Click the following questions to expand/contract answers provided by staff. If you require additional information, please dial (239) 444-6150 and our receptionist will route your call to staff who will assist you.
Yes, a home owner may apply for a building permit without the need for a contractor. However, the home owner will be expected to fully comply with all zoning regulations and the Florida Building Code as amended.
Restaurants with an ASSEMBLY Occupancy use will require approval from the Department of Business & Professional Regulation Hotels and Restaurants Division.
Please also call Bonita Springs Utilities regarding grease trap requirements. Visit their website here.
Temporary/Permanent Power Letters are required for release of temporary/permanent (temp/perm) power. If you have any questions, please call the inspection office at (239) 444-6173.
The Community Development Department is transitioning to a new online Citizen Access portal for obtaining real-time Permit Status information. Select Permit Portal from the menu above.
Certificates of Occupancy and Certificates of Compliance are obtained at the Community Development Department (239) 444-6150. Please have your permit number and/or site address available.
A sign permit, which is required for certain attached and detached signs, may be obtained at the Community Development office between the hours of 8AM and 4:30PM. Certain areas of the City have special regulations (Bonita Beach Road, U.S. 41, Imperial, and East Terry Street). Information concerning procedures related to Sign Permits is available from the Planner-on-Call at (239) 444-6166. The City of Bonita Springs Chapter 6 Sign Ordinance may be viewed and downloaded from the Municode library.
Threshold Buildings require a Final Threshold Letter to be submitted to the Inspection Office provided by a Threshold Engineer registered with the City of Bonita Springs. For more information on the 2010 Florida Building Code reference Section 110.3.7 regarding language, go to the ICC Online Library.
All contractors licensed by the state of Florida or who hold a Lee County Competency License, doing work in the City of Bonita Springs, must register with the City of Bonita Springs Community Development office. They must show proof of current license as well as liability and Workers Compensation coverage.
LDC. Sec. 4-2225 Use of metal buildings in residential districts. “The construction or use of buildings with an exterior surface of corrugated or galvanized steel or similar materials (excluding aluminum lap or clapboard-style siding), exceeding 240 square feet in total floor area or 12 feet in height above finished floor, for storage of merchandise, produce, or commodities, or for the parking of vehicles (garages) is prohibited, unless approved as a special exception, in the following residential districts: RS, TFC,TF, RM, RPD and the residential portions of an MPD.”
If you are uncertain if the structure being considered is metal (as defined), please visit our office with drawings and/or product approval sheets so we can make a determination.
Note the above does not apply to property zoned Commercial, Agricultural, Recreational Vehicle and Mobile Home.
Inspectors are available by phone and in person from 7:30AM to 8:30AM and on their cell phones from 8:30AM to 4:30PM, unless they are driving. Please leave a message and your call will be returned as soon as they have reached their destination.
Permits are required for sheds, window and exterior door replacements, including garage doors and the replacement of air-conditioning units, water heaters and roofing (including shingle-over-shingle). Kitchen and bathroom remodels require a permit only if any plumbing, electrical, mechanical or gas is added, relocated or removed.
Setback means the minimum horizontal distance required between a specified line and the nearest point of a building or structure.
Street setback means the setback extending across the front of a lot measured from the edge of an existing or proposed street right-of-way or street easement. See section 4-2192 for requirements. Whenever this chapter refers to street setback it means existing or proposed street right-of-way or street easement, whichever is greater.
Side setback means the setback, extending from the required street setback to the required rear lot line, or opposing street setback in the case of a double-frontage lot, measured from the side lot line.
Rear setback means the setback, extending across the rear of a lot, measured from the rear lot line.
Waterbody setback means the setback measured from the mean high water line (MHWL), or the control elevation line, if applicable, of a water body. See section 4-2194 for requirements.
Contact our planner-on-call line at (239) 444-6166 for additional information in this regard.
We accept cash, check with a valid driver’s license, and credit card (Master Card and Visa). Credit cards are subject to a 3% surcharge.
A site-plan is a depiction of a property consisting of the property’s boundary. Proposed development (all structures) require a site-plan which will illustrate where the proposed structure will be placed. The site-plan should include the following to be accepted for review:
Property boundary (clearly labeled)
Setback measurement(s) from property line(s) to proposed structure (clearly delineated and labeled)
The City of Bonita Springs Inspectors are located at 9220 Bonita Beach Road, Suite 111. The office hours are Monday through Friday from 8AM to 4:30PM. Note: Our inspectors are unable to answer or return calls while driving in the field.
Construction plans are reviewed and buildings are inspected in accordance with 2010 FBC. Building (Structural), fuel Gas (LP/Propane), Mechanical, Plumbing, Swimming Pools; 2008 edition National Electrical Code. Energy, Accessibility; 2010 Fire Prevention Code: Fire, Life Safety, City of Bonita Springs: Coastal Construction Code, Flood Plain Management Ordinance.
For Building Code information, visit the following pages:
Permits which require zoning are reviewed for compliance with the Land Development Code (LDC).
Nothing in this division shall be construed so as to permit the construction or placing of any construction within a public or private easement which prohibits such construction or placement.
What is a Utility Easement?
Even though you own the property on which your home rests, utility companies in the area might have the right to use parts of it. When you purchased your home a utility easement might have been on the property. This is the case for many properties that are connected to a city power grid, sewer and/or water system. The same holds true for drainage, and all maintenance easements (e.g. golf course, water-body, etc.)
Structures prohibited from being placed within an easement are as follows:
Buildings
Pools
Sheds
Carports
Large Trees
If you require additional information, please contact our main number at (239) 444-6150 and our receptionist will route your call to the appropriate staff who will assist you.
4-1742: Construction of Fences 4-1742(D): Fences and fence walls must be constructed conventional and traditional building materials including, but not limited to, concrete block, brick, wood, decorative aluminum, iron or steel, chain link or composite products manufactured specifically fences and walls. Non-traditional materials, including but not limited to, tires, mufflers, hubcaps, etc., are prohibited. Fabric sheets or nets, or plastic, metal or vinyl sheets or slats may not be used as part the fence or attached to a fence for the purpose of effecting privacy or required screening.
4-1742(E): Fences and walls must be constructed to present the finished side the fence to the adjoining lot or any abutting right-of-way. Where, there is an existing fence, wall or continuous landscape hedge on the adjoining parcel, this provision may be administratively waived upon written request.
Sec. 4-1467. – Location and height of fences and walls other than residential project fences.
(b) Fence or wall height.
(1) Determination of height. Except as set forth in section 3-418 for required buffers, fence or wall height will be measured from the existing elevation of the abutting property. In rear and side yards, the building official has the discretion to allow a deviation of up to four inches in height where required to compensate for variations in grade, drainage, or weed maintenance; provided that the length of the structural materials for the fence do not exceed the permitted height.
(2)(a)(2): A fence or wall located between a side or rear lot line and the minimum required setback line for accessory buildings is limited to a maximum height of six feet. For purposes of this section, the side yard will be considered that portion of the lot extending from the minimum required street setback line to the rear lot line.
4-1467(B)(2)(A)(1): In residential areas, any fence or wall located between a street right-of-way or easement and the minimum required street setback line may not exceed three feet in height, except that fences may be a maximum height of four feet so long as the fence is of open mesh screening and does not interfere with vehicle visibility requirements (see section 4-3131) at traffic access points.
4-1467(B)(2)(A)(3): A fence within 25 feet of a body of water must be open mesh screening above a height of 3 1/2 feet.
In an effort to provide expedited customer service we are implementing the following process and procedure for applicants that use Courier Service Providers.
Please have all Courier Service Providers submit and pick up at the City of Bonita Springs Building Department, located at 9220 Bonita Beach Rd. Suite 111, Bonita Springs, FL 34135.
Please provide your Courier Service Provider with the following information for all permit submissions:
Project name and permit type.
Applicable permit fee in accordance with the City of Bonita Springs Community Development Fee Schedule.
Courier Service Providers must wait until the application has been checked for intake. Insufficient applications may be turned away without proper documentation from staff.
Please provide your Courier Service Provider with the following information for all permit pickups:
Project name; permit number, and staff contact
Any outstanding permit fees must be paid or the permit may be withheld. All outstanding fees may be viewed through the Community Development ePortal.
If you are an existing business owner changing only the name of your business, not the location or type of business OR if you have purchased a business and are not making any changes (i.e. name, location, or type) you do not need to apply for a USE permit. Please proceed to the Lee County Tax collectors office to apply for your business tax receipt.
Any building contractor registered with the City of Bonita Springs may apply for a building permit. Additionally, residential property owners may apply for permits themselves but are expected to fully comply with the Florida Building Code (as amended) and City Zoning. Commercial property owners may apply for permits as long the the proposed project does not exceed $75,000.
Any commercial project exceeding $75,000 must be applied for by a Florida Licensed Contractor registered with the City of Bonita Springs.
The Division of Environmental Health, which issues permits for septic systems, is located on the second floor of the Regional Service Center, 2295 Victoria Avenue, in downtown Fort Myers. The phone number is (239) 690-2100; fax is (239) 690-2101. The office is a division of the Florida Department of Health. To schedule inspections, please call their office.
Well inspections are completed by the Natural Resources Wells Department. Please call, (239) 543-8540 for more information.
For new residential development within the San Carlos Estates Drainage District, you will need to call Julie Keister, of Morris-Depew Associates, Inc. at (239) 337-3993, ext. 348 for guidance.
Residential and Commercial driveway permits and inspections on city maintained roadways are conducted through the City of Bonita Springs Public Works Department at (239) 949-6262. Residential and Commercial road right of way permits on county maintained roadways are handled by the Lee County Department of Transportation. Please contact them directly at (239) 533-8520 for more information.
Public Works Department conducts all driveway inspections.
