100 local rules on file · Pop. 1,620 · Lee County
Showing ordinances that apply to Punta Rassa, FL
Punta Rassa is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 1,620 in Lee County, Florida. Because Punta Rassa is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, Lee County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in Lee County may have different rules.
Keeping exotic or wild animals in Lee County is governed by the state, not the county. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) classifies wildlife as Class I, II, or III and requires a permit to possess captive wildlife of the type and number FWC approves.
Lee County's animal ordinance does not set a fixed maximum number of dogs or cats per household. It regulates by outcome—requiring direct control, humane care, and no nuisance—and treats keeping animals "for profit" as a kennel or cattery. Any household numeric cap comes from zoning, not Ord. 14-22.
Lee County's animal ordinance defines livestock (including domesticated poultry) but does not itself permit or ban backyard chickens or roosters. Whether you may keep them depends on your zoning district; contact the Lee County Community Development Department to confirm your parcel's rules.
In unincorporated Lee County, dogs must be under "direct control" at all times. Off your own property that means a leash no longer than 8 feet, a fence, or a cord/chain strong enough to restrain the dog. Loose dogs are "roaming at large" and citable.
Lee County's animal ordinance defines livestock (cattle, horses, goats, sheep, hogs, poultry and similar) using state law but regulates cruelty and restraint, not where livestock may be kept. Whether you can keep livestock depends on your zoning district under the Land Development Code.
Lee County has no breed-specific dog ban, and it cannot enact one. Florida Statute 767.14 lets local governments regulate dangerous dogs but bars any regulation "specific to breed." Since October 1, 2023, local breed, weight, or size restrictions are preempted statewide.
Lee County cannot regulate managed honeybee colonies. Florida Statute 586.10 preempts colony registration, inspection, permitting, and placement to the state (FDACS). Register your colonies with FDACS and follow its Best Management Practices instead of any local rule.
In Lee County, any cat four months or older must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed, and wear its County license/rabies tag (microchipped cats and ferrets are exempt from the wear-tag rule). Registered TNR (trap-neuter-return) colony caretakers are exempted from the tethering/confinement restrictions.
Lee County residents may not intentionally feed certain wildlife. Florida's FWC rule (F.A.C. 68A-4.001) bans intentionally feeding bears and prohibits leaving food or garbage that attracts bears, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, pelicans, sandhill cranes, and non-human primates once it creates a nuisance.
Lee County has no separate "hoarding" ordinance, but hoarding is reached through its cruelty and care standards. Every animal must have adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care, and sanitary conditions. Keeping animals in cruel or unsanitary conditions is citable and can be a state crime.
Lee County does not ban leaf blowers. The Noise Control Ordinance expressly exempts lawn care, mowers, domestic power tools and tree trimming when used between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., so daytime leaf-blower use is allowed. Outside those hours it can be a noise disturbance.
Lee County's Noise Control Ordinance covers vehicle-related noise through its general sound-level limits and noise-disturbance standard, but exempts safety alarms (backup and vehicle-motion alarms). Loud exhaust and revving near homes at night can exceed the 55 dBA residential cap.
Outdoor music in unincorporated Lee County must meet the Table 1 limits (66 dBA day / 55 dBA night in residential areas) and can be cited as a noise disturbance. Events exceeding limits need a written waiver from the County Manager, valid up to 180 days.
In unincorporated Lee County, residential noise may not exceed 66 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., dropping to 55 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., measured at the receiving property line. Incorporated cities set their own rules.
Lee County requires mufflers on power construction equipment and limits noise to the Table 1 land-use cap. 24-hour equipment (pumps, generators) near homes must be shielded from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. unless it stays under 55 dBA.
The Lee County Noise Control Ordinance treats persistent barking as a prohibited 'noise disturbance' judged by volume, duration and proximity to sleeping areas. Sustained barking that unreasonably disturbs neighbors can be cited by the Sheriff's Office; animal-nuisance rules are in Ch. 14.
Amplified music, including low-frequency bass, is covered by the Lee County Noise Control Ordinance. It must stay within the Table 1 dBA limits (55 dBA at night in residential areas) and may be cited as a noise disturbance regardless of decibel reading.
Lee County sets numeric dBA caps: residential 66 dBA day / 55 dBA night; commercial 72 day / 65 night; industrial 75 at all times. Measured at the receiving property line, at least 5 dB above ambient, with a type-2 A-weighted meter.
Manufacturing and industrial land in unincorporated Lee County is capped at 75 dBA at all times at the receiving property line. Where industry predates encroaching homes, the higher industrial limit can apply to those homes as an affirmative defense.
Lee County's noise ordinance expressly exempts noise from operation of all Lee County airports. Aircraft-in-flight noise is regulated by the federal FAA, not the county. Complaints go to the airport authority (RSW/Page Field), not the Sheriff's Office.
Retaining walls in unincorporated Lee County are permitted through the same Residential Fence or Wall process. Walls need a building permit, and if the wall exceeds 6 feet (excluding chain-link fences) the county requires blueprints signed and sealed by a Florida-registered architect or engineer showing footer, re-bar, and block courses.
LDC section 34-1742 requires a Lee County building permit for any fence or wall over 25 inches tall (bona fide agricultural and government conservation fences are exempt). Permits are applied for through the county's eConnect system with a site plan showing property lines and setbacks.
Lee County requires conventional fence materials and prohibits non-traditional ones. Barbed wire, spire-tip, sharp-object, or electrified fences may not be within 100 feet of a residential area or zoning district without the Director's authorization, and tires, mufflers, hubcaps, fabric, nets, plastic slats and similar items are prohibited.
In unincorporated Lee County, LDC section 34-1744 caps a residential fence in the front (street) yard at 3 feet, allowing 4 feet if open-mesh, while a fence between the side or rear lot line and the accessory-building setback line may reach 6 feet.
Lee County sets no boundary-fence cost-sharing rule; that is a private matter under Florida law. The LDC does require fences to sit out of street rights-of-way and at least 5 feet from natural water bodies, and nothing may be built in an easement that prohibits it (LDC 34-1744, 34-1746).
LDC section 34-1742 requires all fences and fence walls on a property to be of uniform materials, design and color, constructed and maintained so they do not detract from the neighborhood, with no missing components, and remaining substantially vertical to serve their intended function.
Lee County requires fences and walls of conventional building materials: concrete block, brick, wood, decorative aluminum, iron or steel, chain link, or fence-grade composite. The eConnect permit lists material options including aluminum, chain link, concrete block, picket, plastic/vinyl, precast, split rail, wire, and wood.
There is no Lee County vacation-rental registration ordinance; the state preempts it. Instead you register the vacation rental for a state DBPR license, obtain a Florida sales-tax certificate from the Department of Revenue, and register with the Lee County Clerk's Tourist Tax Office to collect the 5% bed tax.
Unincorporated Lee County sets no post-2011 vacation-rental-specific occupancy cap; Florida preemption blocks new local rules based on a rental's classification, use, or occupancy. Guests are limited only by the Florida Building Code, generally-applicable zoning density, and the property's septic capacity.
Lee County cannot impose vacation-rental-only noise rules, but its generally-applicable noise ordinance applies fully to rental guests. Loud parties, amplified music, and disturbances are enforced by Lee County code enforcement and the Sheriff, and repeated violations can jeopardize a rental's DBPR license.
Unincorporated Lee County requires no county short-term-rental permit. Florida preempts vacation-rental licensing to the state: a vacation rental must hold a state license from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants (DBPR). Lee County only administers the 5% Tourist Development (bed) Tax and generally-applicable nuisance codes.
Lee County levies a 5% Tourist Development Tax on rentals of six months or less. The dealer collects it from every transient guest and remits it to the Lee County Clerk. This 5% bed tax is on top of Florida's 6% state sales tax and any local discretionary surtax.
Lee County has no vacation-rental-specific parking ordinance. Because state law preempts new local STR rules, guest parking is governed by the same generally-applicable Land Development Code standards that apply to any residence: off-street parking must be on approved surfaces, and vehicles may not block rights-of-way or sidewalks.
Lee County cannot require a vacation rental to be the owner's primary residence. Florida preempts local rules restricting vacation rentals based on use or occupancy (FS 509.032(7)(b)), so non-owner-occupied, whole-home, and investor rentals are all lawful in the unincorporated area, subject only to the state license and bed tax.
Lee County cannot cap how many nights or how often a vacation rental operates. FS 509.032(7)(b) expressly bars local ordinances adopted after June 1, 2011 from regulating the duration or frequency of vacation rentals, so there is no minimum-stay or annual-night limit in the unincorporated county.
Lee County does not require a host or on-site manager to be present during a vacation rental. State preemption blocks such use-based local rules. Un-hosted, remotely managed whole-home rentals are lawful in the unincorporated area, though state law requires a licensed operator responsible for the establishment.
Lee County imposes no vacation-rental insurance requirement, and Florida does not set a statutory minimum liability policy for vacation rentals. Coverage is left to the host and any platform host-protection program. Carrying commercial short-term-rental liability coverage is strongly recommended but not legally required in the unincorporated county.
Lee County allows backyard fire rings and recreational fire pits burning clean wood, subject to Florida Forest Service setbacks. When the county enacts a drought burn ban, campfires, bonfires and open outdoor fires are prohibited, though gas/charcoal food grills stay allowed.
Lee County does not impose a fixed defensible-space or brush-clearance distance on private homeowners the way western wildfire states do. Clearing is voluntary and follows Florida Forest Service "Firewise"/Ready-Set-Go guidance, though the county may abate genuinely overgrown, hazardous lots.
In Lee County, Florida law lets you use consumer fireworks only on New Year's Day, July 4, and New Year's Eve. On any other day, using them is unlawful statewide. Local rules and HOA covenants may add limits, but cannot ban holiday use.
You may burn yard waste in Lee County without a Florida Forest Service authorization if the pile fits an 8-foot diameter, is your own vegetative debris, and is lit after 9 a.m. and out one hour before sunset. Larger piles and land-clearing need authorization.
Small recreational backyard fires (fire ring, chiminea, clean-wood campfire) are allowed in Lee County when no burn ban is in effect and Florida Forest Service safety rules are met. During a drought State of Local Emergency, all open backyard fires are banned; food grills remain exempt.
Lee County does not set its own residential propane-storage limits. Home LP-gas storage follows the Florida Fire Prevention Code, which adopts NFPA 58, and Florida's LP Gas program under the Department of Agriculture. Typical small grill and portable cylinders need no permit.
Florida law (FS 553.883), enforced through the Florida Building Code in Lee County, requires smoke alarms in homes. Any newly installed or replacement battery-powered smoke alarm must use a nonremovable, nonreplaceable 10-year battery.
Lee County has no adopted wildfire-hazard overlay zone that imposes special building or vegetation rules on homeowners. Wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface (Lehigh Acres, coastal pine flatwoods) is managed through Florida Forest Service programs and drought-triggered countywide burn bans.
In unincorporated Lee County, you may not stop, stand, or park on sidewalks, crosswalks, intersections, bike paths, bridges, or anywhere official signs prohibit it. Parking is also barred on the roadway side of a parked vehicle. State traffic law (FS Ch. 316) governs enforcement and fines.
Lee County's LDC does not cap RVs, boats, or non-commercial recreational trailers parked at a home, but trailers over a 15,000-lb combined GVWR are restricted in residential zones. Live-aboards and commercial storage of boats/RVs are separately regulated. Check any HOA or deed restrictions too.
Lee County has no blanket overnight street-parking ban, but you may not park any vehicle for more than 24 continuous hours on a public street, lot, or public-access property to display it for sale, hire, or rent. After written notice, the vehicle may be towed at the owner's expense.
Storing inoperative, wrecked, or partly dismantled vehicles on residential property in unincorporated Lee County is a public nuisance subject to immediate abatement. Violations can bring fines up to $250 per day, jail up to 60 days, or both, with each day a separate offense.
You cannot park tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, two-or-more-rear-axle trucks, or any truck over 15,000-lb GVWR on residentially or agriculturally zoned Lee County property. Limited exceptions cover daytime deliveries, an enclosed home-occupation building, working AG residents, and emergency utility on-call trucks.
New Lee County duplex and two-family-attached homes need a separate driveway per unit, at least 20 by 20 feet, built of concrete, asphalt, or concrete pavers. Driveways must stay pothole-free, and long-term use for anything other than parking and driving is prohibited.
Lee County's Land Development Code sets no county-specific rule for home EV chargers; installation follows the Florida Building Code and NEC electrical permitting through Lee County DCD. Public and multifamily charging is shaped by state law, and HOAs cannot unreasonably ban owner-installed chargers.
Lee County does not set its own residential curb-painting color code; curb and pavement markings follow the Florida MUTCD administered by FDOT and the County DOT. Residents may not paint public curbs or add unofficial pavement markings, and posted 'No Parking' signs and lines govern where you can park.
Oversized commercial vehicles, including trucks with a GVWR over 15,000 pounds, two-or-more-rear-axle trucks, and semis, may not be parked on residentially or agriculturally zoned property in Lee County. Non-commercial recreational trailers and RVs are exempted from this size restriction.
In unincorporated Lee County, you may not use a required off-street parking or loading space for merchandise display or rental-vehicle parking, and stopping to load or unload is barred in signed and prohibited areas. Commercial developments must provide off-street loading under the LDC.
Home childcare in Florida is regulated by the state under FS Chapter 402. A family day care home must be licensed if Lee County requires it by ordinance; otherwise it must register annually with the Department of Children and Families. Capacity is capped at about six children.
Lee County's Land Development Code allows a home occupation as an accessory use in districts that permit dwellings, but it must be clearly incidental and subordinate to residential use. Florida's home-based business law (FS 559.955) also limits how counties can restrict qualifying home businesses.
A Lee County home occupation must show no exterior evidence that the dwelling is used for anything but a residence, except one small, non-illuminated nameplate. Larger commercial or illuminated signs are not permitted at a home-occupation address.
Lee County allows home occupations by right in districts permitting dwellings, subject to the Land Development Code's Division 18 standards. A Lee County local business tax receipt is generally required, and a home-occupation affidavit confirms compliance with the accessory-use limits.
Florida's cottage food law lets you make and sell certain non-hazardous foods from your Lee County home with no state license and no local permit, as long as annual gross sales stay at or below $250,000. Lee County cannot separately license a compliant cottage food operation.
In unincorporated Lee County, grasses and weeds over 12 inches high on a lot are a declared nuisance under the Lot Mowing Ordinance (No. 14-08). Owners must keep vegetation cut, or the County mows it and assesses the cost.
Trees required by the Lee County Land Development Code may only be pruned to promote healthy, natural growth using ANSI A300 and ISA standards. Severe pruning, topping, or hat-racking is prohibited and carries per-tree fines.
The Lee County Lot Mowing Ordinance (No. 14-08) declares grasses and weeds over 12 inches on lots a nuisance in unincorporated areas. The County notices owners, then mows and liens the property if the overgrowth is not abated.
Lee County does not restrict residential rainwater harvesting. Under water Ordinance No. 24-01, rain barrels, cisterns, and other rain-harvesting devices may be used to water plants any day of the week, exempt from the landscape irrigation day and time limits.
Lee County's Land Development Code does not authorize synthetic turf as a substitute for required living landscaping, so it generally does not count toward development landscape or open-space requirements. For a private yard, check zoning and stormwater rules before installing.
Under Lee County LDC Chapter 14, Article V, a tree protected by the article may be lawfully removed only after a vegetation/tree removal permit is secured from the administrator. Protected species are listed in Appendix E of the LDC.
Unincorporated Lee County limits landscape irrigation to set days by address and bans watering from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round under Ordinance No. 24-01, supplementing the SFWMD Year-Round rule (FAC 40E-24). A stricter one-day schedule runs February through May.
Lee County's development landscape standards require a large share of native Florida trees and shrubs from Appendix E, and Florida law (FS 373.185) bars HOAs from prohibiting water-conserving Florida-friendly landscaping. Native gardens are protected, not banned.
Backyard composting is allowed in Lee County; no ordinance prohibits a residential compost pile. Yard waste (grass, leaves, brush) is collected separately through the County's curbside solid waste program rather than placed with regular garbage.
Under the Florida Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, a pool barrier must be at least 4 feet (48 inches) high on the outside, with no gaps a child could crawl under, squeeze through, or climb over, and placed away from the water's edge.
Above-ground residential pools in unincorporated Lee County generally require a building permit and must meet the same Florida Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act barrier or approved-cover requirements as in-ground pools. The pool wall or a removable ladder may form part of the barrier if it meets FS 515.29.
Yes. A building permit from Lee County Development & Community Services is required to build a residential swimming pool in unincorporated Lee County. Pools over $5,000 also require a recorded Notice of Commencement, and the required safety barrier/enclosure must be in place before final inspection.
Before a residential pool passes final inspection, Florida law requires at least one safety feature: a barrier meeting FS 515.29, an approved safety pool cover, exit alarms on doors/windows, a self-closing self-latching device on the access door, or a pool alarm meeting ASTM F2208.
Residential spas and hot tubs are covered by the Florida Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act. FS 515.29 lets a hot tub satisfy the barrier requirement with an approved, lockable safety cover instead of a fence. A building/electrical permit is generally required for installation.
One accessory apartment or accessory dwelling unit is allowed per single-family residence in unincorporated Lee County. Living area is capped at 60 percent of the principal home's living area, and one extra off-street parking space is required on-site.
A converted garage or accessory building attached to the house must meet all principal-building rules; if detached, it follows accessory-structure setbacks. Converting a garage into living space or an accessory apartment triggers building permits and the one-unit-per-home ADU limit.
In unincorporated Lee County, residential accessory buildings such as sheds must be set back at least five feet from any rear property line and no closer to a side line than the district's required side setback or ten feet, whichever is less. Building Code compliance is required.
Carports are accessory structures that must sit on the same lot and zoning as the home and meet accessory setbacks. Related recreational structures like cabanas are limited to recreational use only, with overnight sleeping and stoves or ovens prohibited.
Lee County has no separate tiny-home category. A permanent tiny home on a foundation is treated as a single-family dwelling or, if secondary to a main house, as an accessory dwelling unit under LDC Sec. 34-1177, subject to the 60-percent living-area cap and Florida Building Code.
Backyard smokers and pellet/charcoal cookers are treated as food grills in Lee County, not as open burning, so they need no permit and remain allowed even during a burn ban. Nuisance-smoke and multifamily fire-code limits still apply.
Lee County sets no special residential rule on gas or charcoal barbecue grills, and food grills are expressly excluded from the county's outdoor burn ban. Multifamily/condo grill use follows the Florida Fire Prevention Code, which restricts open-flame grills on some apartment balconies.
Lee County LDC Table 34-695 sets minimum setbacks for one- and two-family residential districts. In the common RS-1 district the side yard is 7.5 feet and rear yard 20 feet; street setbacks vary by the road's functional classification. Accessory buildings must sit at least 5 feet from the rear line.
LDC Table 34-695 caps maximum lot coverage at 40% of total lot area in the common RS-1, RS-2, RS-3, RS-4, and RS-5 single-family districts. Coverage is 45% in RSC-1, RSA, TFC-1, and TF-1, and just 25% in the RSC-2 district.
LDC Table 34-695 limits the maximum building height to 35 feet in all one- and two-family residential districts in unincorporated Lee County. Special coastal and conservation areas have lower or different limits, including 33 feet on Greater Pine Island and 38 feet in the Gasparilla Island Conservation District.
Residential '1-1-1' service includes weekly commingled recycling. Lee County also mandates recycling for businesses and multifamily properties in unincorporated areas: every business must recycle at least one material, collected at least once every two weeks.
All improved property in unincorporated Lee County must receive mandatory garbage and solid waste collection. Residences of four or fewer units get '1-1-1' service: one weekly collection each of garbage/trash, commingled recyclables, and horticulture waste at the curb.
Lee County residential curbside service collects garbage, recyclables, and horticulture waste set out at the curb within about six feet of the roadway. Horticulture must be bundled to under six feet long and 50 pounds; loose palm fronds up to 50 pounds may be set out.
Lee County residential service includes pickup of bulky waste, white goods (large appliances), and electronic waste. Some bulky items go out with regular garbage collection; larger or special items (white goods, e-waste) are picked up by special arrangement with the hauler.
Dumping litter or waste on public or private land in Lee County is illegal. Under Florida's Litter Law (FS 403.413), dumping up to 15 pounds is a $150 civil fine; over 500 pounds or for commercial purposes is a third-degree felony.
In unincorporated Lee County the property owner must provide approved, covered garbage receptacles adequate to hold all waste from the home, and may not permit an unsanitary nuisance. Cans hold up to about 32 gallons or 50 pounds and must have tight-fitting lids.
In unincorporated Lee County, owners, agents, lessees, and occupants must cut and keep grasses and weeds to a height not exceeding 12 inches. If you don't, the county can mow it and assess the cost plus a $150 fee against your property.
In unincorporated Lee County it is illegal to let garbage, trash, rubbish, inoperable vehicles, or abandoned property pile up on private land. Code Enforcement can order abatement; the county may cut/clear and lien the property for its costs.
Under the Lee County Lot Mowing Ordinance, grasses and weeds over 12 inches on an unimproved lot covering more than 50% of the lot are a nuisance when within 150 feet of developed, adjacent property in a platted subdivision or future urban area. The county can mow and lien.
In unincorporated Lee County no permit is required for a garage or yard sale, but the Land Development Code limits each residence to no more than two garage/yard sales per year, each lasting not more than one week.
In unincorporated Lee County, a property owner may place political or campaign signs of up to four square feet on their own property. Signs may go up no earlier than 60 days before the election and must be removed within ten days after it.
Lee County has no dedicated garage-sale sign rule, but off-site promotional and special-event signs on others' property require a permit and a security bond from the Building Official, may go up within 45 days before the event, and must be removed within ten days after.
On unincorporated Gulf-facing beaches, Lee County bans artificial light directly or indirectly visible from the beach during sea-turtle nesting season, defined as 9:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. from May 1 through October 31, to protect nesting turtles and hatchlings.
Lee County treats light escaping toward the beach as a violation of its sea-turtle ordinance. A rebuttable presumption of violation exists when artificial light casts a shadow of an opaque object in nesting habitat, so beachfront lights must be shielded and directed downward.
These unincorporated areas are also governed by Lee County ordinances.