Lee County, FL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- RS-1 side yard
- 7.5 feet
- Rear yard, most districts
- 20 feet
- Local street setback
- 25 feet (LDC 34-2192)
- Accessory building rear setback
- 5 feet minimum
- Gulf of Mexico setback
- 50 feet
Summary
Table 34-695 in Lee County's Land Development Code sets minimum yards for one- and two-family districts. Side yards run from 5 to 15 feet by district, rear yards are 20 feet in most, and street setbacks follow the road's classification.
Except as provided in Sections 34-1175 and 34-1176, all accessory residential buildings and structures must be set back a minimum of five feet from any rear property line and may not be closer to a side property line than the minimum required side setback for the district in which the property is located, or ten feet, whichever is less.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 7 | Land Development Code: Supplement 3 Update 3).
Full Breakdown
Table 34-695 covers the RSC, RSA, RS, TFC and TF districts. Single-family side yards are 5 feet in RSC-1, 6.5 in RSA, 7.5 in RS-1, 10 in RS-2, 12 in RS-3 and 15 in RS-4 and RS-5. Rear yards are 20 feet everywhere except RSC-1, which is 10. Street setbacks are 10 feet in RSC-1, 50 in RSC-2, and elsewhere follow Section 34-2192: 25 feet from a local street, 20 from a private street, 25 from an arterial or collector without a frontage street and 65 with one. Water body setbacks are 50 feet from the Gulf of Mexico.
Violations & Fines
A structure inside a required yard is a Land Development Code violation. Only the Hearing Examiner can grant a setback variance; unabated violations draw fines of $25 to $1,000 a day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rear setback in unincorporated Lee County?
How far must a shed be from my property line?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lee County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Lee County to another location·View the Florida building setbacks & zoning overview
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