Hillsborough County Zoning Changes & DecisionsDelivered Same-Day
in the Tampa Bay Market
Of the 192 land-use decisions this board made over the last 24 months, 83% were approved. We read every Hillsborough County hearing and pull the outcome, the vote split, and the conditions, so you see how this board actually rules.
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What gets approved in Hillsborough County
In Hillsborough County, 83% of land-use board decisions were approved over the last 24 months. Land use / comp-plan amendment clear 70%, Commercial / office / retail 92%. ZoneWire analyzed 192 land-use board decisions in Hillsborough County over the last 24 months. Here are the most active project types and how often each one clears.
| Project type | Decisions | Approval rate |
|---|---|---|
| Land use / comp-plan amendment | 20 | 70% |
| Commercial / office / retail | 13 | 92% |
| Variance | 7 | 71% |
| Multifamily / attached housing | 10 | 80% |
| Industrial / warehouse | 9 | 100% |
3 decisions that went against the odds
These are the denials and deferrals in categories that usually sail through, the deals worth understanding before you commit capital.
Create a free account to see themHow Hillsborough County rules on land use
In Hillsborough, a clean staff recommendation is not a green light and a denial is not a wall. The Board of County Commissioners approves about 96% of the land-use applications it decides, so your real exposure is two-sided: the conditions the board attaches (57% of approvals carry them) and organized neighborhood opposition, which produced the only two outright denials on record. One of those, the Northola townhome rezoning, was killed 7-0 even though staff, the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Master had all recommended approval. We tell you which conditions stick, where opposition flips a yes to a no, and how the elected board actually votes versus what its own hearing master recommends.
- Who decides
- Zoning Hearing Master recommends, Board of County Commissioners (BOCC Land Use meeting) decides
- The pattern
- 53 of 55 land-use applications decided at BOCC Land Use were approved (about 96%); 30 of those 53 approvals (57%) carried conditions; only 2 outright denials, both opposition-driven. One borderline item (the Waimama Memorial Cemetery historic-landmark designation) accounts for the difference between this 53/55 scoping and an alternate 54/56 scoping; the 96% rate and the story are the same either way.
Proof
Rezoning PD25-0383, 10 townhomes, Northola Avenue
May 12, 2026
Staff, the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Master all recommended APPROVAL of a request to rezone a 4.92-acre parcel on Northola Avenue for 10 townhomes. Neighbors raised flooding and compatibility concerns. The Board denied it 7-0, citing incompatibility with surrounding large single-family lots and infrastructure and flooding concerns. This is the clean signal: the binding risk in Hillsborough is organized neighborhood opposition, not the staff recommendation.
See the decision and its conditions →Full breakdown
Hillsborough County decides land use at the Board of County Commissioners, in its BOCC Land Use meeting. Rezonings and planned developments first get a public hearing before the Zoning Hearing Master, who sends a recommendation up, but the elected board casts the binding vote.
On the record we are building, the board approved 53 of the 55 land-use applications it decided, about 96%, so getting to yes is the expectation, not the risk. The risk is what comes attached to that yes and who shows up to fight it.
Roughly 57% of approvals, 30 of 53, came with conditions, from stormwater commitments to setback transitions between zoning districts. And a clean staff recommendation does not settle the outcome here. The two outright denials on record were both driven by organized neighborhood opposition, not by staff.
The clearest case is the Northola Avenue townhome rezoning, PD 25-0383, on May 12, 2026: staff, the Planning Commission, and the Zoning Hearing Master all recommended approval, yet the board denied it 7-0 over flooding and compatibility concerns from neighbors. The flip runs the other way too.
When staff recommended denying the removal of four conditions at Keel Farms, the board approved the change 7-0, and when staff opposed The Yard recreation rezoning, the board sustained that denial 6-1.
We are still gathering data in this market, but the pattern is already legible: model your conditions and your opposition, because that, not the staff write-up, is what decides your hearing.
See Real Meeting Intelligence
Here's what ZoneWire found in the latest Hillsborough County meeting
Zoning Hearing Master - 2026-06-22
The Hillsborough County Zoning Hearing Master heard nine land-use cases; as a hearing officer body these produced recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners rather than final votes.
See full analysisKey Decisions
- Continuance of Major Mod 26-0553
- Standard Rezoning 25-1026 (RSC-6MH to CG with restrictions)
- Standard Rezoning 26-0786 (RSC-4 to RSC-6R with restrictions)
Land Use Hearing Officer - 2026-06-15
BOCC Land Use - 2026-06-09
Zoning Hearing Master - 2026-05-26
Plus every other session we monitor
Every Hillsborough County insight is sourced from official public meeting records and analyzed within hours, updated daily.
Hillsborough County Commission, Tampa City Council, and the County Planning Commission review Planned Development applications, rezonings, and comprehensive plan amendments across the metro. PD applications concentrate in Riverview, New Tampa, and Brandon, where greenfield residential development is most active. Downtown Tampa's Water Street district generates mixed-use and high-density rezoning filings. Wetland protection requirements and flood zone regulations add review layers that affect project timelines, particularly in low-lying areas near Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough River. Special use permits for medical and institutional campuses appear frequently near the I-75 and I-4 interchange area.
Recent Zoning Insights in Hillsborough County
Zoning Hearing Master - 2026-06-22
June 22, 2026
Land Use Hearing Officer - 2026-06-15
June 15, 2026
BOCC Land Use - 2026-06-09
June 9, 2026
Recent meetings with zoning keywords detected by ZoneWire. Subscribe to get all alerts in real time.
Explore Hillsborough County by Keyword
Monthly Zoning Activity
Hillsborough County had 3 public meetings in June 2026 with 1019 zoning insights detected, up 33% from May.
| Month | Meetings | Zoning Insights | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | 3 | 1019 | |
| May 2026 | 2 | 769 | Roundup |
| Apr 2026 | 2 | 503 | Roundup |
| Mar 2026 | 2 | 687 | Roundup |
| Feb 2026 | 3 | 554 | Roundup |
| Jan 2026 | 3 | 879 | Roundup |
Source: ZoneWire analysis of Hillsborough County public meeting transcripts. Updated daily.
How ZoneWire Works in Hillsborough County
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Sessions from Hillsborough County Commission, Tampa City Council, Hillsborough County Planning Commission are tracked automatically. You'll never miss a discussion that could impact your next deal.
Zoning Insights, Flagged
Each transcript is scanned for rezoning, variances, pd (planned development), comprehensive plan amendments, and other zoning keywords. You get the signal, not the noise.
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ZoneWire has analyzed 18 Hillsborough County council meetings, flagging 5578 rezoning, variance, and development items.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Hillsborough County Commission, Tampa City Council, and the Planning Commission are all monitored by ZoneWire for rezoning requests, PD (Planned Development) amendments, comprehensive plan amendments, special use permits, and wetland development approvals.
Hillsborough County has approximately 7 zoning-related meetings per month across the County Commission, Tampa City Council, and the Planning Commission. The County Commission typically meets biweekly, while Tampa City Council meets weekly.
A PD (Planned Development) amendment in Hillsborough County modifies the approved development plan for a parcel, changing permitted uses, density, or design standards. PD amendments are common for large projects like Water Street Tampa and mixed-use developments in the Westshore district.
The highest volume of zoning activity in Hillsborough County occurs in the Water Street Tampa district for large-scale mixed-use development, the Westshore business district for redevelopment, and suburban growth areas in New Tampa and Riverview where comprehensive plan amendments are frequent.
Key zoning terms for Hillsborough County include PD (Planned Development) amendment, rezoning, comprehensive plan amendment, special use permit, wetland development permit, DRI (Development of Regional Impact), and CDD (Community Development District). ZoneWire tracks all of these automatically across every Hillsborough County governing body.
Yes. ZoneWire Free sends New Meeting Alerts for Hillsborough County at no cost, with the agenda for each meeting. ZoneWire Pro adds full transcripts, zoning and development analysis, and keyword alerts for $129 per market per month.
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