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Pinellas County

Parent Cottages and In-Law Suites in St. Petersburg

Building a cottage for a parent in St. Petersburg does not tie you to living on the property afterward, which matters if the family's plans could change. The city requires neither owner occupancy nor a homestead for an ADU, and both units may be rented long term with a Business Tax Certificate.

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62The age at least one parent or grandparent must have reached for the living quarters reduction in Florida Statute 193.703
50%Of a structure's market value, the cost at which 44 CFR 59.1 makes an addition a substantial improvement
16 townsCovered across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties, each with its own local rules set out on its page
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Request a quote in St. Petersburg

Who the space is for, whether it needs a kitchen, and the address. With those three answers we can say which city or county rules govern the lot before a contractor draws anything.

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Credited by us on your first booked job.

  • One credit per customer per property, on your first booked job.
  • Valid through December 31, 2026.
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Five short questions about who the space is for and what it needs to hold, then where to reach you. Most people finish in about a minute.

Question 1What are you thinking of building?

Pick the closest. If you are not sure yet, that is exactly what we help sort out.

Question 2Who will live in it?

This matters more than it sounds. In Florida the answer can change the property tax on what you build.

Question 3Does the new space need its own kitchen?

In Florida law a space with its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom is a second dwelling, and each city and county decides whether one is allowed on your lot.

Question 4Is the house in a flood zone?

In a flood zone, a large enough addition can mean the whole house has to meet today's flood rules. Your insurance declarations page or the county flood map will say.

Question 5When does the space need to be ready?
About you, and the house the space would join

Who should we ask for?

How can we reach you?

We call to confirm the details before anyone is sent out.

Where is the property?

The contractor match is by property, not by person, so the street line matters.

Anything else we should know?

Your $100 credit is attached to this request. Mention this offer when you book. See terms.

Your details are used only to respond to this request and arrange the service.

Planning

St. Pete's two categories: accessory living space or an ADU

St. Pete sorts a parent's space by what is inside it. Accessory living space works as part of the house: no separate kitchen, laundry, mailing address or meter, and no more than 800 square feet or 67 percent of the main home. Put a stove in and it is an ADU, which needs a qualifying lot: at least 4,500 square feet in the NT districts, and in the NS districts 10,000 square feet, an alley lot of 4,500 or a qualifying corner lot. On a small bungalow the 67 percent rule is often the real ceiling. Flood is the other limit. Seven in ten St. Pete homes were built before 1980, the city caps remodeling in the flood zone at 49 percent of the home's value, and a new ADU there has to be built elevated, from architectural or engineered plans. Homesteads inside the city are not covered by the county's parent or grandparent tax reduction, so leave it out of the budget.

A quiet Tampa Bay street of single-story ranch houses near a canal
Next Step

Is your St. Pete lot zoned NT or NS?

Tell us the address and the lot size. We will tell you whether a detached unit is on the table or whether an attached suite is the route, before anyone draws it.

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Availability

Additions and backyard units arranged in St. Petersburg

In-Law Suite Additions

Add a bedroom, a bathroom and a sitting room onto the house so a parent can live with you and still close a door of their own, planned so the kitchen decision does not turn it into a second dwelling by accident.

In-Law Suites in St. Petersburg →

First-Floor Primary Suite Additions

Put a bedroom and a bathroom on the ground floor for someone who can no longer manage the stairs, without the addition pulling the whole house under current flood rules.

First-Floor Suites in St. Petersburg →

Detached ADUs and Backyard Cottages

Put a small, separate home in the backyard for a parent, close enough to help and far enough for their own front door, under the rules that actually govern the lot.

Detached ADUs in St. Petersburg →
Licensed and insured Florida contractorsVetted local contractors licensed by the State of Florida and insured for the work, who price and contract it themselves
The three rules checked for your addressThe kitchen, the flood line and the county tax rule looked at before any contractor is asked for a number
Told when an addition is not the answerIf a first-floor room or a bathroom change inside the house would do, you hear that before anyone draws a suite
Local Detail

St. Petersburg's ADU, living space and flood rules

A wide doorway with no threshold and a lever door handle

St. Petersburg does not require the main unit to be owner occupied or homesteaded for an ADU; if both units are rented, a Business Tax Certificate is required. Separate meters and a separate address are allowed, and rentals under 30 days are limited to three times in 365 days.

Source: City of St. Petersburg, accessed 2026-09-23

St. Petersburg separately regulates accessory living space, which must operate as an extension of the principal home: separate cooking and laundry facilities, a separate mailing address and separate utility meters are all prohibited, and floor area is capped at 800 square feet or 67 percent of the principal dwelling.

Source: City of St. Petersburg (Municode), accessed 2026-09-23

St. Petersburg (Sec. 16.50.010, amended 7-10-2025) caps an ADU at 800 square feet of gross floor area, with all areas under roof no more than 67 percent of the principal dwelling's floor area. A new ADU needs a lot of at least 4,500 square feet in NT districts, and in NS districts a lot of at least 10,000 square feet, an alley lot of at least 4,500 square feet, or a qualifying corner lot.

Source: City of St. Petersburg (Municode), accessed 2026-09-23

The City of St. Petersburg's ADU guidance says new buildings in the flood zone must be elevated and remodeling is limited to 49 percent of the value of the home.

Source: City of St. Petersburg, accessed 2026-09-23

The 2020-2024 American Community Survey estimates St. Petersburg's median age at 43.1, with 21.1 percent of residents aged 65 or older and 25.6 percent aged 62 or older, compared with 26.4 percent aged 65 or older in Pinellas County. Of its 141,508 housing units, 70.1 percent were built before 1980 and 14.3 percent in 2000 or later.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, accessed 2026-09-23

St. Petersburg's ADU guidance says a residential or general contractor is generally required unless the ADU is occupied by the property owner who qualifies as an owner-builder under Chapter 489, and that new structures need architectural or engineered plans with energy calculations.

Source: City of St. Petersburg, accessed 2026-09-23

Because the Pinellas County parent or grandparent reduction requires the property to be in unincorporated Pinellas County, homesteads inside St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo, Pinellas Park, Dunedin, Seminole, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs and Oldsmar do not qualify under the county program as the Property Appraiser describes it.

Source: Pinellas County Property Appraiser, accessed 2026-09-23

Next Step

Plan the St. Petersburg suite around the flood zone

Send the address and roughly how big the house is. We connect you with a licensed contractor who prices the work against the 49 percent ceiling from the start.

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