Lee County, FL Short-Term Rentals: Night Caps (2026)
Key Facts
- Countywide night cap
- None stated in the code
- Captiva RSC-2 minimum stay
- Seven days
- Captiva leases at once
- One at a time
- Transient guest
- Rents six months or less
- Code section
- LDC 33-1626(c)(3)
Summary
Most of unincorporated Lee County's code sets no cap on how many nights you may rent. Captiva Island is the exception: on RSC-2 lots, Section 33-1626 bars renting or leasing for periods of less than seven days.
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.
Full Breakdown
Lee County's Captiva Island community plan regulations, Section 33-1626(c), allow up to two accessory dwelling units on an RSC-2 lot, then add a rental restriction: property owners may not rent or lease for periods of less than seven days any combination of principal or accessory dwelling units on a single RSC-2 zoned lot, and may not rent or lease units under more than one lease at a time. That is a minimum-stay rule and a one-lease-at-a-time rule, not an annual night cap. Elsewhere the retrieved code contains no limit on the number of nights or bookings; the zoning code's only duration line is its definition of a transient guest as one who rents for six months or less.
Violations & Fines
A rental that breaches the Captiva seven-day minimum is a Land Development Code violation, heard by the County Hearing Examiner, with fines from $25 to $1,000 per day and more for repeat violations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a limit on how many nights I can rent per year in Lee County?
Does Lee County set a minimum-night stay for rentals?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lee County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Lee County to another location·View the Florida short-term rentals overview
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