Punta Gorda Land and Lots for Sale
Land for sale in Punta Gorda FL runs from a $12,000 Tropical Gulf Acres lot on a graded street to City canal lots that sell for hundreds of thousands, so no single price describes it. This page covers Punta Gorda land for sale and Punta Gorda lots for sale, from single platted lots to acreage, using Charlotte County recorded sales, not asking prices. In the 12 months to September 8, 2026, the county recorded 488 qualified sales of vacant residential-use land at a $23,000 median. If you want a finished house instead, start with our Punta Gorda homes for sale page. Vacant land here means county land use codes 00xx, 18,128 parcels in the Punta Gorda area.
On this page "Punta Gorda" means the City of Punta Gorda plus unincorporated Charlotte County addresses with ZIP codes 33950, 33955, 33982 and 33983. Tropical Gulf Acres, South Punta Gorda Heights, Deep Creek, Burnt Store Lakes and Peace River Shores all carry Punta Gorda mailing addresses but sit outside the City limits. Babcock Ranch has its own Babcock Ranch page, lots labelled Harbour Heights belong to the Port Charlotte market and are not counted here, and Burnt Store Marina is in Lee County, so this page prints no Lee County lot figures.
Two county counts appear below and they answer different questions. The 488 sales are residential-use vacant land, the scope the plat tables use. The wider count of every qualified vacant sale in the four ZIP codes is 631 sales at a $32,000 median, shown by ZIP code in the price section. Both come from the Charlotte County Property Appraiser roll and recorded sales, and both leave out multi-parcel deeds. We tracked all 488 sales by plat against the 18,128 vacant parcels on the roll, so each plat table below shows how often lots there actually change hands.
By Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, Domain Realty Group. Data updated: October 2026. Call Domain Realty Group at 239-441-2816.
Key takeaways for Punta Gorda land buyers
- Charlotte County recorded 488 residential-use vacant land sales in the Punta Gorda area in the 12 months to September 8, 2026, at a $23,000 median. The 24-month count is 977 sales, also at a $23,000 median, across 18,128 vacant parcels.
- Tropical Gulf Acres is the largest inventory: 5,324 vacant parcels, 140 sales and a $12,000 median. South Punta Gorda Heights recorded 37 sales at $15,000 and Peace River Shores 33 sales at $15,000.
- Deep Creek lots in Punta Gorda Isles Section 20 recorded 16 sales at $40,000 and Section 23 recorded 20 sales at $46,000. Burnt Store Lakes, Punta Gorda Isles Section 21, recorded 44 sales at $30,500.
- City canal sections are thin markets. Section 14 recorded 4 sales at $286,500, Section 15 recorded 7 at $220,000 and Section 12 recorded 8 at $370,000, so one sale can move a median a long way.
- In a county GIS sample of 30 vacant parcels per subdivision, FEMA zone D covered 97 percent of Tropical Gulf Acres, 77 percent of South Punta Gorda Heights and 93 percent of Punta Gorda Isles Section 16. Zone D means FEMA never studied the flood risk. It does not mean low risk.
- All 510 sampled lots sit inside the County scrub-jay permit boundary. The 2026 County fee is $2,031 for a lot up to 0.22 acre and $4,063 for 0.23 to 0.49 acre, and it stays with the parcel.
- The County's adopted single family impact fee is $7,804. A 2026 update study calculated $27,685 to $30,982, the September 15, 2026 workshop postponed the decision and staff return in November 2026, so check before you buy.
- In Tropical Gulf Acres the Property Appraiser road code shows 2,893 vacant parcels on unpaved roads against 2,156 on paved roads, and the FY2027 street and drainage assessment is $102 per vacant lot.
- Water and sewer are a per-address check, and a new septic system needs an engineer-designed plan and a Florida Department of Health permit.
- The FBI warned in June 2026 about criminals impersonating vacant land owners to sell parcels they do not own, and the Charlotte County Clerk offers a free Property Fraud Alert.
Data updated: October 2026.
| Vacant land measure, Punta Gorda area | Window | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential-use vacant land (18,128 parcels) | 12 months to September 8, 2026 | 488 | $23,000 |
| Residential-use vacant land | 24 months to September 8, 2026 | 977 | $23,000 |
| Every qualified vacant sale, four ZIP codes | 12 months to September 9, 2026 | 631 | $32,000 |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser roll and recorded sales, DOR-qualified vacant parcels, retrieved October 2026. Multi-parcel deeds are excluded from every median. Babcock Ranch and Harbour Heights are excluded.
Punta Gorda land and lots for sale right now
Every active Punta Gorda lot, acreage parcel and builder lot is in the searches below, filtered to land. This page prints no count of lots for sale, because the research behind it holds no verified active count and any figure would be a guess. The live number appears on the search page and refreshes with the MLS. Data updated: October 2026.
Search Punta Gorda land and lots
Start with the Punta Gorda land and lots for sale search, a land search over the City and Burnt Store frame. For acreage, open the Punta Gorda area map search and filter to land and acreage in the search. The map frame is a rectangle, not a city limit, so a few results at its edges carry Port Charlotte, Babcock Ranch or Lee County addresses.
Search Deep Creek lots for sale
Deep Creek is Punta Gorda Isles Sections 20 and 23 in ZIP 33983, unincorporated Charlotte County with a Punta Gorda address. The Deep Creek area land search may show a few Harbour Heights lots at its west edge, which belong to the Port Charlotte market.
Looking for a house or a condo instead?
Lots are one piece of the Punta Gorda market. Our Punta Gorda waterfront homes for sale page covers canal and harbor houses, and our Punta Gorda condos for sale page covers condominiums. All other houses are on the Punta Gorda homes for sale page.
Why lot counts differ between websites
Other websites show lot counts for "Punta Gorda" that do not match each other or this page, because each draws the map differently. Some include Port Charlotte or Harbour Heights lots under a Punta Gorda label, and some mix farmland and commercial tracts with residential lots. This page defines its geography once, above, and tags every figure. For buyers weighing a second lot market, our Cape Coral page covers that city, and this page prints no Cape Coral lot figures.
To see any of these lots in person, contact Domain Realty Group or call 239-441-2816 and a Domain Realty Group agent will set up the visits.
What does a lot cost in Punta Gorda?
A Punta Gorda lot has a $23,000 recorded median across the area, but the range is wide. Charlotte County recorded 488 residential-use vacant sales in 12 months, from Tropical Gulf Acres at $12,000 and Deep Creek at $40,000 to $46,000 to City canal sections from $220,000 up. Price a lot by its plat, never by one area number. On this page, 12 months means recorded sales from October 1, 2025 to September 9, 2026, the newest deed in the county file, and 24 months starts October 1, 2024. Data updated: November 2026.
| Window | Residential-use vacant sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| 12 months to September 8, 2026 | 488 | $23,000 |
| 24 months to September 8, 2026 | 977 | $23,000 |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser roll and recorded sales, land use 00xx, retrieved October 28, 2026. Multi-parcel deeds are excluded.
Punta Gorda lot prices by ZIP code
The wider count of every qualified vacant sale in the four ZIP codes is 631 sales in the 12 months to September 9, 2026, at a $32,000 median, from $2,000 to $6,248,600. ZIP 33955, which holds Tropical Gulf Acres, Burnt Store Lakes and South Punta Gorda Heights, carried 359 of those sales at a $20,000 median. ZIP 33950 recorded only 55 sales, but at a $210,000 median, the highest of the four. We tracked those 631 sales by ZIP code so you can see where the cheap volume sits and where the few expensive lots are.
| Vacant land sales, 12 months | Sales | Median | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All four Punta Gorda area ZIP codes | 631 | $32,000 | $2,000 | $6,248,600 |
| ZIP 33950 | 55 | $210,000 | $2,000 | $750,000 |
| ZIP 33955 | 359 | $20,000 | $2,100 | $762,800 |
| ZIP 33982 | 166 | $57,500 | $2,600 | $6,248,600 |
| ZIP 33983 | 51 | $46,000 | $21,000 | $467,100 |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser recorded sales, DOR-qualified vacant parcels, 12 months to September 9, 2026. Multi-parcel deeds are excluded from every median. This table counts every qualified vacant sale, so its total differs from the 488 residential-use sales above.
Punta Gorda lot prices by plat area
The plat table below is the one to use when pricing a specific lot. Rows for City sections come from small samples, so the sale count sits beside every median. The 24-month median for Section 15 is lower than its 12-month median because only 16 sales stand behind it, which shows how far one sale moves a thin market.
| Plat area | Vacant parcels | Jurisdiction | 12-month sales | 12-month median | 24-month sales | 24-month median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Gulf Acres | 5,324 | Unincorporated | 140 | $12,000 | 294 | $12,500 |
| Unplatted acreage | 2,088 | Mostly unincorporated | 80 | $53,750 | 160 | $63,000 |
| South Punta Gorda Heights | 1,228 | Unincorporated | 37 | $15,000 | 75 | $14,000 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 21 (Burnt Store Lakes) | 1,089 | Unincorporated | 44 | $30,500 | 73 | $35,000 |
| Peace River Shores | 1,021 | Unincorporated | 33 | $15,000 | 58 | $16,000 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 20 (Deep Creek north) | 469 | Unincorporated | 16 | $40,000 | 28 | $40,000 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 23 (Deep Creek south) | 451 | Unincorporated | 20 | $46,000 | 33 | $50,000 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 16 (Burnt Store Village) | 444 | Unincorporated | 10 | $36,500 | 15 | $38,000 |
| Tee and Green Estates | 439 | Unincorporated | 7 | $8,000 | 22 | $8,850 |
| Ridge Harbor | 225 | Unincorporated | 7 | $15,000 | 13 | $16,000 |
| Pirate Harbor | 120 | Unincorporated | 9 | $150,000 | 9 | $150,000 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 18 (Burnt Store Meadows) | 138 | City | 8 | $55,000 | 16 | $55,450 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 14 (Bird Section) | 129 | City | 4 | $286,500 | 9 | $315,000 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 15 (Burnt Store Isles) | 106 | City | 7 | $220,000 | 16 | $107,500 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 12 | 105 | City | 8 | $370,000 | 11 | $340,000 |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser roll and recorded sales, land use 00xx vacant, qualified sales, newest recorded sale September 8, 2026. City means tax districts that carry the City of Punta Gorda levy. Palm Breeze, an RV resort, is excluded from every row.
How Tropical Gulf Acres and Burnt Store Lakes prices moved, 2021 to 2026
Calendar-year medians show two different stories. Tropical Gulf Acres lots climbed from $7,900 in 2021 to $13,000 in 2024 and 2025, then sat at $11,500 for 2026 to date. Burnt Store Lakes lots peaked at $48,000 in 2024 and fell back to $35,000 in 2025. These yearly medians are our recompute from the county table, so they can differ from the headline medians above by a sale or two.
| Calendar year | Tropical Gulf Acres median | Punta Gorda Isles Section 21 median |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $7,900 | $29,000 |
| 2022 | $12,000 | $41,000 |
| 2023 | $12,500 | $44,500 |
| 2024 | $13,000 | $48,000 |
| 2025 | $13,000 | $35,000 |
| 2026 to date | $11,500 | $33,500 |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser recorded sales, qualified vacant sales, our recompute, retrieved October 28, 2026.
Recorded prices and asking prices are different numbers
Every figure on this page is a price that closed and was recorded by the county. Asking prices on listings run higher than recorded prices, which is a normal gap between what sellers hope for and what buyers pay. A recorded median also describes lots that sold, not a lot on the market today, and in a plat with 7 or 8 sales a year one transaction can swing it. Use these numbers to frame an offer, then ask your agent for the most recent comparable closings on the street.
What the cheapest Punta Gorda lots do and do not include
The lowest recorded medians, $8,000 in Tee and Green Estates and $12,000 to $15,000 in Tropical Gulf Acres, South Punta Gorda Heights, Ridge Harbor and Peace River Shores, buy a platted lot and nothing more. They do not include legal access, a paved road, water, sewer, a flood determination, the scrub-jay fee or impact fees. In a Fire Rescue assessment layer sample of 12 Tee and Green lots, 8 were flagged inaccessible by road. The sections below price each of those items so a $12,000 lot can be compared with a $55,000 lot on total cost.
Where are the lots in Punta Gorda?
Punta Gorda lots sit in a few large platted grids from the 1950s to the 1970s, a thin set of City canal sections and unplatted acreage. Tropical Gulf Acres alone holds 5,324 vacant parcels. The next largest groups are acreage, South Punta Gorda Heights, Punta Gorda Isles Section 21 and Peace River Shores. Data updated: October 2026.
Tropical Gulf Acres
Tropical Gulf Acres was platted in 1955 as Units 1 to 10 in Plat Books 3 and 4, and it is unincorporated Charlotte County with ZIP 33955. The roll holds 5,324 vacant parcels, and the 12 months to September 8, 2026 brought 140 sales at a $12,000 median, with 294 sales at $12,500 over 24 months. The County's comprehensive plan, in text that dates to 2007, describes about 7,800 platted lots, most of them 60 by 120 feet, so the standard lot is about 7,200 square feet. Sampled vacant lots measured 4,800 to 11,543 square feet. Nearly all vacant lots are zoned RSF-3.5, a 10,000 square foot minimum for new subdivisions, and 187 are zoned RMF-5. Many older lots below the current minimum can still be built on, but confirm with a Zoning Determination Letter before you buy.
Roads decide a lot's usability here. The Property Appraiser road code shows 2,893 vacant parcels on unpaved roads, 2,156 on paved roads and 75 with none. Charlotte County maintains the streets through the Tropical Gulf Acres Street and Drainage Unit, which charges $102.00 per vacant lot and $98.00 per occupied lot for fiscal year 2027, raises $733,769 and budgets $430,000 for grading out of $829,324 of total expenditures. The County lists future paving as anticipated for 2032, which is a plan, not a promise. The Property Appraiser record for one Unit 8 lot carries a note that land value may be adjusted for scrub-jay habitat. That note does not apply to every lot, but it shows the habitat question is real in this plat.
South Punta Gorda Heights
South Punta Gorda Heights was platted in additions from 1954 to 1956, with the Acreage Estates plat in 1956. The roll holds 1,228 vacant parcels, and the 12 months to September 8, 2026 brought 37 sales at $15,000, with 75 sales at $14,000 over 24 months. Zoning is RSF-5 on 1,054 vacant lots, RMF-5 on 103 and MHC, the manufactured home district, on 82. Sampled lots measured 3,994 to 9,996 square feet and most are about 4,000 square feet, a 40 by 100 foot lot. That is under the 5,000 square foot permit floor in County Code Section 3-9-33 "unless otherwise provided", and a sample legal in the county file reads "LTS 1101 & 1102", which fits two lots sold together. Ask Charlotte County Community Development whether a single lot is buildable or must be combined.
Three separate street and drainage units serve the plat. For fiscal year 2027 the main unit adopted $98.00, down from an approved $243.41 for a vacant lot, the East unit adopted $107.13 vacant and $85.13 occupied with a maximum of $222.54, and the West unit adopted $35.00, down from $209.41. The main unit's paving loan was paid off in fiscal year 2026 and the County lists East paving as anticipated in 2028. The County's 2024 Sewer Master Plan recommends a force main and lift station along North Burnt Store Road to add capacity as the area nears buildout, and it publishes no connection date for any lot.
Burnt Store Lakes (Punta Gorda Isles Section 21)
Burnt Store Lakes is Punta Gorda Isles Section 21, platted in 1972, in unincorporated Charlotte County with ZIP 33955. The roll holds 1,089 vacant parcels, of which 244 carry the waterfront flag. It recorded 44 sales at $30,500 in 12 months and 73 sales at $35,000 in 24 months. Zoning is RSF-3.5 on 932 vacant lots and RMF-15 on 158. Sampled lots measured 9,601 to 14,563 square feet. The South Burnt Store Street and Drainage Unit charges a flat $297.83 for fiscal year 2027, with its paving loan running to about fiscal year 2030. The Burnt Store Lakes Property Owners Association approves plans before the County permit, and the building rules section below lists its deposits and design rules.
Deep Creek lots (Punta Gorda Isles Sections 20 and 23)
Deep Creek is Punta Gorda Isles Sections 20 and 23 in ZIP 33983, split by Sandhill Boulevard, with Section 20 to the north. Section 20 was platted in 1971 and holds 469 vacant parcels, all zoned RSF-3.5 and all on paved roads, with 16 sales at $40,000. Section 23 was platted in 1972 and holds 451 vacant parcels, with 190 zoned RMF-15, and recorded 20 sales at $46,000. Both sections pay the Deep Creek Street and Drainage Unit, $305 per lot for fiscal year 2027 at its maximum, and the County has funded sidewalk work on Deep Creek Boulevard and Rampart Boulevard. Deep Creek has County sewer infrastructure, served from the East Port Water Reclamation Facility, with the Deep Creek force main completed in March 2023, but connection is still a lot-by-lot question for Charlotte County Utilities.
Burnt Store Village (Section 16) and Burnt Store Meadows (Section 18)
Punta Gorda Isles Section 16, Burnt Store Village, was platted in 1970 and is unincorporated. It holds 444 vacant parcels and recorded 10 sales at $36,500, with 15 sales at $38,000 over 24 months. The Burnt Store Village unit charges $50 per lot for fiscal year 2027 with a maximum of $195, the Woodland Estates sub-unit charges $350, and the County lists paving as anticipated in 2034. In the 30-parcel flood sample, 93 percent of Section 16 was zone D and 7 percent zone X.
Punta Gorda Isles Section 18, Burnt Store Meadows, is inside the City of Punta Gorda, so it uses City water and sewer, carries the City tax levy and has no County street and drainage unit. It holds 138 vacant parcels and recorded 8 sales at $55,000, with 16 sales at $55,450 over 24 months. City zoning on its vacant lots is General Single Family-3.5 on 92 and General Multi-Family-15 on 46. In the flood sample, 77 percent was zone X and 23 percent zone AE with a base flood elevation of 9 feet.
Peace River Shores, Tee and Green Estates and Ridge Harbor
Peace River Shores, in ZIP 33982, was platted in 1955 as Units 1 to 10 and holds 1,021 vacant parcels, with 33 sales at $15,000 and 58 sales at $16,000 over 24 months. Its street and drainage unit adopted $30 per lot for fiscal year 2027, with a maximum of $334 and paving anticipated in 2037. The same unit showed $265 for a vacant lot and $261.75 occupied in its fiscal year 2025 summary, so print the year beside any rate you quote.
Tee and Green Estates was platted in 1957 and holds 439 vacant parcels, with 7 sales at $8,000, the lowest 12-month median of any large plat. Many of its streets are not County-maintained and carry no assessment unit, so confirm legal and physical access before you close. Ridge Harbor was platted in 1956 with a 1959 addition and holds 225 vacant parcels, 215 of them zoned RSF-5, with 7 sales at $15,000. Where Tee and Green and Ridge Harbor lots fall inside the Punta Gorda (Non-urban) Street and Drainage Unit, the fiscal year 2027 rate is $57 per lot with a maximum of $217.25.
Charlotte Ranchettes and acreage
Charlotte Ranchettes is not a platted subdivision with its own code. It is an older split of 1.25-acre tracts, tracked on the roll inside the unplatted acreage group for ZIP 33982, so this page calls it the Ranchettes area. That unplatted acreage group holds 2,088 vacant parcels and recorded 80 sales at a $53,750 median in 12 months, and 160 sales at $63,000 over 24 months. For the 1.25-acre set in ZIP 33982, our recompute shows 21 sales at a $55,000 median in 12 months, ranging from $30,000 to $129,000, and 44 sales at $62,500 over 24 months.
The biggest buyer risk is zoning. County GIS shows all 671 vacant parcels in the Ranchettes-area sections zoned AG, agriculture, and the AG district needs 10 acres for a dwelling, so a 1.25-acre tract is a lot of record that needs a zoning determination before anyone assumes it can be built on. Roads are 630 unpaved, 40 none and 1 paved. The Ranchettes Street and Drainage Unit does not appear on the County's current assessment index, and its status is unconfirmed, so print no Ranchettes assessment. In a 30-parcel sample of the wider acreage group, 24 sat outside the County Urban Service Area and 19 were flagged inaccessible by road by the Fire Rescue assessment layer.
Punta Gorda Isles lots inside the City
Punta Gorda Isles Sections 4 to 7, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17 and 18 are inside the City of Punta Gorda, and the canal sections are a thin market with only a handful of recorded sales a year. City lots use City water and sewer, City impact fees and the City permit office, and County fees must not be applied to them. The waterfront section below covers the canal sections, their seawall districts and their prices.
Builder communities, Palm Breeze and lots not counted here
Starling, Turnleaf and Seagrass hold 310, 208 and 182 vacant parcels on the roll, with zero recorded vacant sales in 12 months. Their lots are sold bundled with a house, so they are finished-home communities, not a land market, and this page prints no lot price for them. Palm Breeze appears with 426 vacant parcels but is an RV resort whose parcels are RV site interests, not homesites, so it is excluded from every count here. Lots labelled Harbour Heights are covered on the Port Charlotte side.
Are there waterfront and canal lots in Punta Gorda?
Yes, but they are scarce and priced far above the platted grids. The City's canal sections recorded 4 to 8 sales each in 12 months, at medians from $220,000 to $370,000, and the City owns the seawalls. Houses on canal lots are covered on the Punta Gorda waterfront homes for sale page. Data updated: October 2026.
How scarce City canal lots are
The City's Punta Gorda Isles sections hold few vacant canal parcels and sell a handful a year, so state the count whenever you quote a median. Sections 4 and 17 each recorded one sale, which is a price, not a median.
Across all of Punta Gorda Isles, our Punta Gorda Isles homes for sale page counts 411 vacant residential parcels, 325 of them waterfront-flagged, and 14 qualified vacant sales in the 12 months from September 10, 2025 to September 9, 2026 at a $362,500 median. Over 24 months it was 28 sales at $330,000, 22 of them waterfront-flagged at $340,000. For dock limits, build costs and the canal lots in the community, see lots for sale in Punta Gorda Isles. Data updated: November 2026.
| Punta Gorda Isles section (City) | Vacant parcels | Flagged waterfront | 12-month sales | 12-month median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 14 (Bird Section) | 129 | 110 | 4 | $286,500 |
| Section 15 (Burnt Store Isles) | 106 | 74 | 7 | $220,000 |
| Section 12 | 105 | 62 | 8 | $370,000 |
| Section 7 | 50 | 33 | 0 | n/a |
| Section 4 | 24 | 24 | 1 | $720,000 (one sale) |
| Section 11 | 23 | 22 | 0 | n/a |
| Section 6 | 20 | 20 | 0 | n/a |
| Section 5 | 12 | 12 | 0 | n/a |
| Section 17 | 3 | 3 | 1 | $340,000 (one sale) |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser roll and recorded sales, land use 00xx vacant, qualified sales, newest recorded sale September 8, 2026. The waterfront flag is the Property Appraiser's field and does not say whether a seawall, a dock permit or open-water access exists.
Who owns the seawall on a City canal lot
The City of Punta Gorda owns the seawalls that line private canal frontage in Punta Gorda Isles and Burnt Store Isles and replaces them through Canal Maintenance Assessment Districts, which were established on July 3, 1996. The Punta Gorda Isles district covers 91 miles of seawall and 45 miles of canals and inlets. The Burnt Store Isles district covers 18 miles of seawall, 9 miles of canals and the Burnt Store Isles boat lock. The funds cover seawall maintenance and replacement, dredging and mangrove trimming.
A buyer of a vacant City canal lot does not buy a seawall replacement bill, but does pay the annual assessment. City Council adopted the fiscal year 2026 to 2027 Punta Gorda Isles assessment unanimously on September 9, 2026, after setting it tentatively on July 1: $1,500 per single family lot, up $150 from $1,350, and $0.156 per square foot of land within 120 lineal feet of the seawall for other properties. It appears as a non-ad valorem line on the November 2026 tax bill. The City's seawall replacement schedule, revised August 26, 2026, lists a vacant lot on Seabreeze Court as under construction, which shows the City replaces walls on vacant lots as part of its zone program.
What a canal lot owner must do on the upland side
The City's canal rules put duties on the owner of the land behind the wall. The yard must stay at least level with the top of the seawall cap, nothing may be attached to the seawall, docks must be freestanding, tie-off anchors must sit at least 6 feet landward, boat-lift covers are not allowed and floating docks are prohibited. Marine work is regulated under Chapter 6 of the Punta Gorda Code, and special structures need a Canal Construction Special Permit. The City also runs a mandatory lot mowing program with a user fee on the tax bill, which applies to vacant lots.
Docks, lifts and seawall permits
The City publishes a Seawall Dock Boatlift Permit Packet, revised in June 2026, with its building forms. A canal lot buyer should read that packet before an offer, because a lot is only as useful as the dock and lift the City will permit on it. Dredging permits appear on the City's building permit fee schedule at $450. Bridge clearances, lock sizes and run times to open water are not published by a first-party source we could read, so a buyer confirms them for the specific canal.
Tropical Gulf Acres canal lots versus interior lots
The roll flags 462 of 5,324 vacant Tropical Gulf Acres parcels as waterfront, about 9 percent. In the county flood sample, all 12 sampled waterfront lots and all 14 sampled interior lots returned FEMA zone D. Canal and interior lots pay the same Street and Drainage Unit rate, and the County's assessment index lists no waterway unit for Tropical Gulf Acres, unlike its units for other places. Whether the Tropical Gulf Acres canals connect to open water, and who maintains them, is not stated in any County source we read, so ask Charlotte County before paying a canal premium.
Waterfront-flagged lots in Burnt Store Lakes, Pirate Harbor and Peace River Shores
Other plats carry the waterfront flag on many lots: 244 of 1,089 in Burnt Store Lakes, 103 of 1,021 in Peace River Shores, 126 of 1,228 in South Punta Gorda Heights and 87 of 120 in Pirate Harbor. Pirate Harbor recorded 9 sales at $150,000 and charges a $345 per lot street and drainage assessment for fiscal year 2027. On sampled City canal lots the County also lists an Alligator Creek Waterway Unit, on 10 of 12 sampled Section 14 lots, 4 of 12 Section 15 lots and 5 of 12 Section 12 lots, and its rate was not retrieved, so read the tax bill.
Is the lot in a flood zone?
Flood zone varies by plat section, not by the Punta Gorda name. In a county sample of 30 vacant parcels per subdivision, Tropical Gulf Acres was 97 percent zone D, Punta Gorda Isles Section 21 was 83 percent zone AE, and Sections 20 and 23 were 100 percent zone X. Check the exact parcel. Data updated: October 2026.
| Subdivision (30-parcel sample) | FEMA zone share, County 2022 layer | Typical base flood elevation | Evacuation zone share | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Gulf Acres | D 97%, A 3% | none (zone D) | D 100% | Unincorporated |
| South Punta Gorda Heights | D 77%, AE 13%, X 7%, A 3% | 9 feet (AE lots) | D 60%, B 23%, C 17% | Unincorporated |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 21 | AE 83%, X 13%, D 3% | 9 feet (8 and 10 on two lots) | A 70%, B 30% | Unincorporated |
| Peace River Shores | X 100% | none | C 63%, B 37% | Unincorporated |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 20 | X 100% | none | D 63%, C 23%, B 13% | Unincorporated |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 23 | X 100% | none | C 53%, D 37%, B 10% | Unincorporated |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 16 | D 93%, X 7% | none | C 97%, B 3% | Unincorporated |
| Tee and Green Estates | X 80%, AE 20% | 10 feet (AE lots) | B 83%, C 17% | Unincorporated |
| Ridge Harbor | X 87%, AE 10%, A 3% | 10 feet (AE lots) | B 100% | Unincorporated |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 18 | X 77%, AE 23% | 9 feet (AE lots) | C 67%, B 27%, D 7% | City |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 14 | AE 100% | 9 feet | A 100% | City |
Source: Charlotte County GIS FEMA 2022 layer (effective December 15, 2022) and storm surge evacuation zone layer, queried October 28, 2026, 30 random vacant parcels per subdivision, 510 parcels across 17 subdivisions in all. Base flood elevation is in feet NAVD88. A 30-parcel sample is a screen, not a survey, and a share is not exact for the whole subdivision.
What FEMA flood zone D means
FEMA defines zone D as areas where flood risk has not been determined and no flood hazard analysis has been conducted. It is not a low-risk zone, it is an unstudied one. In zone D there is no base flood elevation to design to, a lender is not required by law to demand flood insurance, and the County's 50 percent substantial improvement rule does not apply. None of that makes the lot dry. FEMA notes that 1 in 3 flood insurance claims come from low and moderate risk zones, and Charlotte County's flood history records storm surge of 5 to 8 feet county-wide in Hurricane Milton in 2024, including up the Peace River. Price a flood insurance quote before you close, and order an elevation survey for any zone D lot.
Base flood elevation plus 1 foot
In zone AE the County map shows a base flood elevation, and the Florida Building Code sets the lowest floor at that elevation plus 1 foot in A zones. The City of Punta Gorda states the same rule, and the County's own assessment describes 1 foot of freeboard, so confirm the design flood elevation with the County floodplain office before you buy. An illustration, with an invented lot grade: Section 21's typical base flood elevation is 9 feet, so the lowest floor sits at 10 feet. If a survey showed the lot at 6 feet, the floor would need to rise about 4 feet by fill, a stem wall or a raised foundation. For a base flood elevation of 10 feet the same arithmetic gives 11 feet. No first-party cost per cubic yard of fill was found, so this page quotes none.
Elevation certificates and the Forerunner lookup
Charlotte County's Forerunner site returns the flood zone and base flood elevation for a property and lets you download elevation certificates already filed. Look at the certificates of built neighbors, which show lowest-floor and adjacent-grade elevations for the street. The City of Punta Gorda keeps its own elevation certificate viewer. In the County, an under-construction certificate is due before the roof sheathing inspection and a final certificate before any final inspection.
When the County flood layer lags FEMA's map
Letters of Map Revision can move a lot out of zone D, and the County's 2022 layer does not always show them. For Turnleaf the County layer returned D on 77 percent and X on 23 percent of sampled parcels, while FEMA's national layer returned X on 97 percent. In Willow at Tuckers Pointe, 9 of 30 sampled parcels were zone AH with a base flood elevation of 22.8 feet in FEMA's layer. For anything built after 2024, check FEMA's own map and Forerunner, not the County layer alone, and read the Letter of Map Revision itself.
Flood zone and evacuation zone are different maps
Evacuation zones measure storm surge exposure for a hurricane, flood zones measure insurance risk, and the two can disagree. Tropical Gulf Acres was zone D for flood and evacuation zone D for surge on 100 percent of sampled lots, while Section 14 canal lots were evacuation zone A on 100 percent. County surge history adds context the map cannot: Hurricane Ian in 2022 produced inundation above 4 feet in the southern county, and Hurricane Helene in 2024 produced 3 to 5 feet. The County publishes an evacuation zone map, so check the lot's letter before you buy.
Wetlands and conservation layers
No sampled lot touched Conservation Charlotte land, a conservation easement, the critical wildlife corridor layer or a bird colony. The county wetlands layer did flag 6 of 30 South Punta Gorda Heights parcels, 20 percent, and one each in Sections 20 and 23. That layer is coarse and old, so a hit means go verify, not unbuildable. A lot with cattail, wet prairie or mangrove vegetation needs a wetland determination before an offer.
Old surveys and the vertical datum
County maps use the NAVD88 datum, which in Charlotte County runs on average 1.15 feet lower than the older NGVD29 datum. A listing remark or survey in NGVD29 must be converted before you compare it with the 2022 base flood elevation. Ask any surveyor which datum an elevation uses.
Does the lot have water, sewer and a paved road?
Not automatically. A platted Punta Gorda lot does not come with guaranteed county water, sewer or a paved street. Utilities are a per-address check on the County Utilities map or availability form, a new septic system needs an engineer-designed Florida Department of Health permit, and roads range from paved Deep Creek streets to graded dirt in Tropical Gulf Acres. Data updated: October 2026.
How to check water and sewer for one address
Charlotte County Utilities answers availability through its Utilities Availability Form, one lot per form, where the street address and the short legal description must match. The short legal description comes from the Property Appraiser record search. The County also publishes an Interactive Utilities Map with its water and sewer lines. The County GIS layer called Service Area Delineation is the Urban Service Area boundary, not a pipe map, so a lot marked "In" is inside the County's planned urban area and may still have no main in front of it.
Once a County wastewater line sits in an easement or right-of-way abutting the property, connection is mandatory. The owner receives a letter and has 180 days to pay fees and connect, and a lien follows if the fees go unpaid. The County's potable water rule is similar, with the monthly base facility charge starting after the 180 days.
Where central sewer exists around these plats
The County's 2024 Sewer Master Plan counts about 32,000 septic systems inside the utility service area, about 2,330 septic-to-sewer conversions completed since 2017, and about 7,000 new septic systems permitted in unserved areas. Deep Creek is served from the East Port Water Reclamation Facility through gravity, low-pressure and vacuum lines, and the legacy Deep Creek system had about 3,400 connections. The legacy Burnt Store system had 1,273 connections. For Tropical Gulf Acres, Tee and Green Estates, Ridge Harbor and Peace River Shores, the County sources we read name no central sewer program and its assessment index lists no sewer unit, so treat those plats as well-and-septic unless the Utilities map shows a line.
Burnt Store sewer capacity is real but still under construction
The Burnt Store Water Reclamation Facility, at 17430 Burnt Store Road, has 0.5 million gallons a day of capacity. The County rejected a $180 million bid in June 2024, approved a packaged plant in October 2025, brought the first packaged unit online in summer 2026 and approved a 1.5 million gallon a day expansion in fall 2026, expandable to 2.25, which is now in design. The Burnt Store potable water plant treats up to 3.6 million gallons a day. No source gives any lot a sewer date, so do not buy a Burnt Store corridor lot on a promised connection.
City lots use City water and sewer
Lots inside the City of Punta Gorda, including Punta Gorda Isles Sections 4 to 18 in the City, are served by City water and wastewater, and the City publishes its own rates and capacity fees. The cost section below lists those capacity fees, which are separate from Charlotte County's fees.
Septic permit steps in Charlotte County
A new septic system is applied for with Application for Construction Permit, form DEP 4015, through the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, and the department does not review the application until the fee is paid. Charlotte County Code requires an engineer to design the system for all new construction. The site plan must show every pertinent feature within 75 feet of the lot, and a survey or full legal description must accompany it. Permits and invoices run through MyFloridaEHPermit.
Two newer rules matter. Effective July 1, 2026, a building or plumbing permit for a single family home cannot be refused for lack of an approved septic permit, but the applicant must show a Department of Health receipt that the septic application was submitted, and building before the septic permit issues puts the legal and financial risk on the owner. Separately, a septic system that is not an aerobic treatment unit and sits within 300 feet of a canal or surface water must be pumped every 5 years, which matters for Tropical Gulf Acres canal lots.
Do 1950s lots qualify for septic?
Florida's septic statute treats lots platted before 1972 as not subject to lot size requirements and sets a 50 foot surface-water setback. Tropical Gulf Acres, South Punta Gorda Heights, Peace River Shores, Tee and Green Estates and Ridge Harbor were platted from 1954 to 1959, so they fall under that provision, but it does not guarantee a permit. The Department of Health site evaluation decides. Sections 16 and 20 were platted in 1970 and 1971, and Sections 21 and 23 in 1972, so their exact recording dates need a record check.
Wells
A Southwest Florida Water Management District well construction permit is required before a water well is installed in the District, and it is issued to qualified licensed contractors. The Department of Health in Charlotte County says established private wells have no routine testing requirement, though tests are done for a fee on request. No first-party well permit fee or drilling cost was found, so this page quotes none. Some Charlotte County tax districts carry South Florida Water Management District millage, which may change the permitting district, so confirm by parcel.
Paved and unpaved roads by plat
The Property Appraiser road code is the clearest lot-level signal. Tropical Gulf Acres has 2,893 vacant parcels on unpaved roads, 2,156 on paved roads and 75 with none. South Punta Gorda Heights has 1,225 of 1,242 vacant parcels on paved roads, Burnt Store Lakes 1,084 of 1,092 and Deep Creek Section 20 all 469. Among the unplatted acreage parcels, 1,326 are on unpaved roads, 753 have none and 562 are paved. Check the actual street on the County map before you buy, and ask Public Works whether emergency vehicle access is practical for permitting.
Assessments that arrive on the tax bill with a lot
Non-ad valorem assessments are billed on the property tax bill, run with the land and stay with the property when it sells. A buyer of two lots pays on each. The County adopted these rates for fiscal year 2027 in a budget version dated September 23, 2026.
| Unit (plats it covers) | Vacant lot, per year | Occupied, per year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Gulf Acres Street and Drainage | $102.00 | $98.00 | Maximum $102; grading budget $430,000 |
| Peace River Shores Street and Drainage | $30 | $30 | Maximum $334; paving anticipated 2037 |
| South Punta Gorda Heights main | $98.00 | $98.00 | Paving loan paid off fiscal year 2026 |
| South Punta Gorda Heights East | $107.13 | $85.13 | Maximum $222.54; paving anticipated 2028 |
| South Punta Gorda Heights West | $35 | $35 | Maximum $209.41 |
| Punta Gorda (Non-urban) Street and Drainage | $57 | $57 | Maximum $217.25 |
| Deep Creek (Sections 20 and 23) | $305 | $305 | Maximum $305; sidewalks funded |
| South Burnt Store (Section 21) | $297.83 | $297.83 | Flat; paving loan to about fiscal year 2030 |
| Burnt Store Village (Section 16) | $50 | $50 | Maximum $195; Woodland Estates $350; paving 2034 |
| Pirate Harbor | $345 | $345 | None |
| Fire Rescue, vacant lot accessible by road | $125.61 | n/a | Maximum $158.57; previous $118.50 |
| Fire Rescue, vacant lot not on a road | $2.56 per unit | n/a | Maximum $3.22; maximum amount $750 |
Source: Charlotte County adopted fiscal year 2027 budgets for each unit and the County Fire Rescue assessment page, retrieved October 28, 2026. The Fire Rescue page does not state the fiscal year its rates apply to. Your tax bill is the final word.
What are the scrub-jay rules for a Punta Gorda lot?
Every one of the 510 lots we sampled sits inside Charlotte County's scrub-jay permit boundary. A new home there pays a one-time habitat conservation plan fee set by the lot's original platted acreage: $2,031 for up to 0.22 acre and $4,063 for 0.23 to 0.49 acre in 2026. Clearing is barred from March 1 to June 30. Data updated: October 2026.
The 2026 scrub-jay fee schedule
The fee is set by the parcel's original platted acreage, not by how much you clear, and consolidated parcels do not combine for the calculation. The fee stays with the parcel when it sells, so ask whether it was already paid.
| Tier | Original platted acreage | 2025 fee | 2026 fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.00 to 0.22 | $2,000 | $2,031 |
| 2 | 0.23 to 0.49 | $4,000 | $4,063 |
| 3 | 0.50 to 1.00 | $9,999 | $10,005 |
| 4 | 1.01 to 3.00 | $23,270 | $23,635 |
| 5 | 3.01 to 5.00 | $61,993 | $62,966 |
| 6 | 5.01 to 20.00 | $139,440 | $141,629 |
| 7 | 20.01 to 99.99 | $579,939 | $589,044 |
| 8 | Over 100 | $2,254,308 | $2,289,700 |
Source: Charlotte County scrub-jay habitat conservation plan fee notice, 2026 schedule, retrieved October 28, 2026. Pre-payments ended January 1, 2023, and pre-payers may owe the difference.
What the fee means against a $12,000 lot
Measured parcel sizes put most Tropical Gulf Acres, Punta Gorda Isles, Peace River Shores and Tee and Green lots in the first two tiers, with a median measured size of 0.19 acre in Tropical Gulf Acres and 0.23 to 0.26 acre in most Punta Gorda Isles and Peace River Shores samples. Against the 12-month medians, a $2,031 or $4,063 fee is about 13 to 34 percent of the price of a Tropical Gulf Acres, South Punta Gorda Heights or Peace River Shores lot, and about 5 to 13 percent of a Deep Creek or Burnt Store Lakes lot. That is simple division by our team, and tier edges sit close to 10,000 square foot lots, which equal 0.23 acre.
The nesting season clearing ban
For plan participants, no vegetation clearing is permitted during nesting season, March 1 to June 30. A parcel cleared before March 1 may be built on during nesting season. Lots over 3 acres also face minimization criteria. A bird survey that finds no scrub-jays does not release the lot, and clearing before approval brings additional violation fees and possible daily liens through the Special Magistrate. The plan also covers the Eastern indigo snake.
Is the plan mandatory?
The plan is voluntary. The County holds a federal Incidental Take Permit issued in December 2014 with a 30-year term, and an owner may comply with the plan or request an individual review from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Florida scrub-jay has been state-listed as threatened since 1975 and federally threatened since 1987. A landowner is challenging the plan in federal court in Colosi v. Charlotte County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, filed in 2024, and the case was still open in an April 2026 news report. Until a court says otherwise the County keeps collecting the fee. Confirm the lot on the County's scrub-jay layer and with County Natural Resources, because map layers can show different flags for the same lot.
Does the County plan apply inside the City of Punta Gorda?
We could not verify it. No first-party statement says whether the County plan applies to lots inside the incorporated City, such as Punta Gorda Isles Section 15 or Burnt Store Meadows. A 2006 Federal Register notice shows a separate individual permit for about 1.6 acres in the Punta Gorda Isles subdivision. A City lot buyer should ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the City's Urban Design office before pricing the lot.
Gopher tortoises
A state permit is required before disturbing a potentially occupied gopher tortoise burrow, under Florida Administrative Code Rule 68A-27.003, and the rule applies everywhere in Punta Gorda. The survey must cover 100 percent of the work area on transects 33 feet apart or closer. A permit for 10 or fewer burrows applies when burrows cannot be avoided by 25 feet or more, and a conservation permit applies above 10. On-site relocation needs at least 750 square feet of suitable habitat. The County routes building permit reviews through Natural Resources for tortoises.
Wetlands and the water management district permit
A single family home is exempt from a Southwest Florida Water Management District Environmental Resource Permit only if it does not involve any work in wetlands or other surface waters, under Rule 62-330.051(13). The District moved permit applications to a new system on July 7, 2026, and stormwater coverage applies to projects of 1 acre or larger. A lot with any wetland needs a state determination before an offer, not after.
What does it cost to build on a Punta Gorda lot?
Building adds fees on top of the lot price. In unincorporated Charlotte County the adopted single family impact fee is $7,804, and inside the City the County portion is $3,396 plus City fees. Utility connections, a septic or well system and permits come on top, and the County impact fee could rise after a decision expected from November 2026. Data updated: October 2026.
Charlotte County impact fees today
The County's master fee schedule, approved July 14, 2022 and effective October 12, 2022, charges $7,804 for a single family detached home in the unincorporated area. It has no school component and no library component. Library and regional park fees appear only as new fees proposed in the 2026 draft study.
| Component, single family detached | Fee |
|---|---|
| Transportation | $6,133 |
| Parks, community | $304 |
| Fire | $278 |
| Emergency medical services | $75 |
| Law enforcement | $282 |
| Jail | $277 |
| Public buildings | $261 |
| Administrative fee (2.55 percent) | $194 |
| Total, unincorporated Charlotte County | $7,804 |
| County portion payable inside the City of Punta Gorda | $3,396 |
Source: Charlotte County impact fee master fee schedule effective October 12, 2022, and the current adopted fees in the 2026 impact fee update study, Table I-1, retrieved October 28, 2026. Regional parks and library are $0. Components add exactly to the total in the study table.
The 2026 impact fee update study is pending
A draft update study dated August 2026 stamped DRAFT calculates $27,685.13 for a single family detached home with the local sales tax extension credit, and $30,981.57 without it. State law, Florida Statutes 163.31801, limits what the County may charge this round to $14,907.19 with the sales tax credit or $16,450.16 without, unless extraordinary circumstances are shown and the Board votes unanimously. Increases up to 25 percent must be phased over two years and larger ones over four, and the limits do not apply to new fees such as library and regional parks.
The Board heard the study at its September 15, 2026 workshop, postponed decisions, and staff are expected to return in November 2026. No adopted increase is confirmed as of October 28, 2026, so treat $7,804 as today's fee and check the adopted schedule when you pull a permit.
When impact fees are paid
The County says impact fees are tied to the land parcel and are non-refundable. They are assessed when the building permit is reviewed and must be paid before final inspections are scheduled. They can be paid in installments between permit issue and near completion at no charge. The page does not say whether a credit exists for an earlier home on the same lot, so ask.
City of Punta Gorda impact fees
Inside the City, the County collects its $3,396 portion and the City adds its own fees by living area. The City's General Governmental and Public Safety fees are shown as suspended indefinitely.
| City fee, residential, by living area | 1,000 sq ft or less | 1,001 to 1,500 | 1,501 to 2,000 | 2,001 to 2,500 | 2,501 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park impact fee | $564 | $867 | $1,085 | $1,252 | $1,466 |
| Mobility impact fee | $495 | $762 | $953 | $1,101 | $1,288 |
| Public Facilities impact fee | $1,328 | $2,213 | $2,826 | $3,303 | $3,695 |
Source: City of Punta Gorda fair share impact fee schedule, published on the City site as images and read October 28, 2026. The County's 2026 study labels the City's park and public facilities fees as effective October 1, 2028, so these amounts may be an end-state schedule, and the amount charged on a permit pulled today is unconfirmed.
For a home of 1,501 to 2,000 square feet the City fees total $4,864, and with the County portion the total is $8,260. For a home of 2,501 square feet or more the City fees total $6,449 and the total with the County portion is $9,845.
Utility connection fees
Utility connection fees are the least stable line. County Utilities' June 19, 2025 staff presentation showed the then-current full cost of connecting a home at $6,792 for water and $11,201 for wastewater with a low-pressure sewer tank. The water figure is a $2,407 tap fee, a $2,940 distribution charge, a $1,070 service line and a $375 meter. A gravity sewer connection omits the $4,800 tank and totals $6,401. The same presentation proposed indexed figures of $9,075 for water and $14,802 for wastewater.
New connection fees were scheduled to take effect April 1, 2026 under a County legislative file, and local reporting says commissioners directed a rollback to earlier rates in July 2026 with a September revisit. We found no first-party record of the outcome, so print this as a range and confirm the schedule with County Utilities before you buy. The City publishes clean capacity fees: $4,651 for water and $3,449 for wastewater per residential unit, $8,100 together.
Septic and well costs
The government fee for a septic permit is capped by statute at $125 and a site evaluation at $115. The cost of the engineer-designed system, drainfield, fill and tank is not published by any government source we found, and neither is a well permit fee or drilling cost. This page quotes no contractor marketing numbers. Get an engineer's estimate for the specific lot.
Building permit fees
The City charges new residential construction $50 plus $7.00 per thousand dollars of valuation, with a $200 minimum. On an illustrative $400,000 valuation, an invented input, that is $2,850. The City also lists $100 for line and grade, $100 for a slab, $200 for a pool and $450 for a dredging permit. The County publishes a fee schedule brochure for permits, and its exact amounts were not read for this page, so ask County Community Development for the current schedule.
Worked example: a Tropical Gulf Acres lot
This illustration uses the 12-month recorded median and only fee lines with a source. Items marked not published are not in the total.
| Line, unincorporated Charlotte County | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lot at the county 12-month vacant median | $12,000 |
| County impact fees, single family detached | $7,804 |
| Septic permit and site evaluation, state fee ceilings | up to $240 |
| Subtotal of sourced lines | $20,044 |
| Engineer-designed septic system, drainfield and fill | not published |
| Private well permit and drilling | not published |
| If connecting to County utilities instead: pre-2026 water plus gravity sewer | $13,193 |
Source: Charlotte County recorded sales median, County impact fee schedule, state fee ceilings, and County Utilities June 19, 2025 presentation. The connection figures predate the 2026 changes, so their status is unconfirmed.
Worked example: a Punta Gorda Isles Section 18 lot in the City
This illustration uses the City section's 12-month median and the end-state City schedule. Tap, meter and service-line charges are not on the City's capacity schedules, so the all-in hookup is unconfirmed.
| Line, inside the City of Punta Gorda | Amount |
|---|---|
| Lot at the county 12-month vacant median | $55,000 |
| County portion of impact fees | $3,396 |
| City park, mobility and public facilities fees, 1,501 to 2,000 sq ft | $4,864 |
| City water and wastewater capacity fees | $8,100 |
| Subtotal of sourced lines | $71,360 |
| City building permit on an invented $400,000 valuation | $2,850 |
Source: Charlotte County recorded sales median, County impact fee schedule, City impact fee and capacity fee schedules and City permit fee formula, retrieved October 28, 2026.
What are the rules for building a home on a Punta Gorda lot?
Building rules depend on which jurisdiction holds the lot. Inside the City, the Building Division and City Chapter 26 apply. In unincorporated Charlotte County, Community Development and County Code Chapter 3-9 apply. On top of either, deed restrictions in Deep Creek and Burnt Store Lakes add approval steps and minimum home sizes. Confirm each rule for the parcel.
Which office permits your lot
The Property Appraiser parcel page or the City zoning map tells you which jurisdiction holds a lot, and every rule below changes with the answer.
| Where the lot is | Permit office | Zoning code |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporated City of Punta Gorda (Punta Gorda Isles Sections 4 to 18, Burnt Store Isles, Burnt Store Meadows) | City of Punta Gorda Building Division, 326 W. Marion Avenue | City Code Chapter 26 |
| Unincorporated Charlotte County with a Punta Gorda address (Tropical Gulf Acres, South Punta Gorda Heights, Deep Creek, Burnt Store Lakes) | Charlotte County Community Development, Building Construction Services | County Code Chapter 3-9 |
| Burnt Store Marina (Lee County) | Lee County Community Development | Lee County Land Development Code, not covered here |
Source: City of Punta Gorda Building Division, Charlotte County Community Development, Lee County Accela portal, retrieved October 28, 2026.
What the County asks for with a new single family permit
The County's list for a new or replacement single family dwelling includes the permit application package, a recorded Notice of Commencement for work over $5,000, signed and sealed plans where code requires, energy calculations and product approvals. It also asks for an elevation certificate in a Special Flood Hazard Area, a drainage and site plan with grades and floor elevations, and a signed and sealed survey less than one year old showing flood zone and panel. A blower door test report and an as-built drainage survey come before finals, plus the septic receipt, a tree permit package, a fire hydrant accessibility affidavit and a minimum home size document. Reviews run through Natural Resources for scrub-jays and gopher tortoises. An owner-builder may not rent or sell within one year of completion.
County lot size and setbacks
These standards come from the County's Section 3-9-32 as indexed in a County document, so confirm on Municode before relying on them.
| Standard | RSF-1 | RSF-2 | RSF-2.5 | RSF-3.5 | RSF-5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot, square feet | 40,000 | 20,000 | 15,000 | 10,000 | 7,500 |
| Minimum width, feet | 125 | 100 | 100 | 80 | 70 |
| Front yard, feet | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Interior side yard, feet | 15 | 15 | 15 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Rear yard abutting a lot, feet | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Source: Charlotte County most commonly used zoning code sections, Section 3-9-32(f), retrieved October 28, 2026. The same section lists maximum lot coverage of 35 percent and maximum building height of 38 feet.
City of Punta Gorda lot standards
For General Single-Family districts, City Chapter 26 lists a 9,600 square foot minimum lot in GS-3.5 and 7,200 square feet in GS-5, an 80 foot width, a 25 foot front yard, a 7.5 foot interior side yard and a 15 foot rear yard abutting a lot. Maximum height is 35 feet above base flood elevation with 55 percent lot coverage. The City's land development page logs a July 2, 2025 repeal action while saying the regulations are in Chapter 26, and the PDF we read carries a 2005 effective date, so confirm the district standards on Municode and with Urban Design.
Can you build on a small platted lot?
Often, but not always. County Code Section 3-9-33 bars a permit for a lot under 5,000 square feet or 50 feet wide "unless otherwise provided", and it has allowances for pre-existing lots. A standard Tropical Gulf Acres lot of 60 by 120 feet is 7,200 square feet, below the 10,000 square foot RSF-3.5 minimum but above the 5,000 square foot floor. A typical South Punta Gorda Heights lot of 40 by 100 feet is 4,000 square feet. County staff assess whether a lot is conforming and issue a Zoning Determination Letter on request. County rules also bar living in an RV or temporary structure on a vacant lot before a certificate of occupancy, and combining lots is done through the Property Appraiser.
Mobile and manufactured homes
Manufactured homes are allowed on individual lots only where the zoning permits. In South Punta Gorda Heights, 82 vacant lots are zoned MHC, which allows a HUD manufactured home meeting the Wind Zone 3 standard, or a site-built home, with a County permit. RSF-5 lots are for site-built homes unless the County says otherwise. These excerpts come from a 2018 County document, so verify on Municode, and do not rely on a claim that a 2026 state law change opens every residential lot to manufactured homes without reading the statute.
Acreage and agricultural zoning
Most unplatted acreage in the Punta Gorda area is zoned AG. Of 2,641 vacant acreage parcels in the County GIS join, 1,950 are AG, 233 are RE-1 and 87 are RSF-3.5. The AG district allows agriculture, very-low-density residential and rural uses, with a 10-acre minimum and 250 foot width for a dwelling and a density of one home per 10 acres, per a dated County code excerpt. The County's Rural Estate Residential future land use category is inactive for new amendments. Agricultural tax classification and the Right to Farm Act were not researched for this page.
Deep Creek deed restrictions and approvals
Deep Creek is deed-restricted, single family only. Section 20 requires a minimum of 2,000 square feet under air, a 5:1 minimum roof pitch, setbacks of 25 feet front, 15 feet back and 7.5 feet on the sides, a $150 permit fee and a $2,500 clean jobsite deposit, in a form revised in July 2024. Its Architectural Review Committee meets the first and third Thursday, with submissions due by noon on Tuesday, and vacant lots must be mowed monthly. Section 23 also sets 2,000 square feet and the same setbacks, charges a $205 annual assessment due October 1 and bars rentals shorter than one month. Its association does not bond builders.
Burnt Store Lakes deed restrictions and approvals
The Burnt Store Lakes Property Owners Association requires Board approval before the County permit, with all assessments paid first. Its new construction packet lists a $250 application fee, a $5,000 clean-site deposit, a $3,000 pool deposit and a $25,000 builder completion deposit, plus no shingle roofs, no asphalt driveways, a two-car garage, underground electric service and a landscape plan. The Declaration sets a minimum living area of 1,700 square feet while the packet lists 1,800 and the two documents differ on the rear setback, 15 versus 20 feet, so get the current documents from the association. Vacant lot rentals are not permitted, and plans must start within six months of approval.
Burnt Store Meadows and Burnt Store Isles
Burnt Store Meadows is inside the City. Its Architectural Review Board meets the third Monday of each month and its July 2026 new construction form requires a $500 clean-site deposit, a performance bond, a landscape plan and a licensed contractor. A copy of the City building permit must be turned in within 14 days or the approval is rescinded. In Burnt Store Isles the association board approves exterior changes, and the deed restrictions are in litigation: the trial court ruled they expired in January 2001, and the appeal is pending in the Sixth District Court of Appeal, per the association's update as of October 25, 2026. Check the current status before you buy a Burnt Store Isles lot.
If an association denies your plans
Florida Statutes section 720.3035 requires a homeowners association's denial of plans to be in writing, cite the specific rule or covenant and identify the nonconforming part. Standards must be applied equitably. A title search and the recorded declaration decide whether a lot is restricted, so request the governing documents before closing. We found no association with architectural review in Tropical Gulf Acres or South Punta Gorda Heights, so check the plat and the title commitment.
Flood elevation rules in the permit
The Florida Building Code sets the lowest floor at base flood elevation plus 1 foot in A zones, and the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at base flood elevation plus 1 foot in V and Coastal A zones. The City states the same rule. Charlotte County does not permit attached flood panels or other dry floodproofing on new residential structures in a Special Flood Hazard Area, so a buyer cannot plan to build low and add panels. The 50 percent rule applies to later renovations. The 9th Edition of the Florida Building Code takes effect December 31, 2026, and we found no transition rule for applications filed before that date, so ask the building department which edition applies to your permit application date.
Tree removal and clearing
Inside the City, Chapter 26 Section 12.3(k) requires a permit to remove any native or approved non-native tree 12 inches or larger in diameter at breast height, with a no-charge permit for a hazardous, dead or diseased tree, and the City asks you to call Urban Design for more than three trees. In the County, the residential tree permit fee is $70, Heritage trees must be preserved except for hardship, and complete clearing is not allowed without a building permit. You cannot clear first and permit later: the scrub-jay window and tortoise survey rules apply before any clearing.
Where to search permits
Both offices have online search. The City's Click2Gov portal looks up permits by address, and the City's own pages disagree on whether applications can be submitted there, so confirm with the Building Division. Charlotte County uses Accela Citizen Access, where search needs no login, and publishes a guide to researching permit and inspection information online. Lee County uses its own Accela portal.
How are vacant lots taxed in Punta Gorda?
A vacant lot pays property tax on its assessed value at the total millage for its tax district, with no homestead exemption, plus any non-ad valorem assessments on the bill. For 2026 the final millage is 15.3705 in unincorporated code 104 and 16.8148 inside the City of Punta Gorda. Taxes jump when a home is built. Data updated: October 2026.
What a vacant lot pays each year
Vacant land has no homestead exemption, so the school levy applies to the full assessed value. The tax is the assessed value times the total millage divided by 1,000. The assessed values below are the 12-month recorded medians used as stand-ins, because the actual assessed value differs by parcel.
| Illustration, 2026 final millage | Assumed assessed value | Millage | Ad valorem tax | Street and drainage assessment | Approximate total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Gulf Acres lot, unincorporated code 104 | $12,000 | 15.3705 | $184.45 | $102 | about $286 |
| Punta Gorda Isles Section 18 lot, City | $55,000 | 16.8148 | $924.81 | not retrieved | $924.81 before any City charges |
Source: Charlotte County Property Appraiser 2026 final rate proof, Charlotte County MSBU documents, and Charlotte County recorded sales, retrieved October 28, 2026. At the 2025 City rate of 16.6185 the same $55,000 lot paid $914.02. Which tax district a Tropical Gulf Acres parcel sits in is not published on the rate chart, so other unincorporated districts differ: the 2026 rates for codes 205 and 206 are 15.2268, and code 110 and similar districts are 15.1798. Look up the parcel's tax district on the Property Appraiser record.
What changes the year after you build
Property is valued as of January 1 each year. Under Florida Statutes section 192.042, an improvement that is not substantially completed on January 1 has no value placed on it that year. A house finished in March is therefore taxed as vacant land for that January 1 and as an improved property the next one. Under section 193.1554, new improvements to non-homestead residential property are assessed at just value, and the 10 percent annual cap resets on a change of ownership or control.
For scale, assume a finished home assessed at $518,100, the Census median owner-occupied value for the City of Punta Gorda and a survey figure, not a prediction for a new build. As a second home or rental at 2026 millage, the bill is $7,963.46 in unincorporated Charlotte County at 15.3705 and $8,711.75 in the City at 16.8148. With a homestead exemption, the same value produces $7,351.73 in unincorporated Charlotte County and $8,027.81 inside the City. Against the vacant examples above, the tax bill rises about 43 times for the unincorporated lot and about 9 times for the City lot.
Non-ad valorem assessments on a lot
Non-ad valorem assessments are not based on value. They appear on the tax bill, fund things such as road and drainage maintenance, waterway dredging, stormwater, fire protection or sanitation, and they stay with the property when it sells. A buyer of two or more lots pays an assessment on each. The table in the roads and utilities section above lists the fiscal year 2027 street and drainage rates by unit. The City's own utility, stormwater and solid waste charges bill through City utilities, and we did not retrieve any City non-ad valorem rate.
The 10 percent cap on vacant land
The Property Appraiser states that the 10 percent cap on annual assessment increases covers non-homestead property "such as rental properties, vacation homes, vacant land or commercial property," applies to all taxing authority millage except the School Board, and needs no application. A lot bought this year can still reset to the new just value after a sale.
Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot
Amendment 3 is on the statewide ballot on November 3, 2026. The Florida Division of Elections titles it "Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments" and states that it "reduces the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%." If it passes, vacant-lot owners would see slower assessment growth. This page takes no position on it. Check the result after the vote, because this section will be updated in the first week of November.
How do you avoid land scams and title problems?
Vacant land is a target for seller impersonation, where someone poses as a parcel's owner and tries to sell it. The FBI warned about it in June 2026. Verify the seller through the tax record, set up the Clerk's free Property Fraud Alert, buy an owner's title insurance policy, and use a Florida attorney or title agent.
What the FBI says about parcel owner impersonation
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center issued public service announcement PSA260616 in June 2026, titled "Protect Your Property from Illegal Sales Through Parcel Owner Impersonation." It says criminals impersonate the owners of vacant parcels and try to sell them without the owner's knowledge or consent, using fake identification, web-based email addresses and internet phone numbers, and drawing owner data from county or state public websites. They may contact a local real estate agent and a title company, pose as the owner, and draft contracts, and proceeds may go to an attorney in a different state.
The FBI lists these warning signs: the seller communicates only by email, text or internet phone and refuses to meet, pushes for a quick closing below market, lacks documents such as a survey or tax information, asks for a wire to an account in a different name or place, or has a deed notarized in a foreign country. Report to the FBI at its Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Charlotte County's free Property Fraud Alert
The Charlotte County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller offers Property Fraud Alert, a free service that monitors documents recorded in the Official Records. You enter a personal or business name and an email address or phone number, and you get an alert within 24 business hours whenever a matching document is recorded. You can sign up even if you do not own property in Charlotte County, and it covers only documents recorded in Charlotte County. People with common names may get alerts for other people's documents. The Clerk must record every document that meets Florida Statutes requirements, so an alert is a warning, not a block. If you suspect fraud, contact law enforcement.
A seller verification checklist
The FBI advises a buyer to send a certified letter to the address of record on the land tax record to verify the seller. Add these steps before you send a deposit:
- Compare the seller's name with the owner of record on the Property Appraiser record.
- Meet the seller in person or by video with identification and documents in hand.
- Be wary of pressure to close fast at a price well below recent sales.
- Confirm any wiring instructions by calling a number you already know to be real, and confirm the escrow account number with the bank before wiring money.
- Ask a title agent to search the Official Records for recorded documents on the parcel.
- Check delinquent taxes with the Tax Collector, because unpaid taxes can lead to a tax certificate and, eventually, a tax deed sale.
Do you need title insurance on vacant land?
An owner's title insurance policy protects the person purchasing the property, and the Florida Chief Financial Officer notes it has no expiration date and should be issued for the sale price. Policies carry exclusions, including any law or government regulation restricting the use of the land, so read them before closing. The FBI notes that standard owner's policies may provide protection against forgery.
Florida regulates the premium by rule. For original owner coverage the rate is $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000, then $5.00 per $1,000 up to $1 million, with a $100 minimum premium. That makes the premium $575 on $100,000 of coverage, before any endorsements or fees. A reissue rate of $3.30 per $1,000 for the first $100,000, then $3.00, applies when a prior owner's policy exists. A "home title lock" product is not title insurance, and you can check your title at no cost with the county land records office.
The Florida Attorney General's land sales checklist
The Florida Attorney General advises buyers to view the property and never buy land over the phone, by mail or by email. Look into all fees, including taxes and community assessment fees, and check with the county planning office for nearby planned uses. For undeveloped land, know who will pay for building roads, utilities or sewers. The Attorney General also warns not to send advance fees to land sales companies that promise to sell your lot to foreign investors.
Lots sold on payments with no credit check
Some lot ads advertise monthly payments and no credit check. That is not a rule against such deals, and this page names no seller. Before you sign, confirm who holds title today, what is recorded in the Official Records, what the contract says happens on default, and when a deed is delivered to you. Have a Florida real estate attorney review the contract, because the terms vary by seller.
Tax-deed lots and other special purchases
A property that goes to a tax deed sale is sold at public auction after the owner fails to pay taxes and a tax certificate is outstanding. A buyer at such a sale should have a Florida attorney review the purchase and the title before bidding.
A survey is not title insurance
A survey and a title policy do different jobs. Ask your Florida real estate attorney or title agent which survey and which endorsements apply to your lot. The County's permit list also asks for a signed and sealed survey less than one year old for a new home.
Mail about your lot
If you already own a lot and get an urgent "final notice" about your property in the mail, check it with a number you know is real. The Federal Trade Commission described one such mailer, which leads to an extended-warranty pitch, in a May 16, 2025 consumer alert.
Can you finance a Punta Gorda lot?
Lot-only loans are lender-specific products, and no government or program source publishes their terms, so this page quotes no lot-loan rates or down payments. What the programs do publish covers construction-to-permanent loans, which fund a lot purchase and construction together or construction on a lot you already own.
Lot-only loans
Lenders set their own terms on a raw lot loan. Ask each lender about the down payment, term, rate and whether it requires a construction timeline.
Fannie Mae construction-to-permanent loans
Under the Fannie Mae Selling Guide, the borrower must hold title to the lot, which may have been acquired earlier or be purchased as part of the transaction. A loan can close once or twice. A single-closing loan may not have a single construction period over 12 months and the total may not exceed 18 months, and after conversion the term may not exceed 30 years. A longer construction period must be processed as a two-closing loan. The loan can be a purchase, where the loan buys the lot and funds construction, or a limited cash-out refinance, where the borrower already held title. A cash-out refinance is not eligible. Maximum loan-to-value comes from Fannie Mae's eligibility matrix.
FHA one-time close loans
HUD Mortgagee Letter 2019-08, dated May 16, 2019, clarifies construction-to-permanent loans and building on your own land. The borrower may buy the land at the closing or already own it, and may use a cash investment or land equity toward the minimum required investment. Confirm the current rules in HUD Handbook 4000.1, because we did not retrieve the current text and any change since 2019 is unverified.
VA construction loans
The VA Home Loan Guaranty Buyer's Guide says not all lenders are willing or able to offer construction loans, so you must find a participating lender that does. The loan closes before construction, proceeds go into an escrow or draw account, and the lender needs the veteran's written approval before each draw. VA News reports that a VA construction loan may have no down payment and no private mortgage insurance, and that the guaranty is not issued until a clear final compliance inspection report is received. Construction can take a year or more.
Buying Punta Gorda land with Domain Realty Group
Domain Realty Group has been the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, with offices in Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers. We built this page from the Charlotte County Property Appraiser roll and recorded sales, and we can pull the same county record for the exact plat, lot and street you are considering.
Domain Realty Group is led by Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar and carries $2.5 billion in team production. On a Punta Gorda lot purchase that means a short list of checks before you commit: which jurisdiction holds the lot, what the recorded sales on that plat say about price, whether the street is paved and County-maintained, the flood zone and scrub-jay status, whether water and sewer reach the address, and which impact fees apply. Then we price your offer against recorded sales, not asking prices.
★★★★★ "This was the 4th real estate transaction that Marc and Jesse represented us on. We have always been impressed with not only their knowledge and professionalism, but also he fact that they both have treated us more like friends rather than just clients. They have always made things as stress-free as possible. Would highly recommend them!" Verified Google review. Melanie Tolliver, a repeat client, on working with Marc Comisar and Jesse McGreevy of Domain Realty Group.
★★★★★ "We have bought and sold a lot of properties in our lives and we have never had service from start to finish like you provided." Verified Google review. Sam Cicero, a buyer who followed a new build through construction, on working with Ashley Prescott of Domain Realty Group.
Meet the team on our agents page, read our client reviews or learn more about Domain Realty Group.
Domain Realty Group 239-441-2816
Offices in Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers:
- Bonita Springs: 24031 S Tamiami Trl #101, Bonita Springs, FL 34134
- Naples: 9180 Galleria Ct #200, Naples, FL 34109
- Fort Myers: 8290 College Parkway, Unit 201, Fort Myers, FL 33919
Brokered by Domain Realty, a licensed Florida real estate brokerage. Jesse McGreevy, Florida license SL3101296. Marc Comisar, broker associate, Florida license BK3060671. All agents are licensed Florida real estate professionals.
Domain Realty Group agents who live in or work the Punta Gorda area
- Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar lead Domain Realty Group.
- Lindsey Moffat-Ridge and Jordan Ridge are Babcock Ranch specialists, per their own agent pages.
- Jason Peterson, Christina Walsh-Peterson and Jake Comisar are Domain Realty Group agents.
Ready to tour Punta Gorda lots?
Tell us your budget, the kind of lot and the part of Punta Gorda you are drawn to, and a Domain Realty Group agent will line up the lots to see in one trip and pull the recorded sales for each plat. Start with the Punta Gorda lots and land for sale search, contact Domain Realty Group or call 239-441-2816. Domain Realty Group, the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, will take it from there.
Thinking of selling Punta Gorda land?
If you own a lot or acreage and are weighing selling Punta Gorda land, the same county record works in reverse, and Jesse and Marc's McGreevy and Comisar team will show you where your plat stands against these recorded sales. Seller preparation for a lot is mostly paperwork. Pull the deed and any title commitment, check for delinquent taxes with the Tax Collector, and know which assessments run with the parcel, including the street and drainage unit. Order a current survey, because buyers will ask whether the legal description matches what is on the ground. Set up the Clerk's free Property Fraud Alert on your own name, since vacant parcels are the ones criminals impersonate, and expect a serious buyer to verify you through the tax record.
Frequently asked questions about Punta Gorda land and lots
These answers cover recorded lot prices, lot-by-lot checks, fees, flood zones, scrub-jay rules, taxes, scams and financing for Punta Gorda land. Every figure comes from Charlotte County, the City of Punta Gorda or another government source, with its date in the sections above and its source in the list below. Data updated: October 2026.
How many vacant lots sold in Punta Gorda in the last 12 months?
Charlotte County recorded 488 qualified sales of residential-use vacant land in the Punta Gorda area in the 12 months to September 8, 2026, at a $23,000 median. Counting every qualified vacant sale in the four Punta Gorda ZIP codes, the figure is 631 sales at a $32,000 median in the 12 months to September 9, 2026. Babcock Ranch and Harbour Heights are excluded.
What is the median price of land in Punta Gorda?
The median is $23,000 for residential-use vacant land over both 12 months (488 sales) and 24 months (977 sales). The wider count of every qualified vacant sale in the four ZIP codes has a $32,000 median on 631 sales. No single number describes the market, because plat medians run from $8,000 in Tee and Green Estates to $370,000 in Punta Gorda Isles Section 12.
How many lots are for sale in Punta Gorda right now?
This page prints no active count, because the research behind it holds no verified active lot count and any figure would be a guess. The live number appears in the Punta Gorda land search, which refreshes with the MLS. The map frame is a rectangle, so a few results at its edges carry Port Charlotte or Lee County addresses.
What is the cheapest land in Punta Gorda?
The lowest 12-month plat median among the large plats is $8,000 in Tee and Green Estates, on 7 sales. Tropical Gulf Acres is next at $12,000 on 140 sales, then South Punta Gorda Heights, Ridge Harbor and Peace River Shores at $15,000. Across the four ZIP codes the lowest single recorded sale was $2,000. Those prices buy a platted lot and nothing else: access, utilities, flood status and fees are separate checks.
How much does a lot in Tropical Gulf Acres cost?
Tropical Gulf Acres recorded 140 sales at a $12,000 median in the 12 months to September 8, 2026, and 294 sales at $12,500 over 24 months. By calendar year the median rose from $7,900 in 2021 to $13,000 in 2024 and 2025, and stands at $11,500 for 2026 to date. The plat holds 5,324 vacant parcels.
Is Tropical Gulf Acres in the City of Punta Gorda?
No. Tropical Gulf Acres is unincorporated Charlotte County with a Punta Gorda mailing address in ZIP 33955. That means County impact fees of $7,804, the County permit office and County zoning apply, not the City of Punta Gorda's rules and fees. Confirm the jurisdiction on the Property Appraiser record before you price any lot.
Are the roads paved in Tropical Gulf Acres?
Some are and many are not. The Property Appraiser road code shows 2,893 vacant parcels on unpaved roads, 2,156 on paved roads and 75 with no road. The County lists future paving as anticipated for 2032, which is a plan, not a promise. The fiscal year 2027 street and drainage assessment is $102 per vacant lot.
How much does a lot in Deep Creek cost?
Deep Creek lots in Punta Gorda Isles Section 20 recorded 16 sales at a $40,000 median in 12 months, and Section 23 recorded 20 sales at $46,000. All 469 vacant parcels in Section 20 are on paved roads. Both sections pay the Deep Creek Street and Drainage Unit, $305 per lot for fiscal year 2027.
How much is a canal lot in Punta Gorda?
City canal lots are a thin market. Section 14 recorded 4 sales at a $286,500 median, Section 15 recorded 7 at $220,000 and Section 12 recorded 8 at $370,000 in the 12 months to September 8, 2026. With so few sales, one closing can move a median a long way, so ask for the comparable sales on the specific canal.
Who owns the seawall on a Punta Gorda canal lot?
The City of Punta Gorda owns the seawalls along private canal frontage in Punta Gorda Isles and Burnt Store Isles and replaces them through Canal Maintenance Assessment Districts established July 3, 1996. The Punta Gorda Isles district covers 91 miles of seawall. The fiscal year 2026 to 2027 assessment, adopted September 9, 2026, is $1,500 per single family lot, up $150.
Can you buy land in Punta Gorda for under $5,000?
The lowest recorded sale across the four ZIP codes in the 12 months to September 9, 2026 was $2,000, so a sale at that level has happened. Recorded medians are far higher, starting at $8,000 for a large plat. A very cheap parcel may lack legal access, may not be buildable, or may be a sliver, so check the legal description, road access and zoning before you offer.
Can you build on any vacant lot in Punta Gorda?
Not automatically. Zoning, lot size, road access, flood status and septic or sewer all decide it. In unincorporated Charlotte County, Section 3-9-33 bars a permit for a lot under 5,000 square feet or 50 feet wide "unless otherwise provided," and the RSF-3.5 district sets a 10,000 square foot minimum for new lots. County staff can issue a Zoning Determination Letter on request.
Can you build on a 60 by 120 foot lot in Tropical Gulf Acres?
A 60 by 120 foot lot is 7,200 square feet, which is above the 5,000 square foot permit floor in Section 3-9-33 and below the 10,000 square foot RSF-3.5 minimum for new lots. Many older platted lots below the current minimum can still be built on, but confirm with a Zoning Determination Letter before you buy.
Can you put a mobile home on a Punta Gorda lot?
Only where the zoning allows it. In South Punta Gorda Heights, 82 vacant lots are zoned MHC, which allows a HUD manufactured home meeting the Wind Zone 3 standard, or a site-built home, with a County permit. RSF-5 lots there are for site-built homes unless the County says otherwise. Verify the district on Municode and with the County before you buy.
Do you need a septic system on a Punta Gorda lot?
If no sewer main reaches the lot, yes. A new septic system needs an application on form DEP 4015 to the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, and Charlotte County Code requires an engineer to design the system for new construction. State law caps the permit fee at $125 and the site evaluation at $115. The engineered system itself is a separate cost that no government source publishes.
How do you check whether county water and sewer reach a lot?
Use the Charlotte County Utilities Availability Form, one lot per form, with the street address and the short legal description from the Property Appraiser record. Once a County line sits in an easement or right-of-way abutting the property, connection is mandatory: the owner has 180 days to pay fees and connect, and a lien follows if the fees go unpaid.
What are the impact fees for a new home on a Punta Gorda lot?
In unincorporated Charlotte County the adopted single family fee is $7,804, effective October 12, 2022. Inside the City of Punta Gorda the County portion is $3,396 and the City adds its own park, mobility and public facilities fees by living area. A 2026 County study calculated $27,685 to $30,982, and staff return in November 2026, so check the schedule when you pull a permit.
When do you pay impact fees?
Charlotte County says impact fees are assessed when the building permit is reviewed and must be paid before final inspections are scheduled. They can be paid in installments between permit issue and near completion at no charge. The fees are tied to the parcel and are non-refundable.
What are the City of Punta Gorda impact fees?
For a home of 1,501 to 2,000 square feet the City's park ($1,085), mobility ($953) and public facilities ($2,826) fees total $4,864, and adding the County portion of $3,396 gives $8,260. The City's General Governmental and Public Safety fees are shown as suspended indefinitely. The County's 2026 study labels the City's park and public facilities fees as effective October 1, 2028, so confirm what is charged on a permit pulled today.
How do you check a lot's flood zone?
Use Charlotte County's Forerunner flood lookup, which returns the flood zone and base flood elevation and lets you download elevation certificates already filed, and FEMA's Map Service Center. The County's 2022 layer can lag newer Letters of Map Revision, so for anything built after 2024 check FEMA's own map too. In a 30-parcel sample, Tropical Gulf Acres was 97 percent zone D and Punta Gorda Isles Section 21 was 83 percent zone AE.
What does FEMA flood zone D mean?
FEMA defines zone D as areas where flood risk has not been determined. It is not a low-risk zone, it is an unstudied one, so there is no base flood elevation to design to. Price a flood insurance quote before you close, and order an elevation survey for any zone D lot.
How much is the scrub-jay fee for a Punta Gorda lot?
The 2026 Charlotte County habitat conservation plan fee is $2,031 for a parcel with original platted acreage up to 0.22 acre and $4,063 for 0.23 to 0.49 acre. The next tiers are $10,005 for 0.50 to 1.00 acre and $23,635 for 1.01 to 3.00 acres. The fee stays with the parcel when it sells, so ask whether it was already paid.
Does the scrub-jay fee apply to lots inside the City of Punta Gorda?
We could not verify it. No first-party source we read says whether the County plan applies to lots inside the incorporated City. Ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the City's Urban Design office before you price a City lot.
When can you clear a lot in Punta Gorda?
For participants in the County scrub-jay plan, no vegetation clearing is allowed during nesting season, March 1 to June 30. A parcel cleared before March 1 may be built on during nesting season. Gopher tortoise rules apply year-round, and clearing before approval brings additional violation fees.
Is there acreage for sale in Punta Gorda?
Yes. The unplatted acreage group holds 2,088 vacant parcels, and it recorded 80 sales at a $53,750 median in the 12 months to September 8, 2026 and 160 sales at $63,000 over 24 months. Most of it is zoned AG, agriculture, so confirm the zoning, road access and whether the parcel sits inside the County Urban Service Area.
What are Charlotte Ranchettes lots?
Charlotte Ranchettes is an older split of 1.25-acre tracts, tracked on the roll inside the unplatted acreage group for ZIP 33982. For the 1.25-acre set, our recompute shows 21 sales at a $55,000 median in 12 months, ranging from $30,000 to $129,000. Roads there are mostly unpaved, with 630 of 671 vacant parcels unpaved.
Can you build a home on a 1.25-acre Ranchettes tract?
Do not assume so. County GIS shows all 671 vacant parcels in the Ranchettes-area sections zoned AG, and the AG district needs 10 acres for a dwelling. A 1.25-acre tract is a lot of record that needs a zoning determination from Charlotte County before you rely on a building permit.
How do you verify that the person selling you a lot owns it?
The FBI advises sending a certified letter to the address of record on the land tax record. Compare the seller's name with the Property Appraiser record, meet in person or by video with identification, and be wary of pressure to close fast below market. Have a title agent search the Official Records, and confirm wiring instructions by calling a number you already know to be real.
What is Charlotte County's Property Fraud Alert?
It is a free service from the Charlotte County Clerk that monitors documents recorded in the Official Records. You enter a name and an email address or phone number, and you receive an alert within 24 business hours when a matching document is recorded. It covers only Charlotte County, and people with common names may get alerts for other people's documents.
Does title insurance cover a vacant lot in Florida?
An owner's title insurance policy protects the buyer, has no expiration date, and should be issued for the sale price, with exclusions you should read before closing. The Florida rate is $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000 and $5.00 per $1,000 up to $1 million, with a $100 minimum, so $575 on $100,000 of coverage. A home title lock product is not title insurance.
Should you buy a lot on payments with no credit check?
That is not a rule against it, and this page names no seller. Confirm who holds title today, what is recorded in the Official Records, what the contract says happens on default and when a deed is delivered to you. Have a Florida real estate attorney review the contract before you sign.
Can you get a loan for a lot in Punta Gorda?
Lot-only loans are set by each lender, and no government source publishes their terms. For building, a Fannie Mae single-closing construction-to-permanent loan allows no single construction period over 12 months and no more than 18 months in total, with a term up to 30 years after conversion. FHA and VA also have construction programs, and not every lender offers them.
How much are property taxes on a vacant lot in Punta Gorda?
At the 2026 final millage, a $12,000 assessed lot in unincorporated code 104 at 15.3705 pays $184.45 before assessments, and about $286 with the $102 street and drainage assessment. A $55,000 assessed lot in the City at 16.8148 pays $924.81. Those assessed values are stand-ins based on recorded medians, so read the actual parcel record.
What is Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot?
The Florida Division of Elections titles it "Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments" and states that it reduces the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%. Vacant land is non-homestead property. This page takes no position, and the section on taxes will be updated after the vote.
Why do websites show different numbers of Punta Gorda lots?
Because each draws the map differently. Some include Port Charlotte or Harbour Heights lots under a Punta Gorda label, and some mix farmland and commercial tracts with residential lots. Even the county's own counts differ by scope: 488 residential-use vacant sales against 631 for every qualified vacant sale in the four ZIP codes.
Are Harbour Heights lots part of Punta Gorda?
Lots labelled Harbour Heights belong to the Port Charlotte market, so this page does not count them. A few can show up at the western edge of a Deep Creek area map search. Ask for the lot's exact address and jurisdiction before you compare prices.
Does this page cover Babcock Ranch lots?
No. Babcock Ranch has its own Babcock Ranch page and is excluded from every count here. Burnt Store Marina is in Lee County, so this page prints no Lee County lot figures.
Which building code edition applies to a new home?
Charlotte County and the City apply the Florida Building Code, and the 8th Edition flood provisions set the lowest floor at base flood elevation plus 1 foot in A zones. The 9th Edition takes effect December 31, 2026. We found no transition rule for applications filed before that date, so ask the building department which edition applies to your permit application date.
What are the Deep Creek deed restrictions?
Deep Creek Section 20 requires at least 2,000 square feet under air, a 5:1 minimum roof pitch, a $150 permit fee and a $2,500 clean jobsite deposit, with an Architectural Review Committee that meets the first and third Thursday. Section 23 also sets 2,000 square feet and charges a $205 annual assessment due October 1. Request the current documents from the association before you buy.
What does it cost to build on a Tropical Gulf Acres lot?
Sourced fee lines for a lot at the $12,000 median total $20,044: the lot, the $7,804 County impact fee and up to $240 in state septic fee ceilings. The engineered septic system, the well and the building permit are extra, and if you connect to County utilities instead, the pre-2026 published figures add $13,193 with an unconfirmed current status.
Sources
Every source below is a government, statute, public association or program page, retrieved on the date shown. Fees, rates and schedules change, so confirm the current figure with the office that publishes it before you sign a contract.
County property records, clerk and tax collector
- Charlotte County Property Appraiser, parcel record search (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Property Appraiser, downloadable roll and sales data (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Property Appraiser, 2026 final tax rate proof (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Property Appraiser, 2025 final rate chart (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Property Appraiser, exemptions and the 10 percent non-homestead cap (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Property Appraiser, real property and just value explanation (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Tax Collector, delinquent taxes and tax certificates (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Property Fraud Alert sign-up (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Clerk, Property Fraud Alert frequently asked questions (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Clerk, Official Records search (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Clerk, plat and condominium search (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County GIS, map service with parcel, zoning, flood, evacuation and scrub-jay layers (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, GIS layer descriptions (October 28, 2026)
County permits, zoning and land use
- Charlotte County Community Development, frequently asked questions, updated September 2025 (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, residential single family permit page (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, residential mobile home permit page (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, residential tree permit page (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, building construction services (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, forms (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Accela Citizen Access permit search (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, guide to researching permit and inspection information online (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, most commonly used zoning code sections (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, zoning districts summary (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Code of Ordinances on Municode, Section 3-9-33 residential district regulations (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Future Land Use Element Chapter 1 (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Charlotte 2050 Future Land Use Appendix I (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Charlotte 2050 Future Land Use goals, objectives and policies (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, 2050 future land use map (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Charlotte Ranchettes future land use map, 2020 (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners, Charlotte Ranchettes workshop, November 17, 2020 (October 28, 2026)
- Lee County, Accela Citizen Access permit search (October 28, 2026)
Impact fees, utilities and sewer
- Charlotte County, impact fee page (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, impact fee master fee schedule approved July 14, 2022 (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners, draft 2026 Impact Fee Update Study, September 15, 2026 agenda (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, staff presentation of June 19, 2025 on rates and connection fees (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Legistar, legislative file 2025-7807 on utility rates and connection fees (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, utilities availability form (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, sewer service (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, potable water and mandatory connection (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, 2024 Sewer Master Plan (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, 2023 Potable Water Master Plan (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Utilities, 2024 annual report (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Burnt Store Water Reclamation Facility expansion project (October 28, 2026)
County street, drainage and fire assessments
- Charlotte County, MSBU and MSTU index (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, MSBU and MSTU frequently asked questions (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Tropical Gulf Acres Street and Drainage Unit page (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Tropical Gulf Acres fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Tropical Gulf Acres fiscal year 2025 executive summary (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Peace River Shores fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, South Punta Gorda Heights fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, South Punta Gorda Heights East fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, South Punta Gorda Heights West fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Punta Gorda Non-Urban fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Deep Creek fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, South Burnt Store fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Burnt Store Village fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Pirate Harbor fiscal year 2027 adopted budget (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Fire Rescue MSBU assessment details (October 28, 2026)
Flood zones, maps and building code
- Charlotte County Emergency Management, flood information (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Forerunner Find Your Flood Zone lookup (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, Coastal A Zone and LiMWA flyer (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, vertical datum flyer on NAVD88 and NGVD29 (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, 50 percent FEMA rule (October 28, 2026)
- FEMA, Flood Map Service Center (October 28, 2026)
- FEMA, National Flood Hazard Layer map service (October 28, 2026)
- FEMA FloodSmart, what is my flood zone (October 28, 2026)
- FEMA, flood insurance terminology index (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Building Code 8th Edition flood provisions (October 28, 2026)
- International Code Council, Florida Building Code 9th Edition, 2026 (October 28, 2026)
Scrub-jay, tortoise, wetlands, septic and wells
- Charlotte County Natural Resources, scrub-jay habitat conservation plan (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County Community Development, habitat conservation plan fees for 2026 (October 28, 2026)
- Charlotte County, scrub-jay frequently asked questions (October 28, 2026)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida scrub-jay species profile (October 28, 2026)
- Federal Register, December 27, 2006 notice on an incidental take permit in Punta Gorda Isles (October 28, 2026)
- WLRN, April 3, 2026 report on the Florida scrub-jay habitat lawsuit (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, gopher tortoise permits (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, gopher tortoise permitting guidelines (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, permits for 10 or fewer burrows (October 28, 2026)
- Southwest Florida Water Management District, Environmental Resource Permit (October 28, 2026)
- Southwest Florida Water Management District, well construction permits (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Administrative Code, Rule 62-330.051 exemptions (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, new septic system installation, modified August 26, 2026 (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, onsite sewage program (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, private well water systems (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Department of Health, well construction in Florida (October 28, 2026)
City of Punta Gorda
- City of Punta Gorda, Building Division (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, building forms (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, building permit fee schedule (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, Click2Gov building permits (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, land development regulations (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, Chapter 26 land development regulations (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, fair share impact fees (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, park and mobility impact fee schedule image (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, public facilities impact fee schedule image (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, water capacity fee schedule image (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, wastewater capacity fee schedule image (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, 50 percent FEMA rule and freeboard (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, flood safety and protection (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, tree removal (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, zoning map (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, Punta Gorda Isles canal maintenance (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, canal maintenance program (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, seawall replacement schedule revised August 26, 2026 (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, lot mowing program (October 28, 2026)
- City of Punta Gorda, code of ordinances (October 28, 2026)
Deed restriction and property owner associations
- Deep Creek Section 20 association, home page and frequently asked questions (October 28, 2026)
- Deep Creek Section 20 association, new construction permit form revised July 2024 (October 28, 2026)
- Deep Creek Section 20 association, declaration (October 28, 2026)
- Deep Creek Section 23 association, home page (October 28, 2026)
- Deep Creek Section 23 association, frequently asked questions (October 28, 2026)
- Burnt Store Lakes Property Owners Association, single family new construction application (October 28, 2026)
- Burnt Store Lakes Property Owners Association, amended and restated declaration (October 28, 2026)
- Burnt Store Lakes Property Owners Association, rules and regulations (October 28, 2026)
- Burnt Store Meadows Property Owners Association, Architectural Review Board new construction form, July 2026 (October 28, 2026)
- Burnt Store Isles Association, deed restrictions update as of October 25, 2026 (October 28, 2026)
Florida statutes, taxes and ballot
- Florida Statutes, section 192.042 on assessment of improvements (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Statutes, section 193.1554 on non-homestead residential assessment limits (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Statutes, section 163.31801 on impact fees (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Statutes, section 381.0065 on onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Statutes, section 381.0066 on onsite sewage fees (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Statutes, section 720.3035 on association architectural review (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue, property tax guide for first-time buyers (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Department of Revenue, assessment date and property tax overview (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Division of Elections, Amendment 3 initiative page (October 28, 2026)
Land scams, title insurance and financing
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, PSA260616 on parcel owner impersonation, June 2026 (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Attorney General, how to protect yourself from land sales scams (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Attorney General, consumer alert on real estate scams, June 1, 2021 (October 28, 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission, investment scams (October 28, 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission, consumer alert on notices in the mail about your property, May 16, 2025 (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Chief Financial Officer, title insurance overview (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, title insurance (October 28, 2026)
- Florida Administrative Code, Rule 69O-186.003 on title insurance rates (October 28, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B5-3.1-01 construction-to-permanent financing overview (October 28, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B5-3.1-02 single-closing transactions (October 28, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B5-3.1-03 two-closing transactions (October 28, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Mortgagee Letter 2019-08 (October 28, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Home Loan Guaranty Buyer's Guide (October 28, 2026)
- VA News, VA offers construction loans for veterans, August 6, 2025 (October 28, 2026)