Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
lot-size-encoded
Traditional Euclidean district-and-overlay code. R-1/R-2/CN/CG/DMU/IN names follow conventional FL small-town pattern. Downtown historic district is the principal quirk. | sub_flags_raw=[small-town-fl-panhandle]
Worth knowing
- Circular town plat around Lake DeFuniak — DeFuniak Springs was platted in 1881 as a Chautauqua community on the shore of Lake DeFuniak, a naturally occurring near-perfectly circular lake. The historic downtown is laid out in a ring road (Circle Drive) around the lake, which drives overlay geometry for both the Downtown Historic District and the Lake DeFuniak Preservation overlays.
- Downtown Historic Design Review — Modifications and new construction within the Downtown Historic District Overlay require design review for materials, massing, and compatibility with adjacent contributing structures.
- Lake shoreline buffer controls — Lakefront parcels carry buffer, impervious-cover, and stormwater standards beyond the base district dimensional standards; the overlay, not the base district, controls for setbacks on lakefront lots.
+ 3 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
com 2res_sf 1res_mf 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 | — | 35 ft | — | 0.4[1] | — | — | — / — / — |
| R-2 | Medium-Density Residential | res_mf | — | 50 ft | — | 0.7[2] | — | — | — / — / — |
| CN | Commercial Neighborhood | com | — | 40 ft | — | 0.7[3] | — | — | — / — / — |
| CG | Commercial General | com | — | 55 ft | — | 1[4] | — | — | — / — / — |
| DMU | Downtown Mixed-Use | mu | — | 65 ft | — | 1.3[5] | — | — | — / — / — |
| IN | Industrial | ind | — | 50 ft | — | 0.8[6] | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
DHD
Downtown Historic District Overlay
SPECMapped parcels within the adopted downtown historic district boundary on the city zoning map; coincides with the circular Circle Drive street plat around Lake DeFuniak and adjacent blocks.
LDP
Lake DeFuniak Preservation Overlay
SPECParcels within a shoreline buffer (inferred ~100 ft) of the Lake DeFuniak ordinary high-water line; triggered by lot abutment or proximity per city zoning map.
State preemptions
Qualifying condition
Applies to all Florida municipalities regardless of population. Qualifying trigger is per-parcel: site must be zoned commercial, industrial, or mixed-use AND >=40% of units affordable at or below 120% AMI. | search_performed=Reviewed state-preemptions/florida.md; cross-referenced against v1 DeFuniak Springs record and the Live Local trigger zones (C/I/MU).
Effect
On qualifying parcels in CN, CG, DMU, or IN: (a) multifamily is permitted by right; (b) density = highest residential density allowed anywhere in DeFuniak Springs (estimated ~25 du/ac via DMU per inferred record; must be re-derived on parcel lookup); (c) height = tallest of highest zoning height within 1 mile or tallest existing building adjacent; (d) >=20% parking reduction mandatory (2024 amendment); (e) city cannot deny or impose non-building-code conditions.
Retrieval issue
Actual highest-density-in-jurisdiction figure requires confirmation from Chapter 3 dimensional table. Profile currently shows inferred DMU du/ac of 25 from v1; must be verified against primary source before citing Live Local density floor to a specific parcel.
FL Short-Term Rental Preemption — c§509.032(7), F.S.applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: city cannot regulate duration or frequency of short-term rentals beyond general rules applicable to all residential dwellings. STR-specific zoning bans are preempted unless ordinance pre-dates June 1, 2011 (DeFuniak Springs has no pre-2011 STR ordinance of record). | citation_source=FL Statute c§509.032(7)
Effect
DeFuniak Springs cannot ban or frequency-cap STRs in residential districts. May require registration, inspection, and general safety compliance.
FL Impact Fee Caps — HB 7103 (2019) + HB 337 (2021)applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide: impact fee increases capped at 12.5% phased schedule, or higher only with extraordinary-circumstance finding. Applies to all FL local governments including DeFuniak Springs. | citation_source=FL Statute c§163.31801
Effect
City impact fee schedule increases are capped; any increase above 12.5% in 4 years requires demonstration of extraordinary circumstance and study within 12 months.
FL ADU Framework — HB 1645 (2024)applies
Qualifying condition
Opt-in statewide framework: jurisdictions may adopt expedited ADU approval pathway by ordinance. Not self-executing; DeFuniak Springs has not adopted per v1+v2 review. | search_performed=Reviewed Chapter 3 via v1 extraction; no ADU-specific section appears.
Effect
No current effect on DeFuniak Springs until city adopts implementing ordinance. If adopted, would allow ADUs by right in single-family districts with state-framework dimensional standards.
Retrieval issue
City adoption status not directly verifiable via municode index; inferred not-adopted from absence of ADU amendment in v1 ordinance extraction. Planning department confirmation recommended.
Adopted building codes
Statewide — FL Building Code 7th ed
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Circular town plat around Lake DeFuniak — DeFuniak Springs was platted in 1881 as a Chautauqua community on the shore of Lake DeFuniak, a naturally occurring near-perfectly circular lake. The historic downtown is laid out in a ring road (Circle Drive) around the lake, which drives overlay geometry for both the Downtown Historic District and the Lake DeFuniak Preservation overlays.
- Downtown Historic Design Review — Modifications and new construction within the Downtown Historic District Overlay require design review for materials, massing, and compatibility with adjacent contributing structures.
- Lake shoreline buffer controls — Lakefront parcels carry buffer, impervious-cover, and stormwater standards beyond the base district dimensional standards; the overlay, not the base district, controls for setbacks on lakefront lots.
- Live Local Act applies despite small population — FL SB 102/328 applies to ALL Florida municipalities regardless of size. A qualifying affordable project on any CN, CG, DMU, or IN parcel in DeFuniak Springs is entitled to by-right approval at the jurisdiction's highest residential density (inferred ~25 du/ac from DMU) and a mandatory >=20% parking reduction. Small-city status does not exempt DeFuniak Springs.
- Impact fee increase cap (statewide) — HB 7103/HB 337 cap impact fee increases at 12.5% over 4 years unless the city adopts an extraordinary-circumstance finding with supporting study. Applies to DeFuniak Springs.
- STR preemption (statewide) — c§509.032(7), F.S. preempts local STR duration/frequency bans absent a pre-2011 grandfathered ordinance. DeFuniak Springs has no pre-2011 STR ordinance of record; STR-specific zoning bans are preempted.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Measured from grade to highest point; rooftop equipment exclusions require verification (c§Chapter 3)
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint / lot area; verify accessory structure inclusion (c§Chapter 3)
- far
- Gross floor area / lot area; verify garage and parking structure exclusions (c§Chapter 3)
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per acre; verify gross vs. net acre basis (c§Chapter 3)
- setback_front
- Distance from property line; verify corner lot and through-lot exceptions (c§Chapter 3)
- setback_side
- Distance from property line per side; varies by zone (c§Chapter 3)
- setback_rear
- Distance from property line; varies by zone (c§Chapter 3)
- parking
- Spaces per unit or per 1000 SF; verify per-unit vs. per-bedroom basis (c§Chapter 3)
Capacity calculations
- r1_single_family
~6 du/ac (7,500 sf min lot) — inferred- r2_medium_density
~15 du/ac (5,000 sf min lot) — inferred- cn_commercial_neighborhood
0.7 FAR — inferred- cg_commercial_general
1.0 FAR — inferred- dmu_downtown_mixed_use
~25 du/ac, 1.3 FAR — inferred; this is the jurisdiction-wide residential density ceiling and the Live Local floor reference
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
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
——
Copy zoning profile
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Citations
- [1] i
- [2] i
- [3] i
- [4] i
- [5] i
- [6] i
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
50%completeness14 partial26 inferred
Documented gaps
- Exact Chapter 3 section numbers for overlays (DHD and LDP)
- precise dimensional standards tables for all base districts
- Lake DeFuniak shoreline buffer width
- Downtown Historic District boundary and design-review checklist
- verification of DMU du/ac maximum
- Live Local highest-density floor requires parcel-level confirmation
- HB 1645 ADU adoption status.
Known issues
cohort:needs-dom-retrievalblocker:municode
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