Accessory Structures in Cape Coral, FL (2026)
4 verified accessory structures rules for Cape Coral, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
ADU Rules
Cape Coral does not currently permit traditional accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with full kitchens. Under Land Development Code Section 5.2.11, only detached 'guest houses' are allowed, and only in the Residential Estate (RE) zoning district on lots with an existing principal residence. Guest houses cannot contain a kitchen or even the electrical/gas connections for a stove or oven, may not exceed 800 sq ft or 30% of the primary structure (whichever is less), are limited to one story (14 ft max), and cannot be rented as separate dwellings. Florida has no statewide ADU mandate.
Accessory Dwelling Unit and Guest House Rules (Cape Coral, FL)
Heavy RestrictionsFla. CS/CS/CS/SB 184 (2025) — Housing (Accessory Dwelling Units)
Housing; Authorizing a landlord to accept reusable tenant screening reports and require a specified statement; requiring, rather than authorizing, local governments to adopt, by a specified date, an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units in certain areas; authorizing a local government to provide a density bonus incentive to landowners who make certain real property donations to assist in ...
ADU Impact Fees
Cape Coral counts a permitted, approved accessory dwelling unit as its own "residential dwelling unit" for impact fee purposes. That triggers the city's full public safety impact fee (fire and rescue, police, ALS) plus the recreational facilities impact fee before a building permit is issued, adding roughly $2,612 per new ADU in 2026 dollars.
Cape Coral ADU Impact Fee Requirements
Some RestrictionsCape Coral Code of Ordinances §§ 2-24.8, 2-24.9(a)
RESIDENTIAL DWELLING UNITS. Includes each single-family dwelling, including any permitted and approved accessory dwelling units, and each unit of apartment, duplex or multiple dwelling structure designed as a separate habitation for one or more persons, whether temporarily or permanently utilized or designed or intended to be utilized for human habitation. ... Any person who, after the effectiv...
Shed & Carport Rules
Cape Coral caps accessory sheds and greenhouses at 15 feet in overall height and 200 square feet of floor area under Land Development Code Section 5.2.13. The rule limits every lot to one shed and one greenhouse, restricts them to the R1, RML, RE, and A zoning districts, and forces screening with a wall, fence, or shrub row wherever the structure faces a right-of-way or a neighboring residential yard.
Cape Coral Shed and Greenhouse Rules
Some RestrictionsCape Coral Code of Ordinances § 5.2.13
A.The maximum height of a shed or greenhouse shall not exceed 15 feet in overall height.B.The maximum floor area shall not exceed 200 square feet.C.Sheds and greenhouses are allowed in the R1, RML, RE, and A districts.D.A lot may contain no more than one shed and one greenhouse.E.Sheds and greenhouses may be within the side yard of a parcel so long as the shed or greenhouse is screened. Screeni...
Garage Conversions
Cape Coral bars homeowners from converting a required garage or storage area into living space unless a replacement garage is built first, under Land Development Code Section 5.2.4(B)(6). If the converted space was an attached garage or breezeway, the finished result must meet every Florida Building Code standard for habitable living quarters.
Cape Coral Garage Conversion to Living Space
Some RestrictionsCape Coral Code of Ordinances § 5.2.4(B)(6)
A.All single-family detached and single-family semi-detached dwelling units and each unit of a duplex structures shall include a garage with minimum dimensions of 14 feet by 20 feet unobstructed space. Carports are prohibited on single-family detached, single-family semi-detached, and duplex residential properties requiring a garage. [...] 6.No garage or storage area shall be used as living qua...
Looking for Lee County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cape Coral city rules.
Accessory Structures in Lee County →