Rezoning and Comprehensive-Plan Amendment Routing — Unincorporated Hillsborough County
Route an unincorporated Hillsborough land-use change to the correct process. A standard-district rezoning, planned-development rezoning, modification to an existing planned development, and amendment to the adopted Comprehensive Plan or Future Land Use Map are distinct actions. A project may need both a plan amendment and rezoning, but one approval does not replace the other.
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Who needs this
Owners and authorized applicants proposing a change to allowed zoning uses or districts, a new planned development, a modification to an existing planned development, or a text or Future Land Use Map amendment for property in unincorporated Hillsborough County.
Steps
- 1
Confirm unincorporated jurisdiction and existing designations
Verify that Hillsborough County controls the parcel, then document its current zoning district, planned-development conditions if any, Future Land Use Map category, overlays, prior approvals, and the proposed use or intensity. Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace use separate city processes.
hcfl.gov/businesses/zoning - 2
Classify the requested land-use action before filing
Use County zoning counseling and Plan Hillsborough pre-application review to determine whether the proposal needs a standard-district rezoning, planned-development rezoning, modification to an existing PD, Comprehensive Plan text amendment, Future Land Use Map amendment, or more than one coordinated action. Variance, special use, administrative approval, and appeal are not substitutes.
hcfl.gov/businesses/zoning/zoning-information-and-counseling - 3
Use the County standard-district rezoning path when applicable
For a change to the underlying standard zoning district, use the current Standard District Rezoning application package. The County states that rezoning requires a noticed public hearing before the Zoning Hearing Master and final approval by the Board of County Commissioners; filing and payment do not guarantee completeness, hearing placement, recommendation, or approval.
hcfl.gov/businesses/zoning/zoning-administrative-and-other-a - 4
Keep planned-development rezoning and modification separate
A new PD rezoning uses the current Planned Development application and requires the County's pre-submittal conference and sufficiency-review steps. Changes to an already approved PD use the applicable major- or minor-modification procedure instead; do not file a new-PD application merely because the parcel has PD zoning.
hcfl.gov/businesses/zoning/zoning-administrative-and-other-a - 5
Start a Comprehensive Plan amendment with Plan Hillsborough
For a proposed Comprehensive Plan text amendment or Future Land Use Map change, begin with Plan Hillsborough's pre-application review. Its current page identifies text and map amendments, distinguishes small-scale map amendments of 50 acres or less from large-scale amendments, and warns that preliminary review may not identify every issue raised during formal review.
planhillsborough.org/plan-amendments/ - 6
Submit the plan-amendment package through the published channel
After pre-application review, use Plan Hillsborough's current online application, checklist, County procedures manual, agent-authorization form when applicable, payment channel, and fee guidance. A map request needs the property address or folio for pre-application review; a text request needs an initial draft and purpose.
planhillsborough.org/plan-amendments/ - 7
Coordinate related rezoning without merging the decisions
Ask County and Planning Commission staff how to sequence or coordinate applications when the proposal needs both a plan amendment and rezoning. Each action retains its own completeness, notice, staff review, public-hearing, recommendation, adoption or approval, effective-date, and challenge requirements.
planhillsborough.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Hillsborough - 8
Track hearings, decisions, conditions, and later permits
Use the current County hearing schedule and Plan Hillsborough amendment resources to track the assigned cases. After final action, verify effective dates and comply with conditions; land-use approval does not issue site, subdivision, building, environmental, utility, access, or other development permits.
hcfl.gov/businesses/zoning/zoning-meetings-and-hearings
Requirements
- Property must be under unincorporated Hillsborough County authority.
- Classify zoning and comprehensive-plan actions separately before filing.
- Use the current action-specific application, checklist, procedures, fee, notice, and hearing requirements.
- Complete Plan Hillsborough pre-application review before a formal plan-amendment application.
- Complete the County pre-submittal conference when required for a planned-development rezoning.
- Obtain every required approval; neither rezoning nor a plan amendment substitutes for the other or for development permits.
Documents
- Parcel or folio identity, ownership and authorization, current zoning, Future Land Use category, and prior approvals
- Legal description, survey or site plan, proposed use/intensity, development concept, and supporting narrative as required
- Action-specific rezoning or PD application package and checklist materials
- Plan-amendment pre-application information, formal application, checklist, text draft or map request, and agent affidavit as applicable
- Traffic, infrastructure, environmental, compatibility, public-facility, or other studies and exhibits required during review
- Notice, hearing, recommendation, adoption/approval, condition, effective-date, and challenge records
Fees
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard-district or planned-development rezoning | Use the current County zoning-fee page and live application for the selected rezoning type; no universal amount is copied. | |
| Modification to an existing planned development | Use the current County fee page and exact major- or minor-modification application; modification fees are not treated as new-rezoning fees. | |
| Unincorporated Hillsborough comprehensive-plan amendment | Use Plan Hillsborough's current County fee guidance and payment link for the amendment type; the reviewed landing page does not publish a universal total. | |
| Notice, studies, continuances, revisions, or companion applications | Confirm current applicant responsibilities and action-specific charges through the live cases; no combined project total is asserted. |
Good to know
This workflow applies only to unincorporated Hillsborough County; city parcels use city land-use procedures.Standard-district rezoning, new PD rezoning, modification to an existing PD, Comprehensive Plan text amendment, and Future Land Use Map amendment are distinct actions.A proposal may require both a plan amendment and rezoning, but one approval does not replace the other.Variance, special use, administrative action, appeal, and development permits are not treated as rezoning or plan-amendment substitutes.No fee, filing date, hearing date, review duration, approval criterion, state-review route, effective date, or outcome is invented beyond the reviewed official pages.