Bolthole Index

Lee County, Florida

Town of Fort Myers Beach, Florida: building permits, zoning and sewer

Building permits in the Town of Fort Myers Beach, Florida go through the Town’s Building Services Division, with new applications submitted through GovWell.1 The Town administers zoning and flood regulations in Lee County.2 All developments must connect to Lee County sanitary sewer; remaining septic matters go to the Florida Department of Health in Lee County.34

At a glance

Building permits
Town Building Services; new applications through GovWell1
Zoning
Town zoning and land-development regulations apply5
Wastewater
All developments must connect to Lee County sanitary sewer3
Septic authority
Florida Department of Health in Lee County for remaining septic matters4
RV replacement
Historical replacement rights at Gulf View Colony and Red Coconut are subject to Town conditions6
Accessory apartment lot
At least 6,000 square feet and compliant with the district minimum7
Owner-builder
Conditional Florida exemption; building permits and code compliance remain required8

Who to call

Building permits

Town of Fort Myers Beach Building Services Division

Town building applications, permit status and inspections

239-765-0202

[email protected]

6231 Estero Blvd Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Online permits →

Planning & zoning

Town of Fort Myers Beach Community Development — Planning and Zoning

Town zoning, development review, coastal and flood regulations

239-765-0202

[email protected]

6231 Estero Blvd Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Building permits

Town of Fort Myers Beach Building Services — Applications and Forms

Building application forms and owner-builder affidavit

239-765-0202

6231 Estero Blvd Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931

Septic permits

Florida Department of Health in Lee County — Environmental Health

Septic applications, including tank abandonment after sewer connection

239-690-2100

[email protected]

2295 Victoria Ave. Ste. 206 Fort Myers, FL 33901

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Fort Myers Beach means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Town of Fort Myers Beach, FL?

Fort Myers Beach Building Services handles Town building applications, and the Town expressly requires a building permit for removal or replacement of roofing.1 When a building permit is required, the Town requires an issued permit before construction begins.1 Florida’s owner-builder exemption also preserves building-permit and code-compliance requirements for covered construction.8 Ask Town Building Services to identify the application and scope required for your proposed home, addition or repair.1 New building applications must go through GovWell; inspection scheduling for permits previously issued through iWorQ stays in iWorQ during the transition.1

Who handles building permits and zoning in the Town of Fort Myers Beach?

The Town of Fort Myers Beach Community Development Department administers building, zoning, coastal and flood regulations.2 Contact Town Hall at 239-765-0202 for the Town offices, and use [email protected] for building-inspection questions.1 Planning and Zoning reviews development site and construction plans, zoning amendments and variances.2 For a specific parcel or project, the Town requires a Planning and Zoning appointment; email [email protected] to arrange one.1 Septic matters remain with the Florida Department of Health in Lee County, rather than the Town’s zoning counter.4 For property outside Town limits, use the Lee County guide for the county’s unincorporated-area building and zoning rules.910

Does the Town of Fort Myers Beach have zoning, lot-size and setback rules?

The Town of Fort Myers Beach has its own zoning regulations, including district land-use tables and supplemental rules.5 For an accessory apartment under the cited Town provision, the property must be a lawfully existing lot that meets its district’s minimum lot size and is at least 6,000 square feet.7 That accessory-apartment threshold does not establish a universal minimum lot size for every Fort Myers Beach home.7 We could not confirm the complete residential setback, lot-coverage, height or minimum dwelling-size schedules; ask Town Planning and Zoning to identify the applicable standards for your address.2 Arrange a project-specific appointment before relying on a proposed building footprint.1

How do sewer connections and septic permits work in the Town of Fort Myers Beach?

All developments inside the Town of Fort Myers Beach must connect to the Lee County sanitary sewer system.3 The Town code also requires remaining septic tanks to be disconnected and properly abated under state regulations, with connections rerouted to county sewer.3 Treat sewer connection as part of the development plan rather than assuming a new septic system can substitute for sewer.3 For septic permitting that remains relevant, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County is the local authority.4 The health department’s application page includes septic-tank abandonment after sewer connection; contact Environmental Health at 239-690-2100 or [email protected] about an existing tank.11

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Fort Myers Beach?

We could not confirm general permission to live in an RV or tiny home on a private Fort Myers Beach lot; ask Town Planning and Zoning about the proposed use and address.2 Historical replacement rights for mobile homes and nontransient recreational vehicles at Gulf View Colony and Red Coconut are tied to approved site plans and Town conditions.6 Those park-specific replacement rights do not establish unrestricted RV occupancy throughout the Town.6 Manufactured homes installed or replaced in Town flood hazard areas require floodplain inspection and lowest-floor elevation certification upon placement.12 Confirm the dwelling’s zoning treatment and floodplain requirements before buying a unit.212

Building a home in the Town of Fort Myers Beach: what are the steps?

  1. Arrange a Town Planning and Zoning appointment to review the site, proposed use and development approval.21
  2. Plan the required Lee County sanitary sewer connection and resolve any existing septic-tank abandonment with Environmental Health.311
  3. Review coastal and flood requirements with Town Community Development; the Town applies FEMA’s 50% rule for substantial improvement or substantial damage during plan review.21
  4. Submit the building application through GovWell and obtain the issued building permit before beginning work that requires one.1
  5. If acting as an owner-builder, submit the Town’s Owner Builder Disclosure Affidavit with the application; Florida’s exemption requires direct supervision and preserves building-permit obligations.138
  6. Request the required building inspections before proceeding to the next construction stage.1

Watch-outs

  • Fort Myers Beach developments must connect to Lee County sewer; do not plan a septic-based home as a substitute for that connection.3
  • Fort Myers Beach applies FEMA’s 50% rule for substantial improvement or substantial damage during plan review; discuss the proposed work with your design professional and Town Building Services.1
  • New Town building applications use GovWell, while existing iWorQ permits continue using iWorQ for inspection scheduling during the transition.1
  • We could not confirm general private-lot RV or tiny-home occupancy permission; request a parcel-specific answer from Town Planning and Zoning.2

Sources

  1. Town of Fort Myers Beach Building Services Division (fortmyersbeachfl.gov)
  2. Town of Fort Myers Beach Community Development — Planning and Zoning (fortmyersbeachfl.gov)
  3. Connection to sanitary sewer system (Town of Fort Myers Beach), quoted and re-checked
  4. Connection to sanitary sewer system (Town of Fort Myers Beach), quoted and re-checked
  5. Land uses assigned to use groups and sub-groups (Town of Fort Myers Beach), quoted and re-checked
  6. Manufactured homes (Town of Fort Myers Beach), quoted and re-checked
  7. Accessory apartments not requiring owner-occupancy (Town of Fort Myers Beach), quoted and re-checked
  8. 2026 Florida Statutes § 489.103, Exemptions (Florida statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  9. Zoning, quoted and re-checked
  10. Building & Permitting Services, quoted and re-checked
  11. Florida Department of Health in Lee County — Environmental Health (lee.floridahealth.gov)
  12. Manufactured homes (Town of Fort Myers Beach), quoted and re-checked
  13. Town of Fort Myers Beach Building Services — Applications and Forms (fortmyersbeachfl.gov)

Written October 10, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Town of Fort Myers Beach

Town of Fort Myers Beach’s own rules

  • InspectionsRequired

    Manufactured homes installed or replaced in flood hazard areas inside Fort Myers Beach.

    • The floodplain administrator inspects for compliance with the floodplain article and permit conditions.
    • Lowest-floor elevation certification must be submitted upon placement.
    “The floodplain administrator will inspect manufactured homes that are installed or replaced in flood hazard areas to determine compliance with the requirements of this article and the conditions of the issued permit. Upon placement of a manufactured home, certification of the elevation of the lowest floor must be submitted to the floodplain administrator.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Fort Myers Beach town limits.

    • The Town code contains Chapter 34, Zoning Districts, Design Standards and Nonconformities, including district land-use tables and supplemental regulations.
    “Table 34-1, Land Uses Assigned to Use Groups and Sub-Groups (p. 1 of 2)”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Manufactured homes installed or replaced in flood hazard areas and existing mobile-home/RV sites inside Fort Myers Beach.

    • Floodplain inspection and lowest-floor elevation certification are required for manufactured homes installed or replaced in flood hazard areas.
    • Existing mobile-home and nontransient-RV replacement rights are tied to historical Gulf View Colony and Red Coconut site plans and Town code conditions.
    • The supplied excerpts do not establish unrestricted townwide manufactured-home occupancy.
    “Lee County approved site plans for Gulf View Colony and Red Coconut in 1987 to formally acknowledge the right to replace mobile homes and nontransient recreational vehicles in portions of each park in accordance with previous regulations.”
  • Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

    Septic matters inside Fort Myers Beach.

    • Town sewer rules require connection to the Lee County sanitary sewer system and abatement of remaining septic tanks.
    • For Lee County, septic permits and inspections are handled by the local county health department under the state OSTDS program.
    “Permits for OSTDS in these counties are issued by the Environmental Public Health Program of the Florida Department of Health's local county health department.”
  • Septic permitRequired

    Any OSTDS permitting that remains legally relevant inside Fort Myers Beach; the Town code separately requires sewer connection and septic abatement.

    • The Lee County local health department issues OSTDS permits.
    • Application requires the DEP4015 application, site plan, building floor plan, and required fee.
    • The Town code requires all developments to connect to Lee County sanitary sewer.
    “To apply for a permit, download and complete an Application Form (DEP4015, page 1) and submit it, along with a Site Plan (DEP4015, page 2), a building floor plan and the required application fee to your local county health department.”
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    All developments inside Fort Myers Beach.

    • All developments must connect to Lee County sanitary sewer.
    • By January 1, 2005, remaining septic tanks in the incorporated area had to be disconnected, properly abated under state regulations, and rerouted to Lee County sanitary sewer.

    septic disconnection deadline: 2005-01-01 (remaining septic tanks in the incorporated area)

    “(a) All developments must connect to the Lee County sanitary sewer system. (b) By January 1, 2005, all septic tanks remaining in the incorporated area of the Town of Fort Myers Beach must be disconnected and must be properly abated in accordance with state regulations. Connections to those septic tanks must be rerouted into Lee County's sanitary sewer system.”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Subdivision proposals, including manufactured-home parks and subdivisions, inside Fort Myers Beach flood hazard areas.

    • Proposals must be reasonably safe from flooding.
    • Utilities and facilities must be located and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage.
    • Adequate drainage must be provided.
    “Subdivision proposals, including proposals for manufactured home parks and subdivisions, will be reviewed to determine that: (1) Such proposals are consistent with the need to minimize flood damage and will be reasonably safe from flooding; (2) All public utilities and facilities such as sewer, gas, electric, communications, and water systems are located and constructed to minimize or eliminate flood damage; and (3) Adequate drainage is provided to reduce exposure to flood hazards.”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Fort Myers Beach

Town of Fort Myers Beach does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

  • Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

    Accessory apartments on lawfully existing lots in the applicable Fort Myers Beach zoning district.

    • The lot must conform to the minimum lot size of the district.
    • The lot may not be less than 6,000 square feet for an accessory apartment.

    minimum lot area for accessory apartment: >= 6000 square feet

    “An accessory apartment may be permitted on a lawfully existing lot which conforms to the minimum lot size of the district in which it is located. However, in no case shall the lot area be less than 6,000 square feet.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Fort Myers Beach or Lee County directly.

  • Building permit — Building construction inside Fort Myers Beach town limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder work inside Fort Myers Beach town limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Residential districts inside Fort Myers Beach.
  • Setbacks — Residential and agricultural districts inside Fort Myers Beach.
  • Lot coverage — Residential and agricultural districts inside Fort Myers Beach.
4 more unanswered
  • Building height
  • Tiny homes
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Permit fees

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Fort Myers Beach publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Lee County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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