Alachua County (unincorporated), FL zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Alachua County (unincorporated), FL?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: BA, BA-1, BH, BR-1, BW.
It needs a conditional or special use approval in: BR.
It is not allowed in 20 districts: A, A-RB, AP, BP, C-1, HM, MB, ML, R-1A, R-1AA, R-1B, R-1C, R-2, R-2A, R-3, RE, RE-1, RM, RM-1, RP.
11 districts are not confirmed yet.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| A-RB | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| AP | Not allowed | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': blank in this column. Blank cell. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BA | By right | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': SE in BR; L in BR-1, BH, BA/BA-1, BW, TOD/TND; A in MS/MP. L = limited use: permitted subject to use-specific standards (staff). | ULDC use table (use standards section listed in table) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BA-1 | By right | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': SE in BR; L in BR-1, BH, BA/BA-1, BW, TOD/TND; A in MS/MP. L = limited use: permitted subject to use-specific standards (staff). | ULDC use table (use standards section listed in table) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BH | By right | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': SE in BR; L in BR-1, BH, BA/BA-1, BW, TOD/TND; A in MS/MP. L = limited use: permitted subject to use-specific standards (staff). | ULDC use table (use standards section listed in table) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BP | Not allowed | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': blank in this column. Blank cell. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BR | Conditional | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': SE (special exception) in BR. Special exception (hearing). | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BR-1 | By right | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': SE in BR; L in BR-1, BH, BA/BA-1, BW, TOD/TND; A in MS/MP. L = limited use: permitted subject to use-specific standards (staff). | ULDC use table (use standards section listed in table) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| BW | By right | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': SE in BR; L in BR-1, BH, BA/BA-1, BW, TOD/TND; A in MS/MP. L = limited use: permitted subject to use-specific standards (staff). | ULDC use table (use standards section listed in table) | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| C-1 | Not allowed | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': blank in this column. Blank cell. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| HM | Not allowed | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': blank in this column. Blank cell. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| Institutional | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| MB | Not allowed | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': blank in this column. Blank cell. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| Mixed Use | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| Mixed Use Employment | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| Mixed Use Low Density Residential | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| Mixed Use Medium Density Residential | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| Mixed Use Medium High Density Residential | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| Mixed Use Neighborhood Convenience Center | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| ML | Not allowed | Use table 'Restaurant, with drive-through': blank in this column. Blank cell. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| MP | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| MS | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| P | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| PD | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 | |
| R-1A | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-1AA | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-1B | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-1C | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-2 | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-2A | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| R-3 | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RE | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RE-1 | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RM | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RM-1 | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
| RP | Not allowed | Restaurant, with drive-through: blank in agricultural and residential columns. Residential district. | ULDC use table | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-14 |
"By right" means permitted with site plan and building permit review only. Overlay districts, planned developments (PD/PUD) and conditions attached to a past rezoning can change the answer for a single parcel.
Official zoning map layer
To find the district for a parcel, query the jurisdiction's own GIS zoning layer: https://services1.arcgis.com/MiBZ4u97DWldovjI/arcgis/rest/services/ZoningCountyWide/FeatureServer/0 (district field: ZONEDISTRICT)
Alachua County countywide zoning (ZoningCountyWide/0); unincorporated county rows have ZONECODE starting 0100. Field ZONEDISTRICT.
Sources
How to confirm before you buy
- Look up the parcel on the official zoning map to get its district and any overlay.
- Open the code section linked in the table and read the use table and the drive-thru standards.
- Call the planning office and ask whether a drive-thru restaurant needs anything beyond site plan review at that address.
Why this library exists
I'm Luke Smith. I find land for drive-thru brands like 7 Brew, Ellianos Coffee and Starbucks, sign the tenant, build the shop and sell it as a net lease property. Every deal starts with the same question: is the use allowed here without a rezoning? Getting that answer takes too long, so we read the codes (with AI research help), and I publish what we find with a link back to every source so you can check it yourself.
If you have a site that fits a drive-thru, or you want to learn how these deals are put together, join the free Reverse Deal Finder community on Skool, see cap rates and land prices by brand, or call 1-760-392-1525. Brokers welcome: I pay commissions.