Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Southwest Ranches, Florida

At a glance

Zoning

Town of Southwest Ranches (A-1, A-2, RE, RR, RR-A, CF districts)¹

Building permits

Town building department (C.A.P. Government)²

Septic

Florida Department of Health in Broward County³

Minimum lot (A-1, A-2)

2 net acres (2.5 gross), with exceptions⁵

Minimum home size

1,500 sq ft for a one-family dwelling in rural districts⁴

Front setback

50 ft in agricultural and rural districts⁶

RV living

Not confirmed on private land; flood-area rules limit RV stays⁷

Owner-builder

State exemption exists; town process not confirmed⁸

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Southwest Ranches have zoning, and what does it mean for lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The Town of Southwest Ranches administers its own Unified Land Development Code with A-1, A-2, RE, RR, RR-A and CF districts¹. Broward County's own zoning office covers only the Broward Municipal Services District, so the county planning counter is the wrong place to ask about a lot inside town limits⁹.

The rules differ by district:

• A-1 and A-2: a plot needs 2 net acres (or 2.5 gross) for residential use, unless a listed exception for older undersized plots applies⁵.
• RE: at least 1 net acre and 125 feet of width¹⁰.
• RR-A: at least 2.5 net acres and 125 feet of width¹¹.

In agricultural and rural districts a front yard of at least 50 feet is required, other yards need at least 25 feet, and buildings must sit at least 10 feet apart⁶. Roofed buildings may cover at most 20 percent of a plot in A-1, A-2 and RE, 10 percent in RR and 8 percent in RR-A¹².

Do you need a building permit in Southwest Ranches, and who issues it?

Southwest Ranches calls itself a "contract community" with no employees of its own: the town contracts with J.A. Medina LLC for zoning and landscape review and with C.A.P. Government, Inc. for building code review and the building permit itself¹³². C.A.P. Government's office is in Weston, and the same office coordinates periodic and final inspections².

For a new single-family house the town's permit guide lists the order of approvals: Broward County environmental review, the county health department for well and septic, the local drainage district, a school capacity letter, town zoning and engineering review, then the building department¹³. Building permits for nonresidential farm buildings on bona fide agricultural land are exempt from the Florida Building Code and local code or fee, but not from floodplain rules, and the building cannot be a dwelling¹⁴. In the rural districts the town also exempts nonresidential farm buildings from its yard requirements¹⁵.

We could not confirm the town's permit fee schedule or its owner-builder procedure; ask Town Hall at (954) 434-0008¹³.

How do septic permits work in Southwest Ranches?

Septic permits do not come from the town. In Broward County the Florida Department of Health in Broward County issues them, and its offices continue to permit and inspect septic tanks even though the Florida Department of Environmental Protection now sets the rules³. Applicants submit an application, site plan, building floor plan and the application fee, and a site evaluation is part of the process¹⁶.

Soils make that evaluation matter. USDA rates 0% of Broward County soils as "not limited" for a conventional drain field, so expect a site evaluation and possibly an engineered system rather than a simple tank and drain field¹⁷.

The town's permit guide also sends any new building that connects to an existing septic system to the county health department for review of the well, tank and drain field¹³. Private wells of 12 inches or smaller in diameter need a permit from the same health department¹⁸. Contact:¹⁹.

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Southwest Ranches?

We could not confirm a town rule that lets you live in an RV or tiny home on private land, so ask Town Hall at (954) 434-0008 before buying with that plan¹³. What the town's code does say is narrower. In flood hazard areas, an RV or park trailer must either stay fewer than 180 consecutive days or be fully licensed and ready for highway use; otherwise it must meet manufactured-home flood rules⁷. The town's camping ban covers public property only and does not address private land²⁰.

For tiny homes, the size floor is the obstacle: a one-family dwelling in the rural districts must have at least 1,500 square feet of floor area⁴. A manufactured home in a flood hazard area needs a permanent reinforced foundation²¹. State law requires a manufactured dwelling to be permitted wherever a site-built single-family home is allowed, as long as it meets the same building and installation rules²².

Building a home in Southwest Ranches: the steps, in order

The town's own checklist for a new single-family home runs in this order¹³:

1. Meet town zoning staff and have your architect or engineer finalize plans that meet the town's land development code and the Florida Building Code.
2. Get Broward County environmental review approval.
3. Take the plans to the Florida Department of Health in Broward County for the well and septic review¹⁹.
4. Submit plans to Central Broward Water Control District if you are east of SW 148th Avenue, or South Broward Drainage District if you are west of it¹³.
5. Get a school capacity availability letter.
6. Submit to town zoning and then engineering review.
7. Pay Broward County impact fees.
8. Submit the stamped plans to the building department, C.A.P. Government, for the building permit².

The guide warns that clearing trees without a town permit, or bringing in fill before the building permit is issued, is illegal¹³.

What stays with Broward County, and what to check before you buy

Septic and well permits, county environmental review and county impact fees stay with Broward County agencies even inside town limits³¹³. For land outside the town, see the Broward County page.

Before you buy, confirm the plot meets the minimum acreage for its district, or qualifies for a listed exception⁵. Ask whether the lot sits in a flood hazard area, since that changes RV and manufactured-home rules⁷. Check which drainage district serves the lot, east or west of SW 148th Avenue¹³.

Costs are county-level: Broward County's effective property tax rate is about 0.9% and the median bill is $3,610 a year²³²⁴, with a typical home insurance premium of $6,148 a year²⁵.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm Southwest Ranches' rules on tiny homes, accessory dwellings, building height, short-term rentals or driveways; ask Town Hall at (954) 434-0008¹³.
• The 1,500-square-foot minimum applies to one-family dwellings in the rural districts, so a small dwelling may not qualify as a primary home⁴.
• Building permits, zoning and septic are three different offices here: the town's building contractor, the town's zoning staff, and the county health department²¹³¹⁹.

Sources

1. Sec. 045-100 Required yards (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
2. C.A.P. Government, Inc. (Town of Southwest Ranches building department) (southwestranches.org)
3. Onsite Sewage FAQ - Permitting, quoted and re-checked
4. Sec. 045-040 Minimum dwelling requirements (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
5. Sec. 045-070 Minimum plot size and dimensions (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
6. Sec. 045-100 Required yards (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
7. Sec. 4-142 Temporary placement of recreational vehicles and park trailers (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
8. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
9. Urban Planning Services, quoted and re-checked
10. Sec. 045-070 Minimum plot size and dimensions (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
11. Sec. 045-070 Minimum plot size and dimensions (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
12. Sec. 045-080 Plot coverage, floor area ratio and pervious area (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
13. Town of Southwest Ranches Town Hall (Planning & Zoning, Engineering) (southwestranches.org)
14. F.S. 604.50 — Nonresidential farm buildings; farm fences; farm signs (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
15. Sec. 045-100 Required yards (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
16. Onsite Sewage FAQ - Permitting, quoted and re-checked
17. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data
18. Water Well Construction, quoted and re-checked
19. Florida Department of Health in Broward County, Environmental Public Health Program (broward.floridahealth.gov)
20. Sec. 28-1 Public camping or sleeping prohibited (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
21. Sec. 4-135 Manufactured homes—Foundations (Town of Southwest Ranches), quoted and re-checked
22. Florida Statutes § 553.385, Zoning of off-site constructed residential dwellings; parity (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
23. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
24. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
25. Typical home insurance premium: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.