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.
FS 509.032(7)(b) bars local ordinances adopted after June 1, 2011 from restricting vacation rentals based solely on their classification, use, or occupancy. Florida courts (e.g., disputes involving Flagler County and Anna Maria) have held that a neutral, generally-applicable maximum-occupancy limit does not itself violate the preemption, but Lee County's unincorporated area has not adopted a vacation-rental-specific occupancy ordinance. In practice, how many guests may stay is governed by the Florida Building Code habitable-space standards, the property's on-site septic or sewer capacity, and generally-applicable residential density in the zoning district, not by any STR headcount rule unique to short-term guests. A host should confirm any occupancy figure with Lee County Community Development.
There is no county STR-specific occupancy penalty; overcrowding is addressed through the building code, health/septic rules, and nuisance enforcement, each with its own code-enforcement fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Lee County, FL
Backyard composting is allowed in Lee County; no ordinance prohibits a residential compost pile. Yard waste (grass, leaves, brush) is collected separately th...
Lee County, FL
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 d...
Lee County, FL
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...
Lee County, FL
Lee County does not restrict residential rainwater harvesting. Under water Ordinance No. 24-01, rain barrels, cisterns, and other rain-harvesting devices may...
Lee County, FL
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, su...
Lee County, FL
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 owne...
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