Miami Zoning Map: How to Look Up Zoning in Miami, Florida (Miami 21)

The City of Miami uses a form-based code, Miami 21, that reads nothing like a conventional zoning ordinance: districts are "transect zones" numbered by intensity, and the letter after the zone tells you how much commercial use is allowed. Most of the metro area is not the City of Miami, though, and the neighboring jurisdictions use conventional codes. Here is how to tell which rules apply and how to read them.

Where the official map and code live

• Miami 21 Zoning Atlas (miami21.org): the official atlas as PDF sheets and through the city's GIS application.
• Miami 21 Zoning GIS layer on the City of Miami Open Data Hub, searchable and downloadable.
• Miami 21 Code: hosted by the City of Miami Planning Department, with Article 4 containing the transect zone tables and Article 5 the standards for each zone.
• Zoning questions: the City of Miami Planning Department (305-416-1400) and the Zoning Office for verification letters and interpretations.
• Unincorporated Miami-Dade County: the county's zoning map application and Chapter 33 of the county code, administered by the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources.

Official links: Miami 21 Zoning Atlas, Miami 21 zoning GIS layer, Miami-Dade County zoning map.

First check: city or county?

"Miami" addresses cover the City of Miami, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, and more than thirty other municipalities, each with its own code. Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Doral, and Homestead are all separate jurisdictions. The county assessor's record and the county GIS map show the municipality. If the parcel is unincorporated, the county's districts apply: RU (residential), EU (estate), BU-1, BU-2, and BU-3 (business, from neighborhood to liberal), IU-1, IU-2, and IU-3 (industrial, from light to unlimited), AU (agricultural), and GU (interim). If it is in the City of Miami, Miami 21 applies.

How Miami 21 transect zones work

Miami 21 organizes the city along a transect from natural to urban core:

• T1: natural.
• T3: sub-urban, the single-family and duplex neighborhoods.
• T4: general urban, small multifamily and neighborhood-scale buildings.
• T5: urban center, mid-rise mixed-use.
• T6: urban core, with a number giving the base height in stories: T6-8, T6-12, T6-24, T6-36, T6-48, T6-60, and T6-80. Additional height is available in some T6 zones through the code's public benefits program.
• D1, D2, D3: work place, industrial, and marine industrial districts.
• CS and CI: civic space and civic institution, with CI-HD for the health district.

The suffix sets the mix of uses:

• R (restricted): residential only.
• L (limited): residential with limited commercial, typically on the ground floor and on certain frontages.
• O (open): the full mix of residential, lodging, office, and commercial the zone allows.

So T5-O is a mid-rise mixed-use zone, T4-R is a low-rise residential zone, and T6-24-O is a 24-story mixed-use core zone. Each zone's table in Article 4 lists permitted uses (by right, by warrant, or by exception, the latter two being Miami 21's administrative and hearing-based approvals) and the building standards: lot size, setbacks, lot coverage, height, and density in units per acre.

Overlays and special plans

• Neighborhood Conservation Districts (NCD-2 Coconut Grove, NCD-3 Buena Vista) add design and use rules.
• Special Area Plans allow large sites, typically nine acres or more, to negotiate a master plan that replaces the underlying zone standards.
• Historic designations through the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board.
• Corridor and transit overlays and the code's affordable housing and public benefit bonus provisions.

What the Live Local Act changed

Florida's Live Local Act (2023, amended 2024) requires local governments to allow multifamily and mixed-use residential on parcels zoned commercial, industrial, or mixed-use without a rezoning when at least 40 percent of units are affordable at or below 120 percent of area median income, with height and density tied to the highest allowed nearby. In Miami 21 terms, that reaches into D1 and the commercial-leaning transect zones; in the county, into BU and IU districts. The details have been amended and litigated, so confirm the current statute and the jurisdiction's implementation. Our multifamily site selection guide covers how to search for qualifying parcels.

How to check a specific parcel

1. Confirm the jurisdiction on the county GIS map.
2. For City of Miami parcels, open the Miami 21 atlas or the GIS layer and note the full zone label (for example T5-L) and any NCD, historic, or special-plan overlay.
3. Open Article 4 of Miami 21 for the zone's use table and building standards, then Article 5 for the illustrated standards.
4. For county parcels, use the county zoning map and Chapter 33.
5. Request a zoning verification letter from the City of Miami Zoning Office or the county for any transaction that depends on it.

In Plotzy, City of Miami parcels carry the transect zone and county parcels carry the county district, so a search across the whole metro by zoning is one query. Zoning AI can answer questions about a specific zone from the code with the section cited.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the official Miami zoning map?

The City of Miami's official zoning atlas is the Miami 21 Zoning Atlas at miami21.org, also published as a GIS layer on the city's open data hub. Unincorporated Miami-Dade County publishes its own zoning map application.

What does T5-O mean in Miami zoning?

T5 is the urban center transect zone, a mid-rise mixed-use category, and the O suffix means "open", allowing the full range of residential, lodging, office, and commercial uses the zone permits.

What is the difference between Miami 21 and Miami-Dade zoning?

Miami 21 is the City of Miami's form-based code with transect zones. Unincorporated Miami-Dade County uses a conventional code (Chapter 33) with RU, BU, IU, AU, and GU districts. Other municipalities in the county have their own codes.

How many stories can I build in T6-8?

T6-8 allows a base of eight stories, with additional height available in some locations through Miami 21's public benefits program. Confirm the specific parcel's zone, overlays, and bonus eligibility in Article 4 and with the Planning Department.

Does the Live Local Act apply in the City of Miami?

Yes. It is a state law that applies to every Florida local government, allowing multifamily and mixed-use residential on commercial, industrial, and mixed-use zoned land under the statute's affordability and other conditions.