Short-Term Rentals in Cape Coral, FL (2026)
4 verified short-term rentals rules for Cape Coral, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Permit Requirements
All residential rental properties with 4 or fewer units in Cape Coral must register with the city under a 2021 ordinance. One-time registration fee of $35 per property. All STRs also require a Florida DBPR vacation rental license. Owners must designate a local contact person available 24/7.
Cape Coral Short-Term Rental Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsFla. Stat. § 509.032(7)
(7) PREEMPTION AUTHORITY. — (a) The regulation of public lodging establishments and public food service establishments, including, but not limited to, sanitation standards, inspections, training and testing of personnel, and matters related to the nutritional content and marketing of foods offered in such establishments, is preempted to the state. This paragraph does not preempt the authority o...
Noise Rules
Cape Coral short-term rentals must comply with the city's general noise ordinance (Code Sec. 12-22), which limits multi-family residential sound to 55 dBA from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 50 dBA from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) prevents the city from adopting STR-specific noise rules stricter than those applying to other homes.
Short-Term Rental Noise Rules (Cape Coral, FL)
Some RestrictionsTaxes & Fees
Cape Coral short-term rentals (six months or less) must pay a $350 annual city rental registration fee, the Lee County 5% Tourist Development Tax, the 6% Florida state sales tax, plus a 1.5% Lee County discretionary sales surtax. A Florida DBPR vacation rental license is also required under F.S. Chapter 509.
Short-Term Rental Taxes and Fees (Cape Coral, FL)
Some RestrictionsParking Rules
Cape Coral short-term rentals must follow the same parking standards as other dwellings in the Land Development Code Article 6, which requires off-street parking on an improved surface. Florida Statute 509.032(7)(b) prevents the city from imposing STR-only parking caps. Parking on lawns, swales, or rights-of-way is prohibited.
Short-Term Rental Parking Rules (Cape Coral, FL)
Some RestrictionsFla. Stat. § 509.032(7)(b) (2018) (Vacation Rentals — State Preemption of Local Regulation)
(b) A local law, ordinance, or regulation may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental of vacation rentals. This paragraph does not apply to any local law, ordinance, or regulation adopted on or before June 1, 2011. (c) Paragraph (b) does not apply to any local law, ordinance, or regulation exclusively relating to property valuation as a criterion for vacati...
Looking for Lee County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cape Coral city rules.
Short-Term Rentals in Lee County →