Hillsborough County development services staff briefed the planning commission on a proposed amendment to the unincorporated county Land Development Code to allow limited subdivisions on septic inside the urban service area when connection to public wastewater is not feasible.

Israel Monsanto, development services, said current Code section 40202 requires new development in the urban service area to connect to a public wastewater system, and that an exception that previously allowed subdivision of a parcel into two (and, with variance, three) lots on septic was removed for applications filed after Dec. 31, 2020. Monsanto said the removal has created a hardship for property owners who want to subdivide small lots but face the high cost of sewer line extensions.

The proposed amendment would restore a version of that earlier exception: a parent parcel of record in the urban service area may be subdivided to create up to two additional lots (and in limited conditions up to three parcels) provided each resulting parcel meets zoning and other code requirements, the cumulative permitted intensity does not exceed three equivalent residential connections, and the cost to extend wastewater service exceeds the county technical‑manual feasibility threshold.

Commissioners asked several clarifying questions about how minimum lot sizes, zoning and technical feasibility would apply. Monsanto said the code amendment re‑establishes the prior allowance but county engineers will apply the technical manual criteria to determine feasibility and cost thresholds on a case‑by‑case basis. He noted that urban service area expansions in southern Hillsborough County make the issue more likely to recur as previously rural parcels are incorporated into the UEA.

The item is scheduled for a first public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners on July 22; the planning commission will consider a consistency finding on Aug. 11 and the BOCC will hold a final hearing on Aug. 12.