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Site plans / Car washes / Florida

Car wash site plans in Florida

Florida sets the stormwater, tank and permit-clock rules for a car wash at the state level and, through SB 180, limits how fast hurricane-declared counties can tighten local ones. Counties and cities still decide where a wash may go, how long its queue runs and which way its tunnel faces.

Last reviewed

Start a projectSee the process
ERP thresholds (Rule 62-330.020)
More than 4,000 sq ft vehicular impervious or 9,000 sq ft total impervious [1]
Florida tank registration
$50 initial, $25 annual renewal, per tank [2, 3]
Pembroke Pines automatic wash
8 entrance + 3 exit stacking spaces [4]
Local permit clock (F.S. 166.033)
Decision 120 days after complete, 180 days with a hearing [5]
Hillsborough PD rezoning fee
$9,643.80 [6]

Florida's state layer

Florida writes four layers that reach every car wash site in the state: water management district stormwater permitting, a statutory clock on local development permits, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rules for any fuel component, and a freeze on new local restrictions in hurricane-declared counties. Use permission, stacking, vacuum limits and reclaim are local, and the car wash site plan hub compares those local rules nationally. The Florida state page covers the wider approval system.

State layerRuleOn the plan
Environmental Resource PermitRule 62-330.020(2), F.A.C. regulates projects with more than 4,000 square feet of impervious and semi-impervious surface subject to vehicular traffic, more than 9,000 square feet of impervious and semi-impervious surface in total, or work in, on or over wetlands [1]Vehicular and total impervious area in the site data table
District reading of the thresholdA SWFWMD letter: the "net allowable increase of impervious surface area on the project site is 9,000 square-feet, of which a maximum of 4,000 square feet can be subjected to vehicular traffic without requiring a permit" [7]The queue and drive aisles count as vehicular area
10-2 general permitUnder 10 acres project area and under 2 acres impervious (s. 403.814(12), F.S.) [8]The same totals decide the permit path
Local permit clockF.S. 166.033 and 125.022 as rewritten by SB 1080 (ch. 2025-177): receipt confirmed in 5 business days, completeness review in 30 days, a decision 120 days after the application is deemed complete, or 180 days with a hearing [5, 9]Fix the yield before filing
Parallel tracksA city "may not require as a condition of processing or issuing a development permit" that the applicant first obtain a state or federal permit, unless the agency has issued a final denial (F.S. 166.033(7)) [5]Local review and the ERP run side by side
Fuel tanksDEP Division of Waste Management, Ch. 62-761, F.A.C.: $50 initial, $25 annual renewal due July 1, $20 late fee, all per tank; Inland Protection Trust Fund [2, 3]Tank field, fill and vent on the layout
Closed-loop wash waterDEP's BMP guide covers the closed-loop path: spent process water goes to a DEP-permitted facility, and the guide does not apply to truck washes [10]Reclaim room and holding tank locations
New local restrictionsCh. 2025-190 (SB 180), s. 252.422, F.S., now being challenged in court [11, 12]Check the adoption date of any new car wash rule

The permit clock has teeth. SB 1080 took effect October 1, 2025 [9]. An applicant change of 15% or more in density, intensity or square footage restarts the clock, and a late local government refunds 10% for a late completeness review, 10% for a late re-review, 20% for a late second re-review, 50% for a decision within 30 days after the deadline and 100% when it is 31 days or more late [5]. F.S. 166.033(3) caps municipal requests for additional information at three for applications certified by a professional listed in s. 403.0877, and the statute's development permits do not include building permits [5]. A wash with a fuel island adds dispensers and a canopy, which the gas station site plan hub covers.

SB 180: a freeze on new local restrictions, now in court

Chapter 2025-190 (CS/CS/SB 180) created s. 252.422, F.S., and is being challenged in court. For one year after a hurricane's landfall, it bars "impacted local governments" (counties in a federal disaster declaration wholly or partly within 100 miles of the storm track, plus their municipalities) from adopting moratoria, more restrictive comprehensive plan or LDR amendments, or "more restrictive or burdensome procedures concerning review, approval, or issuance of a site plan, development permit, or development order" [11]. The Florida Senate's bill summary also states that SB 180 prohibits moratoria and more restrictive land development rules [11].

The lawsuits are the open question. On September 29, 2025, 25 local governments sued in Leon County Circuit Court, among them Orange and Manatee counties, and 1000 Friends of Florida filed a second suit in October 2025 [12]. Florida Politics reported that the local governments' 46-page complaint calls SB 180 "the largest incursion into local home rule authority in the history of Florida" [13], and The Apopka Voice reported that the second suit joins 1000 Friends of Florida with an Orange County resident [14]. Orange County says the law "has effectively invalidated Vision 2050 in its entirety" [15]. For a site in a covered county, the date a new car wash rule was adopted matters as much as its text.

Hillsborough County and Tampa Bay

The Hillsborough County express car wash model project carries the full approval path, fee arithmetic and site data for an express tunnel in unincorporated Hillsborough, and the Tampa metro page maps the region. The county rules below shape the plan before that work starts.

Where the use sits. Read from a secondary mirror of LDC Table 2.02.02 (amendment history to Ord. No. 17-28), car wash facilities are permitted (P) in CG and CI and conditional (C) in CN, and all uses are potentially permitted in a Planned Development [16]. In CN, LDC §6.11.121.A limits car washes to self-service or automated facilities inside a structure with a roof and at least two sides, wording Ord. 19-23 changed from self-service only [17]. The code in force is LDC Supplement 58, codified through Ord. No. 26-8 adopted January 15, 2026 [18].

How a PD is heard. A PD rezoning needs a pre-submittal conference before filing and a Sufficiency Review Meeting after it, and the Zoning Hearing Master's recommendation reaches the department 15 business days after the hearing [19]. Board review "shall be restricted to the record as defined in Hillsborough County Ordinance 92-05" [20], and registered neighborhood organizations within 1 mile have standing before the board [21]. After the recommendation, the county's certification guide (secondary copy) has the PD general site plan submitted within 10 calendar days, with notification within 21 calendar days and formal processing of up to 30 calendar days [22]. Construction plan review runs on published clocks: agencies get 20 working days, the Development Review Committee meets within 9 working days, and resubmittals are reviewed in 10 (DRPM Sec. 4.1.5.1.2) [23].

What it costs at the county. The zoning fee list sets a PD rezoning at $9,643.80 ($1,876.30 for a second resubmission), a Standard District rezoning at $5,333.98, a Special Use at $3,758.21, a Variance at $1,985.82 and a minor change to a PD at $405.22, with a Fastrack surcharge of 25% [6]. Site development review lists site engineering $111.73, EPC $460 and Fire $15 at the Preliminary stage, and engineering $172.66, inspections $170.03, zoning $471.37 and EPC $710 at the Construction Plan stage, plus $1,500 for a Stormwater Master Plan where applicable [24]. Grand Oaks protection review adds $358.27 at the preliminary stage and $382.47 at construction where applicable [24].

Noise and water. EPC Rule Ch. 1-10 sets 60 dBA from 7am to 10pm and 55 dBA from 10pm to 7am at a residential receiver, 65 dBA at a commercial receiver and 70 dBA at an industrial one, and holds pumps and compressors to 55 dBA Leq measured at least 40 ft across a residential property line [25]. The county's Industrial Pretreatment Program (Ch. 120, Ord. 06-31) runs a grease management program that inspects car wash facilities [26], and the county enforces SWFWMD year-round water restrictions, which cover car washing as an outdoor use [27].

Access and frontage. LDC §6.04.01.G asks that a drive-in service area sit far enough from the roadway to keep vehicle storage within the property, and makes driveway length subject to the anticipated peak-period stacking length, with signalized driveways sized by a traffic study [28]. PD conditions route state-road access through FDOT: "all such access shall be subject to FDOT review and permitting" (PD 23-0780) [29]. On RZ STD 24-0862, transportation staff objected "in part due to comments received from FDOT regarding the property's anticipated access to US Hwy 92" and found the request "not supportable" [30]. PD 22-0719 on US 92 required right-of-way dedication to FDOT under the Hillsborough County Corridor Preservation Plan [31], and MM 24-0678 preserved up to 2 feet of right of way on Sheldon Road with building setbacks measured from the future right-of-way line [31, 32].

Buffers and compatibility. A 20 ft buffer with Type B screening recurs as a PD condition (PD 23-0780, PD 22-0719) [29, 31]. Staff test PDs against community plans, and PD 22-0719 was found in "direct conflict with the vision of the Seffner Mango Community" plan [31]. Staff reports quote Comprehensive Plan FLUE Policy 1.4, which lists height, scale, mass and bulk, traffic, circulation, access and parking, landscaping, lighting, noise, odor and architecture as compatibility elements [32].

In Pasco County, FOX 13 reported that commissioners voted 5-0 on September 17, 2024 to make new car wash facilities a "conditional use" [33]. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the planning director counted 25 freestanding car washes and "approximately 72 different types of opportunities to wash one's car" [34].

Southwest Florida: from moratorium to standards

Cape Coral shows the path a Florida city took in 2024. It adopted Ord. 16-24, a car wash moratorium, unanimously on April 17, 2024, set to expire Jan. 17, 2025, after reports of 16 standalone washes, 9 accessory washes and 12 more in permitting or construction [35, 36, 37]. On Oct. 16, 2024 it replaced the pause with Ord. 66-24, approved 7-1 per trade press, which created LDC Sec. 5.11.17 with "locational and enclosure requirements, residential adjacency" [38, 39]. In Collier County, Ord. No. 2025-03 created the Barefoot Williams subdistrict, allowing "11,000 square feet of gross floor area of commercial uses, of which a car wash may be 5,000 square feet" [40].

Car wash rules across Florida's metros

Metro or cityCodeCar wash rule
Tampa: Hillsborough CountyLDC §6.11.121.ACN limited to self-service or automated washes in a roofed structure with at least two sides [17]
Tampa: Pasco CountyLDC amendment voted September 17, 2024New car wash facilities made a conditional use, reported 5-0 [33]
Orlando: Orange CountyCh. 38, Sec. 38-79; Sec. 34-250Use conditions are centralized in Sec. 38-79 [41]; lowest floor at least 1 ft above base flood elevation in special flood hazard areas (Sec. 34-250) [42]
Miami: Miami-Dade CountyCh. 33, Art. XXXIII(N)Lists "automobile washing" with conditions (secondary host document) [43]
Pembroke PinesLDC §155.508Automatic: 8 entrance + 3 exit. Full-service: 18 entrance + 5 exit. Self-serve: 3 entrance and 3 exit per bay. 1 space per vacuum [4]
JacksonvilleCh. 656, Sec. 656.401Automated washes in CCG-1 and CCG-2: max 3 vacuum stations, frontage on a minor arterial or higher, openings oriented away from residential, signage counted against primary wall signage [44, 45]
Cape CoralLDC Sec. 5.11.17 (Ord. 66-24)Locational and enclosure requirements and residential adjacency [38]

Pembroke Pines writes the most detailed stacking rule of the Florida codes above. It counts entrance and exit spaces separately, keeps vacuum parking at 1 per unit, separate from exit stacking, and provides that "No tunnel entrance or exit of a car wash operation shall face an adjacent residentially used or zoned property," a rule that does not apply across a street [4].

The Consolidated City of Jacksonville applies one zoning code, Ch. 656 [46], and its car wash limits sit in the Sec. 656.401 performance standards [44]. The vacuum cap reshapes the program: an express model built around a large free-vacuum field has to be redrawn for a Jacksonville automated wash.

Reclaim and pretreatment in Florida

A wash that closes the loop follows DEP's BMP guide: closed-loop systems send spent process water to a permitted wastewater or pretreatment facility, and the guide does not cover truck or heavy equipment washes [10]. Pretreatment otherwise follows the utility. Palm Beach County's Water Utilities require annual cleaning and sampling every six months, set oil and grease from separators at 100 mg/L or less, and surcharge exceedances [47]. In Hillsborough, EPC states: "We do not require permits if car wash water is disposed via sanitary sewer. However, the sewer authority has an approval process for connection to sewer" [48]. The post on water conservation in car wash design covers what reclaim does to the equipment room.

What the preliminary plan carries, and what the engineer of record adds

In Hillsborough a PD application must name the developer, architect, engineer and planner, and the county may decline to schedule a hearing when the plan lacks required information (DRPM Sec. 6.2.1) [49]. At certification staff have required applicants to "Remove the notating 'For Concept Purposes Only' from the PD site plan," certifying only the last sheet and treating the others as "non-regulatory graphic" material (PD 24-0676) [50]. The certified PD plan is a regulatory exhibit, so the preliminary site plan behind it must be exact on the items conditions bind.

On the preliminary site planAdded by the engineer of record
Tunnel, pay lanes and the full queue held off the right-of-wayStormwater design, ERP application and calculations
Vacuum field and equipment room placed away from residential linesPretreatment and interceptor design, utility connections
Access points, with state road access subject to FDOT reviewDriveway permit design
Buffers and screening drawn to PD conditionsGrading and drainage
Site data table: acreage, zoning, impervious area, parking and stacking required against providedSealed construction plans
Tank field and canopy, if fuel is addedUST system design under Ch. 62-761

Car wash renderings answer the compatibility questions a Zoning Hearing Master or a county commission asks about the side of the tunnel that faces homes. The preliminary vs final site plan guide explains the handoff to the sealed set, and the car wash and gas station regulations by state guide compares the state layers. For the Texas rules, see car wash site plans in Texas; to start a Florida site, send the parcel.

Frequently asked questions

When does a Florida car wash need an Environmental Resource Permit?

Rule 62-330.020(2), F.A.C. regulates projects with more than 4,000 square feet of impervious and semi-impervious surface subject to vehicular traffic, more than 9,000 square feet of impervious and semi-impervious surface, or work in, on or over wetlands [1]. The 10-2 general permit covers projects under 10 acres with under 2 acres impervious (s. 403.814(12), F.S.) [8].

Can a Florida county adopt a new car wash moratorium?

SB 180 limits it. Section 252.422, F.S., created by Ch. 2025-190, bars impacted local governments from adopting moratoria for one year after a hurricane's landfall, and the Florida Senate summary states that it prohibits moratoria and more restrictive land development rules [11]. The law is being challenged in Leon County Circuit Court [12].

Can I build an express tunnel in Hillsborough's CN district?

Only in a limited form: LDC §6.11.121.A allows car washes in CN only as self-service or automated facilities inside a structure with a roof and at least two sides [17]. Per a secondary mirror of LDC Table 2.02.02 (history to Ord. No. 17-28), CG and CI list the use as permitted [16].

How many stacking spaces does a Florida car wash need?

It depends on the code. Pembroke Pines requires 8 entrance and 3 exit spaces for an automatic wash and 18 entrance and 5 exit for full-service (LDC §155.508) [4]. Hillsborough uses access rules instead of a count: LDC §6.04.01.G makes driveway length subject to the anticipated peak-period stacking length [28].

How many vacuums can a Jacksonville automated car wash have?

Three. Sec. 656.401 caps automated washes at 3 vacuum stations, requires frontage on a minor arterial or higher and orients openings away from residential [44].

What does Florida charge to register a fuel tank?

$50 initial, $25 annual renewal due July 1, and a $20 late fee, all per tank (Rule 62-761.400(4); §376.303) [2, 3].

How long does a Florida county or city have to decide on a site plan?

Under F.S. 166.033 and 125.022 as rewritten by SB 1080, 120 days after the application is deemed complete, or 180 days if a hearing is required; late decisions trigger fee refunds of 50% or 100% [5, 9].

Does Hillsborough need a permit for car wash water?

Not from EPC when it goes to sewer: "We do not require permits if car wash water is disposed via sanitary sewer. However, the sewer authority has an approval process for connection to sewer" [48].

Sources

  1. 1)Fla. Admin. Code R. 62-330.020, Regulated Activities, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (via Cornell LII). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. 2)Florida Statutes § 376.303 (2025), Florida Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  3. 3)Fla. Admin. Code R. 62-761.400, Facility Registration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection (via flrules.elaws.us). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  4. 4)Pembroke Pines Code § 155.508, Car Washes, City of Pembroke Pines, Florida (American Legal Publishing). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  5. 5)Florida Statutes § 166.033 (2025), The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  6. 6)List of Zoning Fees, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  7. 7)SWFWMD ERP correspondence on impervious area thresholds, Southwest Florida Water Management District. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  8. 8)Environmental Resource Permits, South Florida Water Management District. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  9. 9)SB 1080, 2025 Bill Summaries, The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  10. 10)100% Closed-Loop Recycle Systems at Vehicle and Other Equipment Wash Facilities (BMP guide), Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  11. 11)SB 180, 2025 Bill Summaries, The Florida Senate. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  12. 12)Reports on the SB 180 lawsuits (September 30 and October 8, 2025), Central Florida Public Media (secondary).
  13. 13)Report on the local governments' SB 180 complaint, Florida Politics (secondary).
  14. 14)Report on the 1000 Friends of Florida SB 180 suit, The Apopka Voice (secondary).
  15. 15)Orange County press release on the SB 180 lawsuit (October 2025), Orange County, Florida (newsroom.ocfl.net).
  16. 16)Hillsborough County LDC Sec. 2.02.02, Table of Allowable Uses (via hillsboroughcounty-fl.elaws.us, secondary mirror), Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  17. 17)Hillsborough County LDC Sec. 6.11.121, Car Wash Facilities, Hillsborough County, Florida (Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  18. 18)Hillsborough County Land Development Code (Supplement 58), Hillsborough County, Florida (Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  19. 19)Apply for a Planned Development Rezoning, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  20. 20)Public notice, Board of County Commissioners land use hearing (September 2025), Florida Public Notices (copy of Hillsborough County notice). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  21. 21)Zoning Participation, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  22. 22)Hillsborough County Site Plan Review and Certification Application Guide (secondary copy), Hillsborough County, Florida (via manuals.plus). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  23. 23)Development Procedures § 4.1.5.1.2, Site Development Construction Plan Review, Hillsborough County, Florida (via hillsboroughcounty-fl.elaws.us). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  24. 24)Site Development Process Fees, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  25. 25)Noise Program (EPC Rule Ch. 1-10), Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  26. 26)Industrial Pretreatment, Dental Amalgam & Grease Management, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  27. 27)Codes We Enforce, Hillsborough County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  28. 28)Hillsborough County LDC Part 6.04.00, Access Management (Sec. 6.04.01), Hillsborough County, Florida (Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  29. 29)Rezoning Application: PD 23-0780, Zoning Hearing Master Date: April 15, 2024, Hillsborough County, Florida (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  30. 30)Rezoning Application: RZ STD 24-0862, Zoning Hearing Master Date: 08/19/2024, Hillsborough County, Florida (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  31. 31)Rezoning Application: PD 22-0719, Zoning Hearing Master Date: January 17, 2023, Hillsborough County, Florida (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  32. 32)Rezoning Application: MM 24-0678, Zoning Hearing Master Date: July 22, 2024, Hillsborough County, Florida (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  33. 33)Pasco County sets new rules for proposed car washes, citing large increase in locations, FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  34. 34)County moves toward making new car washes a harder sell in Pasco, Tampa Bay Times. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  35. 35)Moratoriums on car washes, self-storage facilities, approved, Cape Coral Breeze. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  36. 36)Ordinance 16-24 (car wash moratorium), recitals, City of Cape Coral, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  37. 37)Cape Coral considers moratorium on new car washes, self-storage facilities, Cape Coral Breeze. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  38. 38)Cape Clips, City Council meeting highlights, October 16, 2024, City of Cape Coral, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  39. 39)Cape Coral, FL, Halts Self-Storage Moratorium, Amends Development Guidelines Instead, Inside Self Storage (trade press). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  40. 40)Ordinance No. 2025-03, Barefoot Williams subdistrict, Collier County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  41. 41)Orange County Code of Ordinances, Ch. 38 Zoning (Sec. 38-77 use table, Sec. 38-79 conditions), Orange County, Florida (Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  42. 42)Orange County Code Sec. 34-250, Stormwater Management, Orange County, Florida (Municode). Accessed 2026-10-10.
  43. 43)Article XXXIII(N), Chapter 33, Code of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Florida (secondary host document). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  44. 44)Jacksonville Zoning Code § 656.401, Performance standards and development criteria, City of Jacksonville, Florida (via jacksonville.elaws.us). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  45. 45)Commercial Community/General-2 (CCG-2) District summary, City of Jacksonville, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  46. 46)Enforcement Operations, City of Jacksonville, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  47. 47)Water Utilities: Learn About Pretreatment, Palm Beach County, Florida. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  48. 48)De-minimis Activities, Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. Accessed 2026-10-10.
  49. 49)Development Review Procedures Manual, Section 6.0: Procedures for Amendments to Zoning Atlas, Hillsborough County, Florida (Municode). Accessed 2026-10-09.
  50. 50)Rezoning Application: PD 24-0676, Zoning Hearing Master Date: July 22, 2024, Hillsborough County, Florida (Legistar). Accessed 2026-10-09.

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