Often investors and Realtors don’t understand how zoning codes work. As a Miami architect, let me give you a primer.
Most of the zoning codes in the Miami area are based on mathematical equations, except for the City of Miami. The City of Miami Zoning Code is a form-based code. This means they are trying to achieve a particular look or urban design for the city.
With most mathematical codes the larger the lot one will build on, the larger the building which will result. This is not necessarily true with the City of Miami Code. It tries to give the same height to all buildings in the same area. Unfortunately, this does not always result because of the parking issue.
Most codes require a certain amount of parking, whether it be the Miami code, the unincorporated Miami-Dade County code, or any of the many municipalities in the Greater Miami area. And in most cases the amount of building which can be built is directly related to the amount of parking which can be included. There are exceptions to this in Wynwood, where small buildings (less than 20,000 S.F.) can be built which do not require parking. There are other exemptions where the buildings are very near to transit stations. But most of the time, the amount of parking which can be included in a project is directly related to how much square footage can be built.
Here is a link to using the City of Miami Zoning Code: https://codehub.gridics.com/us/fl/miami#/table-of-contents
Here are the different zoning districts for unincorporated Miami-Dade County:
Here is the information for the City of Miami Beach Zoning:
This link is for the City of Coral Gables Zoning Code:
There are other municipalities, but these are probably the major ones in Miami-Dade County.
Prior to determining the zoning for a particular parcel, one may need to go to the Property Appraiser’s website and insert the property address in the “Property Search” button. You can go here to find out the information for most properties in Miami-Dade County: https://www.miamidade.gov/Apps/PA/PropertySearch/#/
If you are looking for a particular type of site, call me at 305-439-7898. Or email me.
I can help you locate the right site. I can do a zoning analysis for you so that you don't by a property that cannot be used for the type of building you want build. Residential and commercial lots can be very different. You really need to understand zoning before buying a lot.
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