by FSU/FAMU football weekends, the Florida Legislature's 60-day session, and government / lobbyist visitor traffic.
FL Impact Fee Caps — HB 7103 (2019) + HB 337 (2021)applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide applicability to all FL local governments including Tallahassee. Caps impact fee increases at a phased 12.5% per 4-year schedule; higher increases require extraordinary-circumstance finding plus study within 12 months. Tallahassee assesses transportation, parks, and stormwater impact fees through a tiered schedule administered by the Growth Management Department; Leon County concurrently administers school impact fees applicable to development within the city.
FL Bert Harris Act — c§70.001, F.S.applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: property owners may claim compensation for regulations that 'inordinately burden' existing use or vested rights. Tallahassee's Canopy Road Overlay (100-ft protection zone), Historic Preservation Overlay (250+ locally-designated structures + 3 local historic districts), and Floodplain Overlay carry latent Bert Harris exposure for any prospective tightening. Particularly relevant for Gaines Street corridor where the city has discussed HPOD designation that could constrain otherwise-allowed industrial-to-mixed-use redevelopment.
FL Private Property Rights (HB 1309/2021)applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: local governments must not enact regulations inconsistent with adopted comprehensive plan without compensation and must acknowledge constitutionally protected property rights. Tallahassee-Leon County Joint Comprehensive Plan (Future Land Use Element, Multimodal Transportation District element, Housing Element) is the controlling document; Ch. 10 LDC zoning must be consistent with FLU designations.
FL Building Code Preemption — c§553.73, F.S.applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide preemption of local amendments to the Florida Building Code absent specific authorized local technical amendment. Tallahassee is inland (no direct coastal exposure) but sits in Wind Zone 2 (~115 mph design wind speed) per ASCE 7, and is downstream of the panhandle hurricane track — wind-load and tree-strike risk are material. Floodplain construction standards (FBC-R R322) govern in FEMA AE / A flood zones flagged by the city's Floodplain Overlay.

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

  • CC Central Core allows 150 du/ac per §10-197 — anomalously high density for a mid-size Florida city; intentional for downtown revitalization but creates the city-wide LLA density floor (any qualifying LLA project anywhere in commercial/industrial Tallahassee is entitled to up to 150 du/ac).
  • CU-18 / CU-26 / CU-45 numeric suffix encodes maximum residential density; the three districts share Division 4 / MMTD dimensional standards rather than carrying their own per-district setback / height tables.
  • CC, CU-18, CU-26, CU-45 carry stackable density bonuses: 25% per §10-289 (DORP enhancement-based) or 35% per §10-200 (U-PUD); each enhancement under §10-280.7 yields +5% up to those caps. CU-45 with full U-PUD stack → 60.75 du/ac on bonus.
  • Tallahassee LDC has NO 'CG Commercial General' or 'CMU Central Mixed Use' districts — v1 profile labels were inaccurate. Actual commercial districts are C-1, C-2, CP, CM, IC; mixed-use intensity is captured by CC + CU-XX + DORP.
  • Canopy Road Overlay (§10-302 city / §10-6.707 BCC) imposes a 100-ft-from-centerline Canopy Road Protection Zone (CRPZ) on 8 designated canopy roads (Meridian, Magnolia/Centerville/Moccasin Gap, Miccosukee, Old St. Augustine, Old Bainbridge, Sunny Hill, Old Centerville, Pisgah Church) — hard 100-ft no-development setback without local approval per Ord. 92-3.
  • State capital + two state university campuses (FSU, FAMU) sit on state-owned land partially exempt from local zoning — creates Capitol Complex and university-area jurisdictional gaps inside the city footprint.
  • Live Local Act self-execution: Florida SB 102 + SB 328 + SB 1730 allow multifamily by-right in commercial/industrial districts at the highest adjacent density — affects C-2, CP, CM, IC, OR-1/2/3, M-1 (and likely CC); LDC has not been formally amended to incorporate the 2024/2025 amendments.
  • Hotel-to-residential conversion permitted under Live Local Act SB 328 (2024) provisions; specific Tallahassee implementation procedures unresolved.
  • DORP density / intensity bonuses are quantified at §10-280.7: each qualifying enhancement = +5%, capped at 25% (non-U-PUD eligible districts) or 35% (U-PUD).
  • Gaines Street corridor transitioning from industrial (M-1) to mixed-use with ongoing comprehensive plan amendments and discussed (but not finalized) HPOD designation — active redevelopment area.
  • Joint Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department: city and county share comprehensive planning function, creating coordination on FLU consistency for boundary-adjacent unincorporated land in the urban service area.
  • Charter city via 1919 Florida Charter Act — has home-rule authority subject to state preemption (LLA, STR, impact fee caps, building code, Bert Harris, private property rights) but cannot opt out of these state mandates.

Formulas

Definitions

height
Measured to highest point of structure
lot_coverage
Building footprint / lot area
far
Gross floor area / lot area; not the primary form-control in Tallahassee Ch. 10 — most non-residential districts use a sf/acre cap (e.g. C-2 = 20,000 sf gross/acre)
du_ac
Dwelling units per acre; varies significantly — RP-1 capped at 3.6, CC at 150
impervious_cover
Total impervious surface / lot area; regulated under Ch. 5 environmental management
setback_front
Front property line to nearest building face
setback_side
Side property line to nearest building face
setback_rear
Rear property line to nearest building face
parking
Spaces per dwelling unit unless noted

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage
max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far
max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560
buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2
buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft
buildable_envelope_sf
buildable_width_ft * buildable_depth_ft
max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10
max_gfa_from_envelope
min(buildable_envelope_sf * max_stories_approx, max_gfa_sf)
parking_required
units * parking

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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Setbacks (F / S / R)
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Citations
  1. [1] §10-241
  2. [2] §10-241
  3. [3] §10-241
  4. [4] §10-241
  5. [5] §10-241
  6. [6] §10-170(a)(3)a
  7. [7] §10-241
  8. [8] §10-241
  9. [9] §10-241
  10. [10] §10-241
  11. [11] §10-241
  12. [12] §10-170(a)(3)b
  13. [13] §10-241
  14. [14] §10-241
  15. [15] §10-241
  16. [16] §10-241
  17. [17] §10-241
  18. [18] §10-170(a)(3)c
  19. [19] §10-241
  20. [20] §10-241
  21. [21] §10-241
  22. [22] §10-241
  23. [23] §10-241
  24. [24] §10-170(a)(3)d
  25. [25] §10-241
  26. [26] §10-241
  27. [27] §10-241
  28. [28] §10-241
  29. [29] §10-241
  30. [30] §10-170(a)(3)e
  31. [31] §10-239.2
  32. [32] §10-239.3
  33. [33] §10-239.4
  34. [34] §10-251
  35. [35] §10-251
  36. [36] §10-251
  37. [37] §10-251
  38. [38] §10-251
  39. [39] §10-252
  40. [40] §10-252
  41. [41] §10-252
  42. [42] §10-252
  43. [43] §10-252
  44. [44] §10-197
  45. [45] §10-256
  46. [46] §10-256
  47. [47] §10-256
  48. [48] §10-256
  49. [49] §10-258
  50. [50] §10-6.652
  51. [51] §10-6.652
  52. [52] §10-6.652

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassedcode_source = https://library.municode.com/fl/tallahassee/codes/code_of_ordinances (canonical Municode URL for Tallahassee LDC Ch. 10). source_platform = 'Municode (Municipal Code Corporation)'. Secondary references at talgov.com/Uploads/Public/Documents/place/zoning/*.pdf (live-retrieved district PDFs). Not an aggregator domain.
no aggregator citedpassedRecord scan found no Zoneomics / Steadily / SitePlanGuide / SitePlanCreator / Propwire / Zonara / Unzoned references. All citations point to Tallahassee LDC Ch. 10 / Ch. 5 §-references (§10-170, §10-197, §10-200, §10-239.2/3/4, §10-241, §10-251, §10-252, §10-256, §10-258, §10-280.7, §10-289, §10-302, §10-6.652, §10-6.707, §10-319), Fla. Stat. §-references, FEMA DFIRM, Leon County GIS (tlcgis.leoncountyfl.gov / geodata-tlcgis.opendata.arcgis.com), or city domains (talgov.com, library.municode.com). Smart Surfaces Policy Tracker is a primary policy-research source, not an aggregator of zoning data.
confidence tags full formpassedAll 16 district confidence fields and all 5 overlay confidence fields carry full c§/p§/i§ section-reference form (c§10-170 ×5, c§10-239.2/3/4, c§10-251, c§10-252, c§10-197, c§10-256, c§10-258, c§10-6.652, c§10-165, c§10-200, c§10-319, c§10-280.7, c§10-302, p§Ch.5, p§10-242). 0 bare tags.
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed5/5 overlays (HPOD, DORP, FP, CRO, UAO) carry non-empty parameters[] arrays, explicit geographic_trigger string, status, citation, and full-form confidence. DORP and CRO upgraded from partial to confirmed this pass; HPOD/FP/UAO remain partial with retrieval_failure_reason.
preempt section city specificpassedTallahassee is in FL (active-preemption state). state_preemptions_applicable[] contains 6 entries (Live Local Act c§166.04151(7), STR preemption c§509.032(7), Impact Fee Caps c§163.31801, Bert Harris c§70.001, Private Property Rights HB 1309/2021 c§70.51 + c§163.3167(8), FBC preemption c§553.73). Each entry has city-specific qualifying_condition_checked and effect_on_city narratives (CC 150 du/ac city-wide LLA density floor, FSU/FAMU/Capitol Complex state-land carveout, SB 1730/2025 mixed-use clarification, joint city-county planning coordination, Wind Zone 2 + Munson Slough FEMA AE/A flood-zone exposure).

Data quality

72%completeness31 confirmed8 partial
Documented gaps
  • CC + CU-18/26/45 dimensional standards (height, setback, FAR) — partial; depend on Division 4 / MMTD master plan
  • FAR not the primary form-control in Tallahassee Ch. 10 — most districts use sf/acre cap instead
  • CP / CM / IC / MR-1 / R-1 / R-2 / R-3 / R-4 / R-5 / RA / UT / UV / NB / NBO / SCD / ASN-A through ASN-D dimensional standards — partial pass
  • Parking ratios across all districts — partial; MMTD reductions apply downtown
  • DORP enhancement list (full 25% / 35% stack components) — partial; §10-280.7(p)–(v) confirmed but full subsection enumeration not retrieved
  • Floodplain Overlay city freeboard amount and Ch. 5 section numbers — partial
  • HPOD design-guidelines table and contributing-structures inventory — partial
  • UT / UV University-area district quantified standards — partial

Known issues

freshness:volatile

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