Zoning Variances, Special Uses, and Rezoning in Hillsborough County
Standard zoning rules do not fit every property or project. Variances, special uses, rezoning, planned development, hearings, or appeals may be the path when the normal district rules do not authorize what you want to do.
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A variance and a special use are different zoning actions in unincorporated Hillsborough County. A variance asks to deviate from an existing zoning requirement and requires the County's variance application and a Land Use Hearing Officer hearing. A special-use hearing reviews whether a use identified as a Special Use complies with additional design standards for compatibility with adjacent uses and the surrounding neighborhood, through a noticed public hearing process with approval by a Land Use Hearing Officer. Hillsborough publishes separate hearing-driven applications, deadlines, fees, and hearing schedules. If a special use is denied, the County's current guidance provides an appeal route to the Land Use Appeals Board with a filing deadline. StartFL should identify the actual requested relief before sending a citizen to a zoning hearing.