How to Open an ALF in Bradford County, Florida

If you are researching how to open an ALF in Bradford County, Florida, the biggest mistake is treating the state application as the starting point. AHCA licenses the facility, but the property still has to work under local zoning, building, fire, sanitation, emergency-planning, and utility rules.

Bradford County is a smaller North Central Florida market. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts estimates 28,307 residents as of July 1, 2025. Future owners should study the existing licensed facilities, referral relationships, hospital and rehabilitation discharge patterns, private-pay capacity, Medicaid participation, and demand in Starke and the surrounding communities before selecting a property.

For the statewide licensing sequence, review FALC's guide on how to open an ALF in Florida and then return to this county guide for the local layer.

Step 1: Identify Which Bradford County Zoning Office Controls the Property

Bradford County's Planning and Zoning Department publishes unusually clear jurisdiction guidance, listing separate zoning contacts for Lawtey, Brooker, Hampton, and Starke, while the county department is responsible for other areas. A Bradford County mailing address is not enough to determine the correct approval path.

• Lawtey zoning: verify with the city.
• Brooker zoning: verify with the town.
• Hampton zoning: verify with the city.
• Starke zoning: verify with the City of Starke.
• All other county areas: start with Bradford County Planning and Zoning.

Step 2: Understand Bradford County's Community Residential Home Policy Before Choosing Capacity

Bradford County's Comprehensive Plan specifically addresses community residential homes, placing homes of more than six residents that meet the Chapter 419 definition in medium- and high-density residential land-use categories subject to siting criteria. Ask the local zoning authority to classify your proposed use and resident capacity in writing before selecting a capacity.

Step 3: Do Not Skip Change-of-Occupancy and Building Review

Bradford County combines Building, Zoning, and Fire Prevention functions at the courthouse complex in Starke. The Building Department notes that applications requiring Building Official review can take two to three weeks, and warns that properties within Starke city limits or with City of Starke utilities may need to go through the City of Starke Building and Zoning Department.

The county Fire Prevention office states that a person renting or purchasing a commercial building for a new business may need to submit a Change in Occupancy or Occupant Application with a lease or deed.

• Confirm building jurisdiction before ordering plans.
• Ask whether the proposed ALF use changes the building occupancy classification.
• Identify required accessibility, egress, alarm, sprinkler, electrical, plumbing, or structural work before construction.
• Do not assume a prior residential certificate of occupancy is enough for the proposed care use.

Step 4: Give Fire Plan Review Enough Time in Bradford County

Bradford County Fire Prevention performs plan review, annual inspections, and fire-code enforcement. The county says a new commercial fire plan review may take up to three weeks for Fire Marshal review alone. The initial review can include egress, travel paths, building layout, fire walls and separation, fire department access, hydrants, and required fire systems.

Step 5: Confirm Bradford County Group Care and Sanitation Through the Current DOH Structure

DOH-Bradford's Environmental Public Health page lists local contacts. Florida Department of Health's current structure identifies Alachua County as the regional hub that also serves Bradford for some environmental health programs. For a new ALF, confirm the current group-care and sanitation process with DOH-Bradford and the regional Environmental Public Health team to verify who receives the application, which forms and fees apply, and how the satisfactory sanitation inspection will be documented.

If the property uses septic, Bradford County septic permits are still issued through the local county health department rather than the direct DEP process used in Bay County.

Step 6: Bradford County Emergency Management Is Operated Through the Sheriff's Office

Bradford County has a local distinction: the Sheriff has been delegated the county's emergency-management responsibilities. The Bradford County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Division states that it maintains the county CEMP and conducts reviews of emergency management plans for external entities. For an ALF, confirm the current CEMP review process directly with that division and build the plan around resident acuity, transportation, receiving arrangements, backup power, and the actual hazards affecting the property.

Step 7: Build the AHCA Initial Licensing File

Once local due diligence is far enough along, assemble the state licensing file using the current AHCA Assisted Living Facility application and checklist.

• Signed local zoning documentation for the specific address.
• Satisfactory fire safety inspection documentation.
• Satisfactory county health department sanitation inspection documentation.
• Ownership, administrator, background-screening, financial, and insurance documents required for the application.
• Policies, emergency planning, staffing, records, and physical-plant systems that match the operation you intend to open.

Step 8: Prepare for the Initial AHCA Survey Before You Request It

Licensing paperwork is not the finish line. Before the initial AHCA survey, the facility should demonstrate that the building, resident-care systems, administrator file, staffing and training records, medication processes, emergency plans, required postings, policies, and operational systems are ready to function as a licensed ALF.

Current Bradford County Contacts to Verify Before Submission

Contacts, fees, forms, portals, and jurisdiction boundaries can change. Verify the current office and submission method for the actual property before relying on any information here.

Before You Commit to a Bradford County Property, Ask These Questions

• Is the parcel controlled by Bradford County, Starke, Lawtey, Brooker, or Hampton zoning?
• If the site is in or near Starke, do city limits or City of Starke utilities change the building-review path?
• What local zoning classification applies to the proposed ALF capacity?
• Does the project qualify as a community residential home under Chapter 419, and if so, what local siting rules apply?
• Will a change-of-occupancy application or Building Official review be required?
• How much time should be reserved for building and Fire Marshal plan review?
• Who currently handles the DOH group-care and sanitation submission for the site?
• If septic is used, what local health department permitting or system-capacity review is required?
• Has the facility-specific CEMP been built for Bradford County and submitted through the Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Division?