Zoning explained · Broward County

Limited Residential Office District Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Small-scale residential-office district: offices (max 5,000 sf non-residential building area, two stories/35 ft, building must resemble a house), single-family dwellings, public buildings/utilities, houses of worship, public and parochial schools, gardens and parks. Merchandise sale/display, trade schools, personal service shops, mortuaries and employment agencies are prohibited.

3 buildings zoned ROA7 permitted business types

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Insights › Zoning & land use › Fort Lauderdale — ROA

Permitted uses

What you can operate in ROA, Fort Lauderdale

The businesses the ROA district in Fort Lauderdale allows. The ones on the left are permitted by right; the ones on the right need a special approval first. (Zoning codes are set by each municipality, so ROA here means specifically Fort Lauderdale's ROA district.)

Allowed by right

Professional, business and financial offices, not including sale, display, storage or handling of merchandise on the premisesSingle family dwellingsPublic buildings and land uses and those of public utilities (Sec. 47-18.26 Public Purpose Uses)House of worship (Sec. 47-18.17)Flower and vegetable gardensPublic and parochial schoolsActive and Passive Park (Sec. 47-18.44)

With special approval

None noted for this district.

Build envelope

Development standards

Headline dimensional limits for this district. Confirm exact figures against the current code for your specific parcel.

StandardMax height two stories and 35 ft; max building length 80 ft

StandardMax gross floor area of a nonresidential building 5,000 sf (existing nonresidential buildings limited to 5,000 sf of nonresidential use)

Sitesingle-family and office 6,000 sf and 50 ft wide; other uses 10,000 sf and 100 ft

Yardsfront 25 ft; side 10 ft or half height; rear 15 ft or half height

StandardMin floor area 1,200 sf; lot coverage 40% (1-11 ft), 35% (12-22 ft), 30% (23-35 ft)

StandardNonresidential building must be architect-designed and substantially resemble a house; no parking/driveways within 10 ft of lot line abutting RS-4.4, RS-8 or RD-15

Standard6 ft 6 in masonry wall where abutting RS-4.4/RS-8 if used for offices

Accessory usesSigns accessory to nonresidential use (one wall sign max 2 ft x 5 ft per building; one ground sign max 3 ft x 5 ft, top not over 5 ft high; small directional signs) per Sec. 47-5.60.E.3

StandardRead from Sec. 47-5.60.E (Limited Residential Office (ROA) District); permitted = by right, conditional = needs conditional-use / special-exception approval

The fine print

In plain English

BY RIGHT No hearing needed

If your business is on the by-right list, you can occupy a space in this district and open — no zoning hearing. Building permits and licensing still apply, but the use itself is already allowed.

SPECIAL Approval first

Special-approval uses can work here too, but they go through a public review before opening. Plan for extra time and possible conditions — we'll tell you which path a space needs.

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