By: Lori Boylan, Community Planner II Zoning Counseling Unit

Zoning Counseling Unit

The Planning and Growth Management Department has historically provided a Zoning Counseling Unit that assists customers with questions on existing zonings, the zoning modification process and development requirements on property.  The Counseling Unit has varied in size over the years based on demand.  Currently, counseling services are primarily provided by two full-time planners and two intake technicians.  However, a whole host of employees spend much, if not all, of their time assisting customers either by phone or in-person.  The department also provides bilingual counseling services in Spanish and French.

The department main phone line receives more than 12,000 calls per month on a variety of issues, with almost all calls being answered by a real person who talks with the caller to determine their needs.  An average of 1,000 of those calls are for counseling requests on zoning issues. Planners from the Zoning Counseling Unit also are available to provide in-person assistance when a customer comes into the office.

Tips On Zoning Counseling

Some examples of questions that zoning staff frequently receives are: What is my zoning? Can I subdivide? Can I rezone? What are my setbacks? How many horses can I have?

The most important piece of information needed for basic zoning questions like these is the folio number for the property. To find a property’s folio number, you can visit the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s website and enter the property’s address or name of owner. If a customer has only the physical address, that is fine, but the staff will need to ensure that the property being discussed is the correct one if it is pulled up only by address.

If the customer has a survey (old or new) of the property, that also is helpful, because it shows acreage, dimensions, access, ownership and the legal description. As of January 2010, it is a requirement to have a survey not less than two years old for filing a variance. Having a survey is not a requirement for counseling, but it is helpful to ensure we give the correct information.

Once staff has the property’s folio number, they can check the zoning and land use, which determines what uses are allowed under that zoning. Keep in mind that some uses may be allowed, some may require a rezoning, special use, or variance, and some uses may not be allowed at all.

If the zoning use requires further development approvals such as for subdividing, building a new project (such as a daycare or convenience store) or rezoning, the department offers free pre-submittal meetings with the Site Development Section or the Rezoning staff to provide more in-depth counseling. For more information, visit the webpages listed above or contact Shirley Teijelo at (813) 276-8380 for a site/subdivision pre-submittal meeting or Reyna Cordoba at (813) 276-8389 for a rezoning pre-submittal meeting.

Additional Information on Zoning Counseling

Zoning Counseling services are provided on a walk-in basis on the 20th Floor of County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., downtown Tampa, on Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.  You also can call (813) 307-4739 or the department’s general number at (813) 272-5920 for assistance by phone.

For descriptions of frequently used zoning district and zoning application abbreviations and Comprehensive Plan categories, downloadable zoning applications and other information, visit the Zoning & Counseling Information webpages online. For statistics of the Zoning Counseling Section’s activities, you can review the Department’s monthly Status Reports.