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Partnership Careers Locations

Florida — City of Orlando

Entitlements built for the
city that keeps building

Orlando does not slow down. Downtown is densifying, Lake Nona keeps expanding, and the tourism corridor never stops. That pace only works if your entitlements and permits move with it. JDJ maps the fastest defensible path through the City of Orlando Land Development Code, the Growth Management Plan, and Florida’s Live Local Act, so your project clears review instead of stalling in it.

Governing Code

Orlando Land Development Code (City Code, Chapter 58 et seq.)

Comprehensive Plan

Growth Management Plan (GMP)

Permitting Authority

City of Orlando Permitting Services Division, Economic Development Department

Have a site in Orlando?

Tell us what you’re trying to build, and we’ll map the right entitlement pathway for Orlando.

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Call Us: ‪(818) 252-9610‬
FLORIDA markets Florida Miami-Dade Tampa Broward Palm Beach Orlando
How Orlando Regulates Development

The framework, in JDJ’s words

Every market on this site runs its own code, its own departments, and its own review path. Here is Orlando’s, stated plainly.

Orlando is an incorporated municipality and the seat of Orange County, but inside the city limits the City of Orlando, not the County, governs land use. Development is regulated by the Orlando Land Development Code, adopted within the City Code of Ordinances, and every proposal is measured for consistency against the city’s Growth Management Plan, Orlando’s long-range comprehensive plan and Future Land Use Map. Building permits, plan review, and inspections run through the city’s Permitting Services Division inside the Economic Development Department, headquartered at City Hall, 400 South Orange Avenue.

The single most common and most expensive mistake developers make here is a jurisdiction error. A property with an Orlando mailing address is not necessarily inside the City of Orlando. Unincorporated Orange County, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (the former Reedy Creek area around Walt Disney World), and neighboring municipalities such as Winter Park, Maitland, and Kissimmee each run their own building departments, portals, fees, and codes. Confirming the governing jurisdiction is the first thing JDJ does on any Orlando site, before a single application is drafted.

State Law

Florida Live Local Act (2023, amended 2024 and 2025)

Permitting Portal

Orlando Digital Permits (digitalpermits.orlando.gov)

Local Code

Orlando Land Development Code

Comprehensive Plan

Growth Management Plan (GMP)

Local Note

An "Orlando" address does not guarantee City of Orlando jurisdiction. Verify first.
Full-scope entitlement and permitting support

What JDJ handles in Orlando

Orlando rewards teams that know the code and know the counter. JDJ handles the strategy, the paperwork, and the agency relationships that keep a project moving.

01. Entitlements & Land Use

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Growth Management Plan Consistency Strategy

Positioning your project for a favorable Future Land Use determination and, where needed, a plan amendment.
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Rezoning and Planned Development (PD) Applications

Structuring PD ordinances and conditional-use pathways under the Land Development Code.
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Live Local Act Qualification and Structuring

Determining whether your site and program qualify for administrative approval and modeling the density, height, and floor area ratio you can claim.
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Variance and Zoning Adjustment Coordination

Managing relief requests through the appropriate boards.

02. Permit Expediting

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Digital Permits Submittal Management

Building and tracking submittals through the Orlando Digital Permits (ProjectDox) portal.
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Plan Review Coordination

Managing the multi-discipline review cycle and keeping reviewers moving.
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Corrections and Resubmittal Response

Turning comment cycles around quickly to protect your schedule.

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Fire, Utilities, and Multi-Agency Sign-Off Tracking

Coordinating the reviews that live outside the building department.
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03. Due Diligence & Feasibility

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Pre-Development Site Screening

Zoning, Future Land Use, and constraint analysis before you close.
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Jurisdiction Confirmation

Verifying City of Orlando versus Orange County versus special-district control at the parcel level.
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Floodplain, Wetland, and Lake Setback Review

Flagging the environmental constraints that shape Central Florida sites.
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Entitlement Path and Timeline Feasibility

Confirming which approval route applies before you commit capital.
Incentive programs, ordinances & regulations

The programs that shape what you can build

This is the section developers, architects, and general contractors ask about most. Here is the current regulatory landscape in and around Orlando.

Florida Live Local Act (statewide preemption)

The Live Local Act is the most powerful entitlement tool available in Orlando today. Passed in 2023 as Senate Bill 102 and expanded by Senate Bill 328 in 2024 and Senate Bill 1730 in 2025, the Act requires local governments to administratively approve qualifying multifamily and mixed-use projects on land zoned commercial, industrial, or mixed-use, without rezoning, public hearings, or a comprehensive plan amendment. To qualify, a project must set aside at least 40 percent of its units as affordable for at least 30 years. In exchange, the city cannot restrict density below the highest density allowed anywhere in the jurisdiction, cannot restrict height below the tallest building permitted within one mile (or three stories, whichever is greater), and cannot set floor area ratio below 150 percent of the highest FAR allowed in the jurisdiction. The 2025 amendments added further leverage: a cap on required nonresidential space in mixed-use projects, transit-adjacent parking reductions, and a new provision allowing affordable housing on land owned by religious institutions regardless of underlying zoning. For the right site, Live Local converts a multi-month discretionary fight into an administrative approval. JDJ models whether a site qualifies and how much entitlement it can actually claim.

Orlando Land Development Code (Chapter 58 et seq.)

The Land Development Code governs zoning districts, permitted uses, height, setbacks, density, parking, and design standards. Orlando uses a granular district system, from R-1AA large-lot single-family through R-3 high-density residential, with Mixed-Use (MU), Office (O), Activity Center (AC), and industrial districts layered on top. Overlay districts, the Traditional City boundary, and Appearance Review requirements can all change what is permitted on a given parcel. JDJ reads the code against your actual site rather than the general rule.

Orlando Growth Management Plan (GMP)

Every project in Orlando must be consistent with the Growth Management Plan and its Future Land Use Map. When a project's intended use or intensity does not match its Future Land Use designation, a comprehensive plan amendment may be required, a discretionary process that runs through city review and City Council. Understanding whether your program fits the existing designation or needs an amendment is the difference between an administrative timeline and a legislative one.

Planned Development (PD) District

For projects that need flexibility beyond a standard district, the PD process allows a custom set of development standards adopted by ordinance. PD approval is discretionary and negotiated, but it can unlock density, use mixes, and design outcomes that base zoning will not permit. This is a core tool for larger and mixed-use Orlando projects.

Local incentives and assistance programs

The City of Orlando administers affordable housing development incentives and housing and development grants through its Housing and Community Development functions, along with business incentive programs through Economic Development. These programs change periodically and are parcel- and program-specific. JDJ confirms current eligibility rather than relying on last year's terms.

Environmental and resilience regulations

Central Florida development is shaped by floodplain management, wetland protection, and lake and water-body setbacks. Orlando enforces setbacks from natural water bodies and retained wetlands, and floodplain status can materially affect what a site will hold. After the 2024 storm season, resilience and stormwater expectations have only tightened. These constraints belong in feasibility, not in a correction cycle.
Project Types

What actually shapes a project here

The issues, timelines, and project types we see most

Common land use issues

Jurisdiction confusion is the number one issue: an Orlando address may fall under the city, unincorporated Orange County, or a special district, each with different rules. After that, the recurring questions are whether a site qualifies for Live Local administrative approval, whether the program is consistent with the Growth Management Plan or needs an amendment, and whether a Planned Development is the cleaner path than base zoning.

Timelines and hurdles

Administrative paths, including qualifying Live Local projects and by-right permits, move on the fastest timeline. Discretionary approvals, rezonings, PD ordinances, and comprehensive plan amendments run longer because they require city board and Council action. Commercial plan review timelines should be planned for in weeks, not days, and multi-agency sign-offs (fire, utilities, transportation) can extend the critical path. Set schedule expectations from day one, not mid-project.

Notable project types

Downtown and Central Business District mixed-use and multifamily, the Lake Nona and southeast growth corridor, the tourism and International Drive corridor, Creative Village and Parramore redevelopment, and infill along established neighborhood edges. Live Local is reshaping the pipeline on commercially zoned corridors across all of these.

Local Terminology

Orlando’s terms, decoded

The vocabulary you will hear from city staff

Growth Management Plan (GMP)

Orlando's long-range comprehensive plan; every project must be consistent with it.

Land Development Code (LDC)

Orlando's zoning and development regulations, adopted within the City Code.

Planned Development (PD)

A negotiated, ordinance-adopted zoning district that customizes development standards for a specific project.

Appearance Review Board (ARB)

The body that reviews design and appearance for projects in designated areas.

Future Land Use Map (FLUM)

The map that sets the allowable use category for each parcel; a mismatch may require a plan amendment.

Live Local Act

State law requiring administrative approval of qualifying affordable multifamily projects on commercial, industrial, or mixed-use land.

Traditional City

A boundary in the LDC that changes certain district standards inside the historic urban core.

Development Review Committee (DRC)

The city's interdepartmental committee that reviews development applications.
Project Types

Developer, Architect & GC Quick Reference

The answers professionals ask for first

Governing jurisdiction (inside city limits): City of Orlando Governing code: Orlando Land Development Code (City Code of Ordinances) Comprehensive plan: Growth Management Plan Permitting authority: Permitting Services Division, Economic Development Department Online permit portal: Orlando Digital Permits — digitalpermits.orlando.gov Permit lookup / inspections: City of Orlando permit and planning project lookup Permitting office: City Hall, 400 South Orange Avenue, 1st Floor, Orlando, FL 32801 Permitting phone: 407.246.2271 Pre-application meeting: Available by request with a city planner Key discretionary bodies: Development Review Committee, Appearance Review Board, Historic Preservation Board, City Council Adjacent jurisdictions to verify against: Unincorporated Orange County (OC FastTrack portal), Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Winter Park, Maitland, Kissimmee

JDJ confirms all parcel-specific details against current City of Orlando sources before any application. Program terms and thresholds change; verification is part of every engagement.

FAQ

Questions we hear most in Orlando

Q. Is my Orlando site actually governed by the City of Orlando?
Not necessarily. An Orlando mailing address can fall under the city, unincorporated Orange County, or a special district such as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. Confirming jurisdiction at the parcel level is the first thing we do, because it determines the code, the portal, the fees, and the timeline.
Q. Does the Live Local Act apply to my project?
It can, if your site is zoned commercial, industrial, or mixed-use and you commit at least 40 percent of units as affordable for 30 years. Qualifying projects get administrative approval without rezoning or public hearings, with density, height, and floor area ratio floors set by state law. We model qualification and the entitlement you can claim before you rely on it.
Q. Will I need a comprehensive plan amendment or a rezoning?
It depends on whether your intended use and intensity match the parcel’s Future Land Use designation and zoning. If they do, you may have an administrative path. If they do not, a plan amendment or rezoning may be required, which runs through city boards and Council on a longer timeline. We identify this at feasibility, not mid-project.
Q. How long does plan review take in Orlando?
Timelines vary by project type and completeness of the submittal. Administrative and simple permits move fastest; commercial plan review and multi-agency sign-offs take longer. We set realistic schedule expectations up front and manage the review to keep it moving.
Q. What portal does Orlando use, and can you manage it for us?
The city uses Orlando Digital Permits (a ProjectDox-based system) for electronic plan submittal and review. Yes, JDJ builds, submits, and tracks your package through the portal and manages every corrections cycle.
Q. Can you handle the whole path from due diligence to permit?
Yes. We run pre-acquisition feasibility, confirm jurisdiction, structure the entitlement strategy, prepare and submit applications, and expedite permits through issuance. Engagements are handled by consultants who work directly with city agencies on your behalf.