What shapes a site plan in metro Tampa
In unincorporated Hillsborough County, a site plan moves through a county review that publishes both its clock and its prices, under a state decision clock that applies statewide. Five conditions follow, and each one changes how a preliminary site plan is drawn and timed here.
- The county review clock is published. Agencies get 20 working days for a first review of Site Development Construction Plans, the Development Review Committee (DRC) meets within 9 working days, and resubmittals are reviewed in 10 (Development Review Procedures Manual, DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2) [1]. A first submittal that answers the reviewers' questions avoids the resubmittal cycle.
- The fees are itemized. The county's Site Development Process Fees page prices each reviewing discipline as its own line, from Site Engineering and Transportation Site Access to the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) and Fire, at the preliminary and construction plan stages alike [6].
- Speed is an incentive. Hillsborough County cuts review time by half for projects that qualify as green development, affordable housing or economic development (DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2) [1].
- A state decision clock sits above the county one. SB 1080 took effect October 1, 2025: receipt is acknowledged within 5 business days, completeness is determined within 30 days, and a decision follows within 120 days of a complete application, or 180 days with a hearing, with fee refunds when the government runs late [3, 7].
- New local restrictions are frozen, and the freeze is in court. SB 180 prohibits moratoria and more restrictive land development rules, retroactive to August 1, 2024 [4], and local governments are challenging it in court [8].
Three statewide layers sit over the county process. First, SB 180 (Chapter 2025-190, Laws of Florida) created s. 252.422, F.S., which bars "impacted local governments" from adopting moratoria or "more restrictive or burdensome procedures concerning review, approval, or issuance of a site plan, development permit, or development order" [4]; that scope is under litigation, since 25 local governments sued in Leon County Circuit Court on September 29, 2025 [8], in a 46-page complaint that calls SB 180 "the largest incursion into local home rule authority in the history of Florida" [9]. Second, the SB 1080 timeframes apply to counties through F.S. 125.022 and to cities through F.S. 166.033 [7]; under the city statute a decision issued within 30 days after the deadline refunds 50% of the fee, and one 31 days or more late refunds 100% [10]. Third, RV parks and campgrounds need a Department of Health permit under Chapter 513, F.S. [11], while the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions of Florida Building Code Sec. 1620 apply to Miami-Dade and Broward, not to Hillsborough [12].
The Orlando, Miami and Jacksonville pages show how the same state layers meet different county codes, and site plans in Florida sets out the statewide picture.
Jurisdiction map: who governs where
Hillsborough County Development Services handles "all of unincorporated Hillsborough County," and the order is fixed: zoning comes first, then site and subdivision engineering review [13]. The cities and the neighboring counties run their own codes, so the first line of any site plan here names the jurisdiction and the zoning district it assumes.
| Jurisdiction | Governs | What a developer needs to know |
|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County | Unincorporated Hillsborough, through Development Services | Zoning first, then site development review under LDC Part 10.01.00 and DRPM Sec. 4.1.5 [13, 2] |
| City of Tampa | Land inside city limits | A separate city code and review; confirm the process before a layout is drawn |
| St. Petersburg and Clearwater | Land inside each city, in Pinellas County | Separate city codes; confirm city by city |
| Pasco County | Unincorporated Pasco | Its own land development code; its 2024 car wash rule is in the proof points below |
| Polk County | Unincorporated Polk, between the Tampa and Orlando markets | Its own land development code; the Polk County RV park model project traces its path |
Site plan process: Hillsborough County site development review
Hillsborough's site development review has two plan stages and one decision body. The governing provisions are LDC Part 10.01.00 for the site development plan and DRPM Sec. 4.1.5 for the procedure [2].
| Stage | What the county does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zoning | Settled first; site and subdivision engineering review follow | [13] |
| Preliminary Site Development Plan | Optional; can be waived | LDC Part 10.01.00 [2] |
| Site Development Construction Plans | Agencies review in 20 working days; the DRC meets within 9 working days | DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2 [1] |
| Resubmittals | Reviewed in 10 working days | DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2 [1] |
| Approval | Development Review Committee | [1] |
| Issuance | Site Development Plan and Natural Resources Permit | [2] |
| Priority projects | Green Development, Affordable Housing and Economic Development projects: half the normal working time | DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2 [1] |
| Minor Site Development | A separate path with its own fee lines | [6] |
Two consequences follow for the plan. Because the preliminary stage can be waived, the layout may reach reviewers for the first time inside the construction plans, so it has to be settled before the engineer of record starts them. And because each resubmittal is reviewed in another 10 working days [1], the site data table (acreage, zoning, density against the cap, setbacks, parking required against provided) should answer the zoning and site engineering reviewers on the first pass. The steps in general terms are set out in this post on the commercial site plan process.
Where the zoning does not allow the program, a Planned Development (PD) rezoning comes before site review, and its rules are written down. The county's PD application page says "you must have a pre-submittal conference before you can apply for PD rezoning," requires a Sufficiency Review Meeting after submittal, takes files as PDF at a minimum of 300 dpi, and receives the Zoning Hearing Master's (ZHM) recommendation 15 business days after the ZHM hearing [14]. A September 2025 notice states that Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) review "shall be restricted to the record as defined in Hillsborough County Ordinance 92-05" [15], and registered neighborhood organizations within 1 mile have standing before the BOCC [16]. The hearing calendar is visible in staff reports: PD 23-0780 went to the ZHM on April 15, 2024 and the BOCC on June 11, 2024 [17], and MM 24-0678 went to the ZHM on July 22, 2024 and the BOCC on September 10, 2024 [18].
Published county fees
The Site Development Process Fees page lists each reviewing discipline as its own line [6]. Selected lines:
| Stage | Selected fee lines | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Site Development Plan | Site Engineering $111.73; Transportation Site Access $108.26; EPC $460; Fire $15 | [6] |
| Site Development Construction Plans | Site Engineering Review $172.66; Inspections $170.03; Utilities $232.24; EPC $710; Stormwater Master Plan $1,500 (if applicable) | [6] |
| Minor Site Development | Zoning $471.37; Natural Resources $362.34; Stormwater $311.45; Site Engineering $168.74; EPC $310 | [6] |
Zoning applications are priced on a separate county list [19].
| Zoning application | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard District rezoning | $5,333.98 | [19] |
| Planned Development rezoning, new | $9,643.80 | [19] |
| PD rezoning, second resubmission | $1,876.30 | [19] |
| PD major modification | $9,226.73 | [19] |
| PD minor modification | $4,484.15 | [19] |
| Minor change to a PD | $405.22 | [19] |
| Administrative waiver | $250.92 | [19] |
| Zoning interpretation | $1,274.78 | [19] |
A Fastrack surcharge of 25% applies with management authorization [19]. Impact and mobility fees are set by a rates schedule effective October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, and non-residential projects pay the fire impact fee and the mobility fee only [20].
Asset rules in metro Tampa
Two state layers and the county use table do most of the work for the asset classes the studio plans here.
| Asset | Rule that applies in metro Tampa | Source |
|---|---|---|
| RV parks and campgrounds | No park without "first obtaining a permit from the department" (s. 513.02); the Department of Health acts through county health departments (s. 513.01) | [21] |
| RV park licensing | Licensed annually through Florida's 67 county health departments; the application carries a plan of the park, the water system, the sewage disposal system, any pools and the fee | [22] |
| RV park density | At least 1,200 sq ft per space and no more than 25 units per gross acre (64E-15.002(3)) | [23] |
| RV park permit fee | Statute: no more than $6.50 and no less than $3.50 per space (s. 513.045); the 2018 version of the rule sets $4.00 per space a year | [11, 23] |
| RV park geometry | Site separations stay as set "at the time of the initial approval" by the department and the local government (s. 513.1115) | [21] |
| Car washes, use table | Permitted (P) in CG and CI and conditional (C) in CN under LDC Table 2.02.02, as read on a secondary mirror of the code | [24] |
| Car washes in CN | Self-service or automated only, inside a structure with a roof and at least two sides (LDC Sec. 6.11.121.A) | [25] |
| Car wash noise | EPC: 60 dBA from 7 am to 10 pm and 55 dBA from 10 pm to 7 am at residential receivers, as a 10-minute Leq | [26] |
| Any use | SB 180, under litigation: no new moratoria or more restrictive land development rules | [4] |
Under s. 513.1115 the separations drawn at initial approval stay with the park, so the first approved layout is the one the park keeps [21]. The park plan in a Department of Health application is the layout; the water and sewage system information comes from the engineer of record. The state rules are set out in RV park site plans in Florida, the layout standards in the RV park site plan hub, and density per acre in the RV sites per acre guide. For car washes, the statewide view is on car wash site plans in Florida and the layout program on the car wash site plan hub.
Growth and proof points
The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro counted 3,418,895 residents in July 2025, 13,538 more than a year earlier, in Census data republished by FRED as series TMAPOP [5]. Within the metro the growth is uneven. Hillsborough County went from 1,459,773 to 1,574,115 residents, growth of 7.8% from 2020 to 2025 [27, 28]. Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg and Clearwater, fell from a 959,090 base to 948,563 and lost 11,834 residents in 2024 to 2025, the 2nd largest county decline in the United States [28].
The car wash record shows how county rules meet a program. The Hillsborough County express car wash model project is entitled by right where the district allows the use, or by Standard District rezoning ($5,333.98) or Planned Development rezoning ($9,643.80) [19]. LDC Sec. 6.04.01.G asks that a drive-in service area sit far enough from the roadway for waiting vehicles to queue inside the property, so backups do not block the service operation or the highway [29], and the EPC holds pumps and compressors to 55 decibels on the A-scale as a 10-minute Leq, measured at least 40 feet across a residential property line [26]. State-road access can sink a rezoning: county transportation staff found RZ STD 24-0862 "not supportable," in part because of FDOT comments on its access to US Hwy 92 [30]. Neighboring Pasco County took a different route: on September 17, 2024 its commissioners voted 5-0 to amend the county's land development code and make new car washes a conditional use with a 1.5-mile proximity test [31, 32]. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Pasco's planning director counted 25 freestanding car washes and "approximately 72 different types of opportunities to wash one's car" [33]. The market side of the asset is covered in this post on car wash development in 2026.
Two other Florida model projects frame the metro. East of Hillsborough, the Polk County model project carries the Chapter 513 permit and a county conditional use for an RV park. In Southwest Florida, outside the metro, the Lee County marina model project applies the same state layers to a waterfront program; marina site plans in Florida and the marina site plan hub cover that asset statewide.
Site factors
- Environmental review. The EPC reviews at both plan stages, and the county issues a Natural Resources Permit with the Site Development Plan [6, 2].
- Stormwater permit. A project with more than 4,000 sq ft of impervious surface subject to vehicular traffic, or more than 9,000 sq ft of impervious surface in total, needs an Environmental Resource Permit under Rule 62-330.020(2), F.A.C. [34]. Stormwater Master Plan review, where it applies, is its own county fee line [6]. The stormwater design is the engineer of record's; how detention shapes yield is covered in this post on stormwater as a site plan variable.
- Future right of way. County PD conditions can reserve frontage: MM 24-0678 required up to 2 feet of right-of-way preservation along Sheldon Road, with building setbacks measured from the future right-of-way line [18].
- Utilities. Utilities review sits in the construction plan stage [6], and the utility design comes from the engineer of record.
- Wind. Hillsborough is outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, which FBC Sec. 1620 limits to Miami-Dade and Broward [12].
What the preliminary plan carries in Tampa
In Hillsborough the layout has to be settled before the Site Development Construction Plans are drawn, whether or not the optional preliminary stage is used [2]. Standard PD conditions add a timing rule: references to LDC standards are read as "the regulations in effect at the time of preliminary site plan/plat approval" [18], so the code references in those conditions are read against the LDC in effect when the preliminary plan is approved. That is the preliminary site plan: site layout, buildings, internal roads and drive aisles, parking, pads and yield, organized with a site data table. Developers use it to choose the site, to have a general contractor price it, to show a lender and to raise capital. The engineer of record then adds the grading, stormwater, utility and access design and prepares the construction plans that go to the DRC. The site plan consultant and site plan services pages explain how the studio works alongside the engineer and architect of record, the case studies show the method on model projects, and service areas lists every metro covered.
Frequently asked questions
Is a preliminary site plan required in Hillsborough County?
No. The Preliminary Site Development Plan is optional and can be waived (LDC Part 10.01.00) [2]. The Site Development Construction Plan review is the required stage.
How long is the first Hillsborough site plan review?
Agencies have 20 working days, and the Development Review Committee meets within 9 working days after that (DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2) [1].
How long does a resubmittal take?
Resubmittals are reviewed in 10 working days (DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2) [1].
Do affordable housing projects get faster review?
Yes. In Hillsborough County, a qualifying green development, affordable housing or economic development project is reviewed in half the normal time (DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2) [1].
What is the EPC fee at the construction plan stage?
$710, on the county's Site Development Process Fees page [6].
How fast must a Tampa-area government decide a complete application?
Within 120 days of the application being deemed complete, or 180 days where a hearing is required, under SB 1080, which took effect October 1, 2025 [3].
Can Hillsborough County adopt a new car wash moratorium?
Which edition of the Hillsborough LDC applies?
Supplement 58, through Ord. 26-8 (Jan. 15, 2026), published on Municode [35].
Sources
- 1)Development Review Procedures Manual, Sec. 4.1.5.1.2, Site Development Construction Plan Review, Hillsborough County (eLaws code mirror). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 2)Land Development Code, Article X, Administration, Hillsborough County (via Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 3)SB 1080, 2025 Bill Summaries, The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)SB 180, 2025 Bill Summaries, The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)Resident Population in Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (MSA), series TMAPOP, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (U.S. Census Bureau data). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Site Development Process Fees, Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 7)Bill Analysis and Fiscal Impact Statement, SB 1080 (2025), The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)Reporting on the September 29, 2025 local government lawsuit over SB 180 (September 30 and October 8, 2025), Central Florida Public Media. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 9)Reporting on the local government complaint against SB 180, Florida Politics. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)Chapter 166, Section 033, 2025 Florida Statutes, The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Chapter 513, 2025 Florida Statutes, The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 12)High-Velocity Hurricane Zones, Florida Building Code, Building, Sec. 1620, Florida Building Commission. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 13)Development Services, Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 14)Apply for a Planned Development Rezoning, Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)Public notice, Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners land use review (September 2025), Florida Public Notices. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)Zoning Participation, Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Rezoning Application: PD 23-0780, Zoning Hearing Master Date: April 15, 2024 (staff report), Hillsborough County (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 18)Rezoning Application: MM 24-0678, Zoning Hearing Master Date: July 22, 2024 (staff report), Hillsborough County (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 19)List of Zoning Fees, Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 20)Impact Fees, Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 21)The 2025 Florida Statutes, Chapter 513 (ss. 513.01, 513.02, 513.1115), Florida Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 22)Mobile Home & RV Parks, Florida Department of Health. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 23)Chapter 64E-15, Florida Administrative Code (2018 version), Florida Department of Health. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 24)Land Development Code Sec. 2.02.02, Table of Allowable Uses (secondary mirror of the county code), Hillsborough County (eLaws code mirror). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 25)Land Development Code Sec. 6.11.121, Car Wash Facilities, Hillsborough County (via Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 26)Noise Program (EPC Rule Chapter 1-10), Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 27)QuickFacts: Hillsborough County, Florida, U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 28)Slow Growth Impacts Nation's Largest Counties Hardest (Vintage 2025 estimates, CB26-56), U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 29)Land Development Code Part 6.04.00, Access Management (Sec. 6.04.01), Hillsborough County (via Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 30)Rezoning Application: RZ STD 24-0862, Zoning Hearing Master Date: 08/19/2024 (staff report), Hillsborough County (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 31)Pasco County sets new rules for proposed car washes, citing large increase in locations, FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 32)After minor tweaks, Pasco car wash ordinance passes, Tampa Beacon. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- 33)County moves toward making new car washes a harder sell in Pasco, Tampa Bay Times. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 34)Fla. Admin. Code R. 62-330.020, Regulated Activities, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 35)Land Development Code (Supplement 58), Hillsborough County (via Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.