Union County is small, and that can create a dangerous assumption: if there is not a long ALF checklist on the county website, the project must be simple. I would assume the opposite. When a county publishes fewer facility-specific instructions, I want the approval trail documented even more carefully.

The goal is to know who said yes, to what use, at what resident capacity, and under which conditions before the owner spends money on the building.

Start With Planning and Ask the Exact Use Question

Union County Planning and Development says development is governed by the Comprehensive Plan, zoning regulations, and development regulations, and the county publishes a Special Exception application. I would provide the parcel number, proposed capacity, staffing model, and intended assisted-living use rather than asking whether a generic group home is allowed.

If the property is inside Lake Butler, confirm the municipal role instead of assuming the county process controls every step.

Building and Fire Need to Be in the Conversation Early

The county Building Department handles commercial permits and provides a fire-alarm permit among its published applications. An existing house may still need a change in occupancy, accessibility work, electrical upgrades, alarm work, or other life-safety improvements.

I would get that scope before finalizing the property budget. A low purchase price does not compensate for a conversion that cannot be financed or completed.

DOH Inspects Even Though It Does Not Issue the ALF License

The Florida Department of Health in Union County explains that it does not license group-care facilities but performs routine inspections while agencies such as AHCA regulate and license them. That is an important distinction: the AHCA license and the local health inspection are different parts of the file.

Emergency Management Is Local Even When the Public Instructions Are Brief

Union County publishes a local Emergency Management office, but I did not find a detailed public ALF CEMP intake guide. I would confirm the current reviewer, plan format, supporting documents, fire-plan expectations, and submission method directly.

Ask Who Said Yes, in Writing

My rule for a small county is to be able to answer four questions at any time: who approved this, for what use, at what resident count, and under which conditions. If you cannot answer all four from a document in your file, you do not have an approval yet. You have a conversation. Ask for confirmation by email or letter, and read it for the exact words. A comfortable chat at the front desk is not a determination. A short written answer now can save you months of argument later.

Read the Special Exception Application Before You Call

Union County publishes a Special Exception application, and I would read it before I ever talk to Planning. See what information it asks for, then draft your own answers in advance, even if you end up not needing the exception. It forces you to define the resident count and the operating model clearly, which you have to do anyway, and it makes the conversation with staff far more productive. You will ask better questions, and you will sound like someone who has done the homework.

Do Not Confuse the Inspection With the License

The health department performs routine inspections but does not license the facility. AHCA does that. I would keep those two tracks separate in the file. A passing local inspection is not a license, and a license application does not replace what the local offices ask for. Make a simple two-column list of what the local agencies need and what AHCA needs, with a date next to each item. When the two columns move together, the project moves. When one lags, you will see it right away instead of discovering it at the end.

Ask Lake Butler Before You Assume

If the property is inside Lake Butler, I would not assume the county's answer carries over. Call the city, ask who reviews zoning and building, and ask what it needs for an assisted-living use at your resident count. A city may have its own forms, its own timing, and its own people. Ask the question once, in writing, to the right office, and you avoid discovering an extra approval step after the purchase has already closed.

My Union Rule: Build a Written Approval Trail

For a small-county project, I would keep written zoning confirmation, any special-exception decision, building/fire requirements, health inspection requirements, utility documentation, CEMP coordination, and AHCA licensing in one file. The lack of a long online checklist should never become the reason a requirement gets missed.

Before moving forward, review our How to Open an ALF in Florida guide and our Florida ALF zoning requirements resource so the property decision and the licensing plan are working together.