Community Planning, Zoning, and Development

Minor Subdivisions

A minor subdivision, as defined by the Santa Rosa County Land Development Code (LDC), is “any division of one parcel of land into two or more parcels in which all parcels have adequate existing county-maintained or county-approved street frontage as specified by the existing zoning district of the parcel and require no new streets or change in existing public streets.” Minor subdivisions cannot occur along County rights-of-way where the actual roadway has not been constructed and accepted for maintenance by the County. County-approved streets are either 1) private roads that were approved through the platting process or 2) private roads that existed prior to April 24, 1986, and are shown and named on the County’s original zoning maps.

LDC Section 4.03.13(B) requires that minor subdivisions comply with the existing zoning district standards, but it exempts these land divisions from the platting requirements of the Code. However, as of September 16, 2006, minor subdivisions must be approved by the Community Planning, Zoning, and Development Division prior to the division of land if any of the following criteria are met:

1.   if the property being divided is located on an Access Management corridor;
2.   if the property being divided is located in a Military or Public Airport Zone;
3.   if the property being divided is located in the Garcon Point Protection Area; or
4.   if the property being divided is located in an identified storm water problem area and the resultant lots or parcels are less than one (1) acre in size.

This review requirement became effective on September 16, 2006

Information and Research links:

About the criteria that triggers review:

Please review the Land Development Code sections and Comprehensive Plan policies referenced to determine the requirements for each criteria.

1. If the property being divided is located on an Access Management corridor.
Section 4.04.03(D) of the LDC addresses Access Management. Access Management deals with the location and spacing of driveway connections to the roadway. Section 4.04.03(D) lists specific major or significant State and County roadways where measures such as minimum spacing distances and joint and cross access requirements have been established to help control access to these roadways so that the functionality and safety of the roadway network is maintained.

2. If the property being divided is located in a Military or Public Airport Zone as specified.
Article 11 of the LDC describes the regulations for Airport Environs. Military or Public Airport Zones are overlay zones that encompass the area in the immediate vicinity of military and public airports. Article 11 institutes these and other overlays that impose additional regulations on land development. Also, subdivisions of land which contain 20 acres or more in a Military or Public Airport Zone must cluster development away from the airfield as described in Section 4.03.03(K). The purpose of these additional regulations around airports is to help protect the safety and general welfare of the public while also preserving the mission of the areas military airfields and the operational ability of the areas public airports.

3. If the property being divided is located in the Garcon Point Protection Area.
The Garcon Point Protection Area is identified in the Santa Rosa County Comprehensive Plan as an environmentally sensitive area with a vast amount of wetlands. Policy 8.1A.1 of the Comprehensive Plan requires that newly created lots contain sufficient buildable uplands so that the filling of wetlands will not be required in order to build on the lot. Because of the environmental sensitivity and the amount of wetland areas in the Garcon Point Protection Area, subdivisions will be reviewed to ensure that Policy 8.1A.1 is complied with. The County currently has tools to show the probability of wetlands on the site of the proposed minor subdivision. However, the applicant can provide the County with an approved wetlands delineation as performed by a qualified professional to determine the exact boundaries of wetlands.

4. If the property being divided is located in an identified storm water problem area and the resultant lots or parcels are less than one (1) acre in size.
The County Engineer, in conjunction with the County Public Works Department, have identified areas where flooding results from storm water runoff. Because development in these areas can increase the flooding problem, it is important that development mitigate its impact. Therefore, applicants who are proposing to create lots that are less than one (1) acre in size through minor subdivisions in these problem areas will be required to have storm water engineering completed by a State of Florida licensed Civil Engineer that will satisfy the storm water management requirements of Section 4.03.06(F)of the LDC. The County Engineer will be responsible for determining compliance with the requirements of Section 4.03.06(F) prior to approval of the minor subdivision. Please direct any questions about this requirement to the County Engineering Department (Phone: 850-981-7100 webpage: http://www.santarosa.fl.gov/engineering/index.html).

Minor Subdivision Process

1. Do the research on your property

- Use the resources found on the County website, including the Interactive GIS Mapping System and the complete Land Development Code (LDC.

- Determine the layout of your proposed subdivision in consideration of the zoning and other LDC requirements.

2. Determine if the minor subdivision needs to be reviewed

To determine if a minor subdivision needs to be reviewed and approved:

The Santa Rosa County Interactive GIS Mapping System can check if any of the above criteria apply to a particular parcel of land through the “Report” function. First you must identify the property in question by either searching for the parcel using a street address, parcel number, or owner name, or by panning/zooming to the subject property in the main map view and using the “Identify” tool (make sure that “Parcel” is the set layer to identify).

You can contact the Community Planning, Zoning, and Development Division for more information.

- If the minor subdivision requires review, then complete an application for minor subdivision and attached a site plan that meets the general requirements as described in the application and the specific requirements of the criteria that triggered the review.

3. If the application is approved or not required, then you can proceed with the subdivision.

- Legal descriptions must be created for the new lots and must be recorded on a deed with the Clerk of Courts.

- A new parcel number will be issued by the Property Appraiser for each new lot.