Zoning districts — Sebastian, Florida

Sebastian's Land Development Code sets up its standard zoning districts in Article V, from Conservation and the residential districts to commercial, riverfront, industrial, airport and public service districts, plus planned unit development and mixed-use districts.

Each district has its own section of the code, with an intent statement, a list of permitted uses, a list of conditional uses and dimensional limits. The residential group is RE-40 (Residential Estate), RS-20 and RS-10 (Single-Family Residential), RM-8 and RM-10 (Medium Density Multiple-Family) and R-MH (Mobile Home). The commercial group is C-512, CL (Commercial Limited) and CG (Commercial General), and two districts are written for the riverfront: CR (Commercial Riverfront) and CWR (Commercial Waterfront Residential). Industrial land in Sebastian is IN (Industrial) or HI (Heavy Industrial), airport land is AI, and public land such as parks is PS. Planned unit development districts (PUD-R, PUD-C, PUD-I and PUD-MH) and mixed-use districts complete the list.

The rule that gives the map its force is short. Section 54-2-4.5 states that no building, land or water in Sebastian shall be used for any purpose other than a use permitted in the district in which such building, land or water is located, and that no building or land may be used to produce greater heights, smaller yards or higher density than its district allows.

Sebastian's residential districts step down in lot size from RE-40 at one home per 40,000 square feet to RS-10 lots of 9,500 square feet, then add duplex, multifamily and mobile home districts with density caps per acre.

The estate district is the most spacious. RE-40 sets a maximum density of one dwelling unit per 40,000 square feet, a 35 foot height limit, 25 percent maximum building coverage and lots at least 125 feet wide. RS-20 is written for low density residential development on lots of 20,000 square feet. The RS-10 district is described as low-density residential development on lots of 10,000 square feet, yet its dimensional table sets the minimum lot size at 9,500 square feet, 80 feet wide and 100 feet deep, caps height at 25 feet and limits building coverage to 30 percent. RE-40, RS-20 and RS-10 each list single-family dwellings, small foster care or group homes, accessory residential uses and home occupations as permitted, with churches, child care and model homes as conditional uses.

Attached housing begins with RM-8, intended primarily for duplex and multiple-family developments, with density that shall not exceed eight units per acre and townhouse development among its permitted uses. Its height limit is 35 feet, or 25 feet for properties east of Indian River Drive. RM-10 covers the same medium density land with standards meant to encourage diverse housing types. The R-MH Mobile Home district caps density at five units per acre on lots of at least 7,500 square feet with a 25 foot height limit.

Sebastian's commercial zoning follows its main roads and waterfront: C-512 along County Road 512, CL and CG for limited and general business, and CR and CWR for the Indian River Drive riverfront.

The C-512 district exists because of one road. The code calls C.R. 512 an arterial highway on the thoroughfare plans of both Sebastian and Indian River County, a regional transportation facility linking U.S. 1 and I-95 and connecting Sebastian and Fellsmere with the Vero Beach urban area. The district restricts curb cuts under a master plan for parking and curb cut control, requires lots of at least 20,000 square feet, and requires a 74 foot front yard where a lot abuts CR 512.

Sebastian's two general business districts differ by scale. Commercial Limited (CL) is not meant for regional retail: the code names large scale discount stores or supermarkets, department stores, wholesale and warehousing activities, auto repair and drive-through fast food as uses CL does not accommodate. Commercial General (CG) permits retail up to 20,000 square feet, hotels and motels, gasoline sales and vehicle sales, and lists bars and lounges, pawn shops and mini-storage among its conditional uses.

The riverfront has districts of its own. Commercial Riverfront (CR) is intended to preserve the existing character of the riverfront area, protecting historical structures while allowing a mix of recreational and commercial uses; wet or dry storage of boats, bait and tackle shops and marine power sales are permitted there. Commercial Waterfront Residential (CWR) mixes homes, with multiple-family dwellings up to 8 units per acre, with yacht clubs, fish markets and restaurants, and caps building height at 35 feet west of Indian River Drive and 25 feet east of it. Both districts implement the Riverfront Mixed Use designation of the Sebastian future land use map.

Sebastian zones its airport land AI, its industrial land IN or HI, its public land PS and its environmentally sensitive land, including the Sebastian River and the Indian River, C.

The AI district implements the City of Sebastian Airport Master Plan and requires that land use and development within and adjacent to the Sebastian Airport avoid encroaching on the airport hazard zone, with Federal Aviation Administration rules governing structures in the air operations area. The IN district allows offices, storage, wholesale trades and industrial activities on 15,000 square foot lots, states that no structure shall be erected within the approach zones of active runways on the Sebastian Municipal Airport at a height in excess of those permitted by the FAA or the city council, and declares that salvage yards and junkyards are deemed to generate highly extensive adverse impacts and are not permitted uses in IN. Heavy Industrial (HI) is the city's heavy industrial development area, requires a minimum lot size of 5 acres, and reviews every heavy industrial use with the conditional use findings at site plan review and Planning and Zoning Commission hearing.

Public and protected land has separate districts. Public Service (PS) permits public parks and recreation areas by right and lists schools, churches, hospitals and stadium-lit parks as conditional uses, with a 25 foot height cap east of Indian River Drive. The Conservation (C) district covers environmentally sensitive natural resources including the Sebastian River, the Indian River and mangrove fringe protected by Florida Statutes, and no development is permitted there unless the applicant shows permits or exemptions from every state or federal agency with jurisdiction.

Mixed-use districts add a newer layer. Under Section 54-2-5.16, the Mixed-Use District (MU) is intended to serve as the city's traditional town center, a Community Mixed-Use district (C-MU) is aimed at larger master planned town centers, and no more than 50 percent of the approved residential units may be built until at least 50 percent of the nonresidential square footage is permitted. That phasing rule keeps Sebastian mixed-use projects from opening as housing alone.

A Sebastian parcel's zoning district is shown on the city's official zoning map, which the Community Development Department posts as an interactive web map and a PDF and can be reached by phone at 772-589-5330.

The Community Development Department at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street, lists Zoning Map (Interactive Web Map) and Zoning Map (PDF) among its quick links, next to the Future Land Use Map and the Land Development Code. The office is open 8 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday and closes for lunch from 12 pm to 1 pm. Under Section 54-2-4.3, the boundaries of each zoning district are on the official zoning map for the City of Sebastian, the map and its explanatory statements are adopted as part of the code, and the planning and growth management director is responsible for keeping it updated after each change.

Reading a district correctly takes two more steps. The zoning district has to fit the parcel's future land use designation: Table 54-2-4.2 references adopted FLUM designations contained in the land use element of the City of Sebastian Comprehensive Plan, so that Very Low Density Residential land may be zoned RE-40, RS-20, RS-10 or PUD-R, while Medium Density Residential land takes RM-8, RM-10 or PUD-R. Then the use itself is checked against Table 54-2-5.9, where permitted uses are uses allowed by right and conditional uses are allowable only if approved by the city under article VI.

Changing a district is a separate process. The Sebastian Applications and Forms list includes a Rezoning application alongside PUD, small and large scale land use amendment and conditional use forms, and the official map may only be amended in compliance with the procedures of the Land Development Code.

Last verified: October 11, 2026, on the City of Sebastian website.