Building a 2nd small house in back yard (Orlando, Winter Park: renters, HOA)

[erjoalgo]

I am buying a house which has 7K sqft of back yard space, and I am considering building a small detached house in this lot for relatives or renters to live.

I'd like to get a rough idea of:

1. Whether the city would allow such a thing
2. What would be a very rough breakdown of the costs, including any permits,
3. How long this would take

I have no experience with this and have no idea where to start.

I found the following website:
https://www.orlando.gov/Building-Dev...-Dwelling-Unit

While trying to determine the zoning district, I find that there seems to be no zoning information. Is this because the lot sits on unincorporated land? What rules apply in this case?

[WellShoneMoon]

If your lot is in unincorporated Orange County (as opposed to within city limits of Orlando, Winter Park, etc.), you need to check the county's website rather than the city's.

Here's a link to the Orange County zoning division: https://www.orangecountyfl.net/Permi...x#.YBlNTGhAq5c

[drive carephilly]

If you type Orlando, FL into Google maps it will show you the municipal boundaries. There are other cities in the county but a majority of people in OC live in unincorporated county areas. If you post the name of the neighborhood I can help you find the zoning regs.

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by erjoalgo

I am buying a house which has 7K sqft of back yard space, and I am considering building a small detached house in this lot for relatives or renters to live.

I'd like to get a rough idea of:

1. Whether the city would allow such a thing
2. What would be a very rough breakdown of the costs, including any permits,
3. How long this would take

I have no experience with this and have no idea where to start.

I found the following website:
https://www.orlando.gov/Building-Dev...-Dwelling-Unit

While trying to determine the zoning district, I find that there seems to be no zoning information. Is this because the lot sits on unincorporated land? What rules apply in this case?

If you are in unincorporated Orlando, the county will have jurisdiction over it. Having built homes in Orlando and having spoken with various inspectors, I think your best bet is to hire a general contractor (GC) and have him take care of everything including permitting. You will pay extra for him to pull permits but he also assumes liability.

You are looking at quite a bit of work from utility set up to the actual building of the structure itself. This is not a project that will take a few weeks. This will take months.

Orange County inspectors, in my experience, are quite strict. Especially after the accident in 2019 where there was a huge investigation. Also, expect to report the rental income to the IRS.

[erjoalgo]

Originally Posted by drive carephilly

If you type Orlando, FL into Google maps it will show you the municipal boundaries. There are other cities in the county but a majority of people in OC live in unincorporated county areas. If you post the name of the neighborhood I can help you find the zoning regs.

From the county appraiser website the neighborhood seems to be COLLEGE HEIGHTS, it is near UCF.

[erjoalgo]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

If you are in unincorporated Orlando, the county will have jurisdiction over it. Having built homes in Orlando and having spoken with various inspectors, I think your best bet is to hire a general contractor (GC) and have him take care of everything including permitting. You will pay extra for him to pull permits but he also assumes liability.

You are looking at quite a bit of work from utility set up to the actual building of the structure itself. This is not a project that will take a few weeks. This will take months.

Orange County inspectors, in my experience, are quite strict. Especially after the accident in 2019 where there was a huge investigation. Also, expect to report the rental income to the IRS.

How likely do you think that such a project would be approved? Do you have a rough range for how much this project could cost? 20K, 50K, 100K?

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by erjoalgo

From the county appraiser website the neighborhood seems to be COLLEGE HEIGHTS, it is near UCF.

I know of no such subdivision or neighborhood in Orange County. Are you reading that off of the plat? Is it in Seminole County?

Anyway, if it is in Orange County and it's out near UCF it's unincorporated.

Here's a link to the code for ADUs - https://library.municode.com/fl/oran...1426ACSTACDWUN

Here's the use table showing a "P" for permitted in almost every zoning district
https://library.municode.com/fl/oran...OMA_S38-77USTA

Here's the zoning map but it's not very user friendly. You have to select "zoning" under the "Layers" tab then click on "Land Development" then "Zoning" then "Zoning outlines".
Geocortex Viewer for HTML5

Anyway, most of that area is R-1, R-1A, R-T, or PD. If the zoning is PD the rules are going to be whatever is written in the PD. And even if your zoning is R-1, if you have an HOA, they may get final say over whether or not you can build one.

If you're buying a house with the intention of building an ADU absolutely, 100% get a zoning verification letter from the permitting agency and get it in writing from the HOA before you purchase - I'd make it a condition in your agreement of sale.

If the property is in Seminole County you'd need to search for the same things on the Seminole County page. Best thing to do is to call the county with an address and ask them if an ADU would be permitted. If you get a hard no you can move on. If you get a yes or a maybe, ask for that zoning verification letter (usually $25 to $75 but worth it.)