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Planning board approves temporary mother-in-law dwelling on County Road 121 with annual renewal requirement
Summary
The Nassau County Planning and Zoning Board on May 20 approved a conditional use permit for a temporary mother-in-law mobile home on a rural parcel in District 4, subject to annual certification that the named residents remain on site and a requirement to remove the unit if the exception is terminated.
The Nassau County Planning and Zoning Board on May 20 approved a conditional use permit to allow a temporary ‘‘mother-in-law’’ mobile home on a parcel along County Road 121 in Commission District 4, subject to two conditions including annual renewal and a notarized residency certification for the named occupants.
Planning Department staff presented the request as CU2025-005. Stephanie Kaiser of the Planning Department told the board, “Mother-in-law dwellings are intended to be temporary in use,” and explained the county’s process of sending annual letters to confirm the named occupants remain in the dwelling.
Staff said the site is on the west side of County Road 121 between Barber Green Road and Baton Road, zoned open rural with a 2030 future land-use designation of agriculture. The department concluded that a temporary mother-in-law dwelling does not count toward density calculations for parcels in that designation and is compatible with surrounding low-density residential and timberland uses.
The board’s approval included two written conditions: the rights and title for the conditional use shall run with the applicant and shall not be transferable; and the exception must be renewed annually. The mover’s draft motion required that the person(s) identified as receiving care for financial hardship — listed in the application as William and Nancy Smith — submit a notarized letter each year to the Nassau County Planning and Development Department proving they still reside at the property. The motion also specified that failure to provide the annual certification will terminate the exception and the owner will have three months to remove the mother-in-law dwelling.
Board members asked staff questions about setbacks, site survey requirements, septic capacity and impact fees. Kaiser said setbacks apply under the open rural standards and that septic permitting is handled through the health department. She said the county treats mother-in-law dwellings as temporary and that occupants named on the application are part of the deed/exception requirement. On school impact fees, staff said the dwelling is generally exempt because of its temporary, hardship purpose.
The applicant waived a formal presentation and there were no public comments. The board voted 6-0 to approve CU2025-005.
Meeting records show the decision was made under Land Development Code conditional-use criteria; the board’s motion cited the applicable LDC sections and the staff report as the basis for finding competent and substantial evidence in the record.
