Bonita Springs Land and Lots for Sale
Land for sale in Bonita Springs comes in three very different kinds: small infill and canal lots west of I-75, 1.25-acre AG-2 tracts in San Carlos Estates and the acreage east of I-75, and a short list of coastal lots on Hickory Blvd. In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, Lee County recorded 69 qualified vacant residential land sales with a Bonita Springs site address, at a $225,000 median. For homes, condos and the whole city picture, start with Bonita Springs homes for sale.
This page is built from the county record and the City's own rulebook, not from asking prices. We pulled every vacant residential parcel on the 2026 Lee County roll with a Bonita Springs address (2,039 of them, with the Village of Estero left out), every qualified vacant land sale, and the City of Bonita Springs rules on zoning, permits, flood elevation, impact fees and utilities, each with the date we read it. Then we added what listing sites never show: who actually owns the lots, which ones have no proven road access, and what a buyer pays in fees before the first block goes up.
By Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar, Domain Realty Group. Data updated: October 2026. Call Domain Realty Group at 239-441-2816.
Check the lot before you price it. On vacant land, the price is only the first number. Zoning, flood zone, road access, wetlands and sewer decide whether a lot can carry the house you want and what it costs to get there. Send us the address or parcel number and a Domain Realty Group agent will pull the zoning, flood zone, recorded sales and ownership before you make an offer. Contact us or call 239-441-2816.
Browse Bonita Springs land and lots for sale for every vacant lot and acreage parcel on the MLS today, or search all Bonita Springs listings if you would also consider a home on a lot you could rebuild.
Key takeaways for Bonita Springs land buyers
- Lee County recorded 69 qualified vacant residential land sales with a Bonita Springs site address in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, at a $225,000 median, and 361 in the last 60 months (recorded sales, Village of Estero excluded).
- The 2026 Lee County roll shows 2,039 vacant residential parcels with a Bonita Springs address: 1,937 inside the City of Bonita Springs and 102 in unincorporated Lee County.
- About a third of those parcels cannot be bought from a private seller: builders hold 510 lots inside new communities and one campground company owns 177 of the 212 RV lots. About 1,350 parcels are individually owned.
- Price per acre falls fast with size: lots under a quarter acre sold at a $1,028,529 median per acre, while 1 to 2.5 acre tracts sold at $147,764 per acre (12 months to September 25, 2026, recorded sales).
- San Carlos Estates is the city's biggest acreage market: 165 vacant AG-2 tracts of about 1.25 acres, 8 recorded sales in 12 months at a $272,500 median, governed by a state water control district rather than an HOA.
- City impact fees on a new single-family home total $17,199.95 as of October 2026, and Bonita Springs Utilities adds $3,424 for water and $4,459 for sewer connection plus a meter charge.
- On a quarter-acre City lot, fees, surveys and clearing come to about $34,000 to $45,000 before the house; with the lot and a 2,500 sq ft home, our estimate runs from about $666,000 to $2.35 million depending on the builder tier.
- In a random sample of 80 vacant parcels, 36 sat in a FEMA A or V flood zone. In an AE zone the lowest floor of a new home must be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation; in Zone X it must sit at least 12 inches above the crown of the nearest street.
- 111 vacant parcels carry the Property Appraiser address "ACCESS UNDETERMINED", 80 of them east of I-75. Legal access is the first thing to prove on acreage.
- The FBI warned on June 16, 2026 that criminals impersonate owners of vacant land to sell lots they do not own. Verify the seller against the tax roll before any money moves.
How much does land cost in Bonita Springs?
In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, Lee County recorded 69 qualified vacant residential land sales with a Bonita Springs address at a $225,000 median. Lots under a quarter acre sold at a $195,000 median, quarter to half acre lots at $214,750, and 1 to 2.5 acre tracts at $200,000, so size alone does not set the price. Data updated: October 2026.
| Lot size | Recorded sales, 12 months | Median price | Median price per acre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 0.25 acre | 34 | $195,000 | $1,028,529 |
| 0.25 to 0.5 acre | 20 | $214,750 | $709,040 |
| 0.5 to 1 acre | 2 | $337,500 | $371,962 |
| 1 to 2.5 acres | 9 | $200,000 | $147,764 |
| 2.5 to 5 acres | 2 | $595,000 | $140,851 |
| 5 acres and up | 2 | $1,550,000 | $309,557 |
| All vacant residential land | 69 | $225,000 |
Source: Lee County Property Appraiser sale files, qualified sales over $1,000, vacant at sale, Bonita Springs site address, Village of Estero excluded; 12 months to September 25, 2026, the newest qualified sale in the county file. Acreage from the Lee County parcel layer (GIS acres).
Read the table by lot, not by acre. A quarter-acre canal lot west of US 41 and a 1.25-acre tract in San Carlos Estates can trade at nearly the same price, because what a buyer pays for in Bonita Springs is location, water access and buildability, not dirt. That is why a single "price per acre" for the whole city, the number listing sites like to quote, tells you very little. The under-quarter-acre band carries a $1,028,529 median per acre only because small lots near the water price per lot; the 1 to 2.5 acre band, at $147,764 per acre, is mostly San Carlos Estates and the north AG-2 acreage.
The two sales of 5 acres and up were both January 9, 2026 closings east of I-75, at $2,000,000 for 5.01 acres and $1,100,000 for 5.00 acres; both parcels sit on land the City or the County maps as wetlands or resource protection. Two sales are not a market, so treat that band as two data points, not a price.
How have Bonita Springs land prices changed since 2021?
| Year | Recorded vacant land sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | $132,000 |
| 2022 | 82 | $185,000 |
| 2023 | 86 | $272,500 |
| 2024 | 50 | $234,500 |
| 2025 | 70 | $232,500 |
| 2026 (to September 25) | 44 | $220,000 |
Source: Lee County Property Appraiser sale files, qualified vacant residential sales, Bonita Springs site address, Village of Estero excluded; calendar years, 2026 through September 25, 2026.
The record shows a run-up from 2021 to 2023, when the median more than doubled from $132,000 to $272,500, and a cooler, steadier market since: $234,500 in 2024, $232,500 in 2025 and $220,000 so far in 2026. The mix moves the median too. A year with more San Carlos Estates tracts or Hickory Blvd lots pulls it up; a year heavy with downtown infill and mobile home lots pulls it down. We do not forecast land prices; the numbers are here so you can see what lots have actually closed for.
What do waterfront lots sell for in Bonita Springs?
Lee County shows 198 vacant residential parcels in Bonita Springs with a seawall or dock on record. In the 12 months to September 25, 2026, 15 waterfront-flagged vacant lots sold at a $400,000 median (recorded sales). The range is wide. A canal lot in Riviera Colony sold for $240,000 and one in Ledford Shores for $725,000, while lots on Bonita Beach and Little Hickory Island sold for $1,095,000 and $1,375,000. The county flag only tells you a seawall or dock was recorded; it does not tell you the water depth, the bridge heights between the lot and the Gulf, or the condition of the seawall, and those decide what a canal lot is worth to a boater.
What does land sell for by zoning?
| Zoning district | Recorded sales, 12 months | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| RS-1 (single-family) | 23 | $265,000 |
| AG-2 (agricultural, homes allowed) | 23 | $200,000 |
| TFC-2 (two-family conservation) | 8 | $195,000 |
| MH-1 (mobile home) | 6 | $119,000 |
| TFC2 (same district, coded without the dash) | 3 | $85,000 |
| PUD (planned unit development) | 2 | $352,500 |
| RPD (residential planned development) | 2 | $265,000 |
| Form-Based (downtown) | 1 | $95,000 |
| C-1 (commercial) | 1 | $1,375,000 |
Source: Lee County Property Appraiser sale files and parcel layer zoning field, 12 months to September 25, 2026, qualified vacant residential sales with a Bonita Springs address. The county roll codes some TFC-2 parcels "TFC2"; they are the same City district.
RS-1 and AG-2 are the two zoning districts that trade most, 23 sales each. RS-1 is the City's standard single-family lot, mostly west of US 41 and along the canals; AG-2 is the large-lot district that covers San Carlos Estates and most of the acreage. The one C-1 sale, $1,375,000 for 0.20 acre on Little Hickory Island, is a waterfront parcel recorded with a vacant residential land use; it is in the counts because the county codes its use as residential.
Why do online land prices for Bonita Springs look so different?
Because listing sites show asking prices of whatever is active that day, and their "Bonita Springs" results mix in lots that are not in Bonita Springs at all. On the October 24 to 25, 2026 pages we reviewed, land searches labeled Bonita Springs included lots in Estero and Naples, boat slips counted as land, and the same listing shown twice at two prices. Their per-acre averages blend a 0.05-acre RV site with a 5-acre tract. We do not repeat those numbers here. The recorded sales above are closed prices, dated and limited to Lee County parcels with a Bonita Springs site address, which is the only honest way we found to answer "what does land cost here".
See Bonita Springs land listings on the MLS today, then check any lot you like against the recorded sales in its area below.
Where is land for sale in Bonita Springs, area by area?
Vacant land in Bonita Springs clusters in about a dozen areas, and each has its own zoning, flood pattern and catch. San Carlos Estates and the AG-2 acreage are inland and mostly in Zone X; the canal plats, Imperial Shores and Estero Bay Shores are almost entirely AE; Bonita Beach lots are mostly VE. Data updated: October 2026.
| Area | Jurisdiction | Main zoning (vacant parcels) | Typical lot | Vacant parcels | Flood pattern | HOA | Sold, 12 months (median) | Main buyer caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Carlos Estates | City | AG-2 (165) | 1.25 ac | 165 | 0 of 165 in an A or V zone | No HOA; state water control district | 8 ($272,500) | District driveway and right-of-way sign-off before the City CO; wetlands inside some tracts |
| Bonita Farms and Imperial River lots | City | RS-1 43, TFC-2 14, RM-2 5 | 0.26 ac | 66 | 44 of 66 AE | No mandatory HOA reported | 5 ($275,000) | Many parcels are part-lots cut from a 1920s plat; confirm lot-of-record status and frontage |
| El Dorado Acres | Unincorporated Lee County (Bonita Springs address) | RS-1 (46) | 0.22 ac | 46 | 7 of 46 AE | No mandatory HOA reported | 6 ($162,500) | Lee County, not the City, permits; private roads; septic area |
| North AG-2 acreage (Tropic Acres, Sun Coast Acres, Trieste Preserve, Brookside) | City | AG-2 (67) | 1.33 ac | 67 | 2 of 67 in an A zone | Varies; Tropic Acres none reported | 2 ($337,500) | 12 lots mapped Resource Protection; 9 "ACCESS UNDETERMINED" |
| Imperial Shores | City | TFC-2 31, RM-2 1 | 0.23 ac | 32 | 32 of 32 AE | No mandatory HOA reported | 1 ($1,200,000) | Elevation, fill and seawall cost; Gulf route and bridges |
| Estero Bay Shores | City | RS-1 28, MH-1 5 | 0.14 ac | 33 | 33 of 33 AE | No mandatory HOA reported | 3 ($370,000) | Median lot is below the 7,500 sq ft RS-1 minimum; builds only as a lot of record |
| Other canal plats (Pirates Cove II, Tarpon Bend, Ledford Shores, Riviera Colony, Paradise Village, Imperial River Estates, Brendan Cove, Imperial Harbor) | City | AG-2 25, TFC-2 19, RS-1 14, RPD 7 | 0.22 ac | 73 | 72 of 73 AE; 6 in a floodway | Varies | 6 ($380,000) | Dock and seawall permits; water depth and bridge heights on the route |
| Bonita Beach and Little Hickory Island (Hickory Blvd) | City | RS-1 52, C-1 2 | 0.29 ac | 56 | 49 VE, 7 AE | Generally none | 4 ($1,235,000) | VE zone pilings; state coastal construction line permit; special height limits |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | City | TFC-2 152, RS-1 57, AG-2 15, Form-Based 11, TF-1 10 | 0.23 ac | 256 | 177 of 256 in an A or V zone | None | 11 ($135,000) | Small lots; form-based code downtown |
| Mobile home subdivisions | City | MH-1 111, MH-2 20, TFC-2 10 | 0.11 ac | 142 | 130 of 142 AE; 22 in a floodway | Varies | 6 ($119,000) | Median lot is below the 7,500 sq ft MH-1 single-family minimum |
| RV-3 campground lots | City | RV-3 191, RV 21 | 0.05 ac | 212 | 4 of 212 AE | Park or condo association | 0 | An RV site is not a house lot; 177 owned by one company |
| Lots inside gated communities (Bonita Bay, Serrano, Spanish Wells, Palmira, Pelican Landing) | City | PUD 20, RPD 12 | 0.28 ac | 35 | 24 of 35 AE | Mandatory associations with architectural review | 3 ($280,000) | HOA plan approval before the City permit |
| DR/GR lands east of I-75 | City 69, unincorporated Lee 4 | AG-2 68, RS-3 3 | 1.24 ac | 73 | 20 of 73 AE; 9 in a floodway | None | 4 ($116,773) | Very low density; a sub-10-acre parcel may build only as a lot of record |
| Other acreage east of I-75 (not DR/GR) | City 60, unincorporated Lee 30, other 5 | AG-2 (92) | 4.74 ac | 95 | 32 of 95 AE | None | 3 ($1,100,000) | 62 of 95 "ACCESS UNDETERMINED"; wetlands mapped |
| Builder inventory (Vivid Shores, Natura at Bonita Fairways, Solis Grande) | City; Solis Grande unincorporated | RPD (510) | 0.23 ac | 510 | 11 of 510 AE | Community HOAs | 0 | Sold only as house and lot by the builder |
| Everything else (small plats and metes and bounds parcels, mostly west of US 41) | City 174, unincorporated Lee 4 | TFC-2 70, RS-1 33, AG-2 31 | 0.31 ac | 178 | 106 of 178 in an A or V zone | Varies | 7 ($265,000) | Case by case; 10 "ACCESS UNDETERMINED" |
Source: Lee County Property Appraiser parcel layer, 2026 roll, vacant residential (DOR 00) parcels with a Bonita Springs site address, joined by parcel centroid to the City of Bonita Springs FEMA flood, future land use and Old 41 layers and to Lee County road, utility and FIRM layers, read October 25, 2026. Sales: Lee County sale files, 12 months to September 25, 2026. Area groupings are ours, by legal description. HOA notes for the no-HOA neighborhoods are as reported, not from recorded documents. Totals: 2,039 parcels, 69 sales.
San Carlos Estates lots
San Carlos Estates is the single biggest block of buildable acreage in Bonita Springs: 165 vacant AG-2 tracts with 134 different owners, a median of 1.25 acres, and not one of the 165 in a FEMA special flood hazard area. Eight tracts sold in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, from $75,000 to $460,000, at a $272,500 median (recorded sales). The two lowest sales were on the same tract, recorded nine days apart in May 2026, which usually points to a split interest or a resale rather than a market price. San Carlos Estates has no HOA. Its roads, canals, swales and driveways are run by the San Carlos Estates Water Control District, a state special district, and that changes how you build there, so it gets its own section below.
Bonita Farms and Imperial River lots
Bonita Farms is the 1920s plat (recorded in Plat Book 3, Page 27) that runs along the Imperial River east of Old 41. The county roll shows 66 vacant parcels, mostly RS-1, with a typical lot of about 0.26 acre; 44 of the 66 are in Zone AE (base flood elevation 10 ft), and 18 have a seawall or dock on record. Five sold in 12 months at a $275,000 median, from $30,000 to $494,000. The $30,000 sale was "a portion of the south half of Lot 3", and that is the pattern to watch here: many Bonita Farms parcels are pieces cut from the original large plat lots over a century. Before you price one as a house lot, confirm it is a lawful lot of record with legal frontage on a road. No mandatory HOA is reported for Bonita Farms. Sewer availability on individual Bonita Farms lots is not confirmed in our sources; ask Bonita Springs Utilities for a service availability letter on the parcel.
El Dorado Acres lots (unincorporated Lee County)
El Dorado Acres carries Bonita Springs addresses but sits outside City limits, in unincorporated Lee County, so Lee County (not the City) issues the building permit and Lee's impact fees apply. The roll shows 46 vacant RS-1 lots, typically 0.22 acre; 7 are in Zone AE and the rest are shaded X. Six sold in 12 months at a $162,500 median, from $152,000 to $215,000, including two adjoining lots that closed the same day at $152,000 each. Two things set El Dorado Acres apart. First, 43 of the 46 vacant lots front roads Lee County codes "Non-County Maintained", and for 8 of them the nearest road segment is gravel. Second, Lee County's 2009 septic layer flags 149 of the 210 improved parcels in El Dorado Acres as likely on septic, so plan for an on-site system unless Bonita Springs Utilities confirms sewer at the lot. El Dorado Acres is also an unrecorded subdivision, which matters for the survey and title work covered further down.
North AG-2 acreage: Tropic Acres, Sun Coast Acres, Trieste Preserve and Brookside
North of Bonita Beach Road and west of I-75, a band of older AG-2 subdivisions holds 67 vacant parcels with a typical size of about 1.33 acres. All but 2 are in Zone X or shaded X. Two sold in 12 months, both in Trieste Preserve, at $325,000 and $350,000 for 0.91-acre lots. The cautions are environmental and legal: 12 of the 67 parcels are mapped Resource Protection (wetland) on the City's 2040 future land use map, and 9 carry the Property Appraiser address "ACCESS UNDETERMINED". Sewer availability in Tropic Acres is not confirmed in our sources; ask Bonita Springs Utilities for a service availability letter before you assume a sewer hookup.
Imperial Shores and Estero Bay Shores canal lots
These two canal neighborhoods west of US 41 sit entirely in Zone AE. Imperial Shores has 32 vacant lots, almost all TFC-2, at about 0.23 acre each, with base flood elevations of 11 to 12 ft; its one recorded vacant sale in 12 months was $1,200,000 in November 2025, for a 0.35-acre lot with a seawall or dock on record. Estero Bay Shores has 33 vacant lots, mostly RS-1, and every one is in Zone AE (base flood elevation 10 to 11 ft). Its median vacant lot is 0.14 acre, which is below the 7,500 sq ft (0.17 acre) minimum the City sets for a new single-family home in RS-1, so most Estero Bay Shores lots can be built on only as lawful lots of record. Three sold in 12 months at $225,000, $370,000 and $385,000. No mandatory HOA is reported in either neighborhood. Sewer availability on individual Imperial Shores lots is not confirmed in our sources; ask Bonita Springs Utilities for a service availability letter.
Canal and Gulf access lots: route, bridges, docks and seawalls
Outside Imperial Shores and Estero Bay Shores, the canal plats (Pirates Cove II, Tarpon Bend, Ledford Shores, Riviera Colony, Paradise Village, Imperial River Estates, Brendan Cove and Imperial Harbor) hold 73 vacant lots, 72 of them in Zone AE and 6 inside a regulatory floodway. Six sold in 12 months at a $380,000 median, from $240,000 in Riviera Colony to $725,000 in Ledford Shores. A canal lot's value rides on four questions the listing rarely answers:
- Route. Bonita Springs canals reach Estero Bay and then the Gulf through Big Hickory Pass, New Pass or Big Carlos Pass, depending on the canal. Big Hickory Pass is not a maintained federal channel; Florida DEP's June 2026 inlet management plan records that it has closed in the past and measured 6.5 ft in a 2023 survey. Get a current depth survey of your route, because the only county depth data we found is from 1999.
- Bridges. Every fixed bridge on the route sets the tallest boat you can keep. We found no first-party clearance figure for the Imperial River bridges, so measure, do not trust a remark. Lee County is studying replacement of the New Pass, Big Hickory Pass and Little Carlos Pass bridges.
- Dock permit. The City issues dock, lift and seawall permits inside City limits. A dock permit needs a deed to a buildable waterfront lot or a qualifying recorded easement, docks over 500 sq ft over water or near the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve need a benthic survey, and state or federal approval or an exemption letter is required before close-out (City dock and shoreline permit form, January 7, 2022).
- Seawall. A 2021 City code update lets seawalls be raised and leaves seawalls "not restricted in artificial canals", while natural shorelines and V zones keep their protections.
Bonita Beach and Hickory Blvd lots
Bonita Beach and Little Hickory Island, along Hickory Blvd, have 56 vacant parcels with 54 owners, a median of about 0.29 acre and a median 2026 just value of $1,192,092 on the county roll. Forty-nine of the 56 are in Zone VE and 7 in AE, with base flood elevations of 13 to 16 ft. Four sold in 12 months at a $1,235,000 median: $538,000 for 0.35 acre in March 2026, $1,095,000 for a 0.15-acre waterfront lot in December 2025, $1,375,000 for a 0.20-acre waterfront parcel on Little Hickory Island in June 2026, and $5,100,000 on January 2, 2026 for Bonita Beach Block E Lot 1 plus a vacated piece of Hickory Blvd. Building here is its own discipline. In VE and Coastal A zones a new home goes on pilings or columns, with the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation. Work seaward of the state's coastal construction control line needs a Florida DEP permit, and construction within 50 ft of the mean high water line is prohibited without a waiver or variance. On Bonita Beach and Little Hickory Island, City height is capped at 35 ft above the minimum flood elevation with an absolute 40 ft cap including roof elements, and no variance. Barrier island lots also need the City's lighting verification form for sea turtles, and work seaward of the 1978 coastal construction control line needs the City's Beach and Dune Permit (Ordinance 23-08, June 21, 2023, no fee). Twenty-five of the 56 lots fall inside the City's Beach Zone map layer. Wastewater service splits too: 24 of the 56 lots are in the Bonita Beach Club wastewater franchise and 32 in Bonita Springs Utilities' area, so confirm the provider for each lot.
Bonita Springs addresses in Collier County. Barefoot Beach, Bonita Shores, Little Hickory and Hickory Bay West carry Bonita Springs mailing addresses but sit in Collier County, so Collier rules, permits and fees apply. They are not in any count on this page. Little Hickory Island on Hickory Blvd, by contrast, is inside the City of Bonita Springs.
Downtown and Old 41 infill lots
The downtown and Old 41 corridor holds the most vacant lots of any area, 256 parcels with 197 owners, typically 0.23 acre, in older plats such as Heitmans, the original Bonita Springs plat, Rosemary Park, Arroyal, Orange Grove, Bonita Park and Penn Dell. It is also where the lowest-priced City land trades: 11 sales in 12 months at a $135,000 median, from $78,000 to $210,000. Zoning is mostly TFC-2 (152 parcels), with RS-1, AG-2, TF-1 and 11 Form-Based lots. Inside the Downtown District, the City's form-based code assigns each lot a transect (T3, T3 Restricted, T4, T5 or T5 Core on the regulating plan dated November 15, 2024) that sets building placement, frontage and height in stories rather than feet; T3 and T3 Restricted cap the principal building at 2 stories and allow one accessory dwelling per principal building. Flood exposure is mixed: 163 of the 256 lots are AE, 14 VE and the rest X or shaded X. And because so many of these lots are small, the 7,500 sq ft minimum and the lot-of-record rules below decide what can be built.
Mobile home and RV-3 lots: what can be built
Mobile home subdivisions such as Spring Creek Village, Oak Creek Manor, Leitner Creek Manor, Mound Key Mobile Haven, Imperial Bonita Estates, Mobile Villas, Oakland Park and Bonita Pines hold 142 vacant lots, typically 0.11 acre, and 130 of them are in Zone AE, with 22 inside a regulatory floodway. Six sold in 12 months at a $119,000 median. MH-1 allows a mobile home, and the City's 2020 rules allow a conventional single-family home on an individual MH-1 lot that meets the lot standards, which call for 7,500 sq ft and 75 ft of width (5,000 sq ft and 50 ft in MH-2); a 2023 amendment changed one of the notes behind that rule, so confirm conventional-home eligibility for the specific lot with City Planning. New and replacement mobile homes must be elevated with the bottom of the frame at or above the base flood elevation plus 1 ft, and mobile homes are existing only in the interstate interchange area.
RV-3 lots are a different product. The roll shows 212 RV-3 and RV lots with a median of 0.05 acre (about 2,000 sq ft), and 177 of them belong to one owner, Gulf Coast Camping Resort LLC. None sold in 12 months. Under the Lee County code the City inherited when it incorporated (Bonita's own RV division carries the current rules, which we could not read directly), an RV site holds a recreational vehicle, no RV may be used as a year-round residence, and a conventional house is "existing only" in RV-3. Treat an RV-3 lot as an RV site, not a house lot, and confirm with the City before you buy one.
Lots inside gated golf and club communities
Very few empty homesites are left inside Bonita Springs' gated communities: 35 vacant parcels in all, in Bonita Bay (11), Serrano (13), Spanish Wells (9), Palmira (1) and Pelican Landing (1). Three sold in 12 months at a $280,000 median: Serrano Lot 42 at $225,000 and two Spanish Wells lots at $280,000 and $425,000. Bonita Bay's 11 lots carry a $694,579 median 2026 just value, and 10 of them are in Zone AE. Inside these communities the association approves the house before the City does. Spanish Wells Unit Three, for example, sends new homes through its Architecture Review Committee under a declaration recorded April 25, 2025, asks for plans, plot plan, landscape and color plans and a completion date, and requires a $2,500 security bond, $1,000,000 of builder insurance and contractor hours of 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays and 7:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays. Pelican Landing requires a Standards Exception Request at least 72 hours ahead for construction services, dumpsters and PODs. None of the association sites we reached publishes a build-by deadline for vacant lots, so ask the association for any construction start or completion deadline in the declaration before you close.
Acreage east of I-75 and the DR/GR
East of I-75 the land opens up: 73 vacant parcels on DR/GR (Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource) land along Rio Grande Dr, Cutting Horse Ln, Kent Rd, Dewey Rd and Bonita Grande Dr, and another 95 acreage parcels outside the DR/GR along Bonita Beach Rd SE, E Terry St, Faygin Ln and Snell Ln. The DR/GR is a groundwater protection designation. Lee County's plan sets DR/GR density at one home per 10 acres in unincorporated Lee; inside the City, the City's plan keeps east Bonita at very low density, so confirm the lot's future land use with the City before you buy. A parcel smaller than the density allows may still carry one home if it qualifies as a lot of record or under a City single-family residence determination. Access is the other issue: 18 of the DR/GR parcels and 62 of the 95 other east acreage parcels carry the Property Appraiser address "ACCESS UNDETERMINED", and 9 DR/GR parcels sit in a regulatory floodway.
Recorded sales east of I-75 are few and scattered: 4 DR/GR sales at a $116,773 median (including a 4.92-acre parcel at $490,000) and 3 other acreage sales at a $1,100,000 median, led by two 5-acre parcels on January 9, 2026 at $2,000,000 and $1,100,000.
Revana Lakes is not land for sale. In January 2026 the City approved Seagate's Revana Lakes on Bonita Beach Road, a planned project of up to 299 homes, and Seagate Revana LLC owns 22 of the east-of-I-75 vacant parcels on the roll. It is a pipeline project with no lots on the market; we cover it on the Bonita Springs new construction page.
Every recorded vacant land sale in the last 12 months, by area
We tracked all 69 qualified vacant residential sales the county recorded in the 12 months to September 25, 2026 and grouped them by area, so you can see the real trades behind each median.
| Area | Sale date | Price | Acres | Zoning | Subdivision or legal (short) | Jurisdiction | Seawall or dock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Carlos Estates | 2026-05-29 | $148,500 | 1.21 | AG-2 | Tract 387 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2026-05-20 | $75,000 | 1.21 | AG-2 | Tract 387 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2026-03-30 | $450,000 | 1.21 | AG-2 | Tract 385 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2026-03-18 | $440,000 | 1.25 | AG-2 | Tract 552 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2025-12-19 | $460,000 | 1.25 | AG-2 | Tract 445 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2025-12-19 | $185,000 | 1.25 | AG-2 | Tract 751 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2025-12-08 | $360,000 | 1.25 | AG-2 | Tract 424 | City | |
| San Carlos Estates | 2025-11-18 | $180,000 | 1.26 | AG-2 | Tract 276 | City | |
| Bonita Farms | 2026-07-31 | $30,000 | 0.19 | RS-1 | Portion of S 1/2 of Lot 3 | City | |
| Bonita Farms | 2026-06-19 | $247,500 | 0.35 | RS-1 | Part Lot 9, canal | City | |
| Bonita Farms | 2026-04-21 | $494,000 | 0.37 | RS-1 | Part Lot 12, canal | City | Yes |
| Bonita Farms | 2026-01-23 | $275,000 | 0.19 | RS-1 | Part Lot 7 | City | |
| Bonita Farms | 2025-10-30 | $340,000 | 0.36 | RS-1 | Part Lot 11 | City | Yes |
| El Dorado Acres | 2026-06-26 | $215,000 | 0.24 | RS-1 | Block 6 Lot 11 | Unincorporated | |
| El Dorado Acres | 2026-05-05 | $152,000 | 0.22 | RS-1 | Block 9 Lot 5 | Unincorporated | |
| El Dorado Acres | 2026-05-05 | $152,000 | 0.22 | RS-1 | Block 9 Lot 6 | Unincorporated | |
| El Dorado Acres | 2026-03-31 | $160,000 | 0.22 | RS-1 | Block 3 Lot 14 | Unincorporated | |
| El Dorado Acres | 2025-12-30 | $165,000 | 0.22 | RS-1 | Block 14 Lot 3 | Unincorporated | |
| El Dorado Acres | 2025-12-19 | $165,000 | 0.30 | RS-1 | Block 13 Lot 24 | Unincorporated | |
| North AG-2 acreage | 2026-09-09 | $350,000 | 0.91 | AG-2 | Trieste Preserve Lot 8 | City | |
| North AG-2 acreage | 2026-02-24 | $325,000 | 0.91 | AG-2 | Trieste Preserve Lot 13 | City | |
| Imperial Shores | 2025-11-26 | $1,200,000 | 0.35 | RS-1 | Block 8 Lot 27 | City | Yes |
| Estero Bay Shores | 2026-03-19 | $385,000 | 0.14 | RS-1 | Unit 1 Block B Lot 3, canal | City | |
| Estero Bay Shores | 2026-02-11 | $225,000 | 0.11 | RS-1 | Unit 1 Block C Lot 16 | City | |
| Estero Bay Shores | 2025-09-26 | $370,000 | 0.11 | RS-1 | Unit 1 Block C Lot 9 | City | Yes |
| Other canal plats | 2026-08-28 | $240,000 | 0.22 | TFC-2 | Riviera Colony Block B Lot 11 | City | |
| Other canal plats | 2026-07-31 | $500,000 | 0.23 | AG-2 | Tarpon Bend Lots 40 and 41 | City | Yes |
| Other canal plats | 2026-04-20 | $400,000 | 0.21 | RS-1 | Pirates Cove II Block A Lots 2 and 3 | City | Yes |
| Other canal plats | 2025-12-09 | $305,000 | 0.23 | RPD | Brendan Cove Block A Lot 3 plus boat slip 22 | City | Yes |
| Other canal plats | 2025-10-15 | $360,000 | 0.22 | RS-1 | Paradise Village Lot 37 | City | Yes |
| Other canal plats | 2025-10-07 | $725,000 | 0.35 | TFC-2 | Ledford Shores Lot 14 | City | Yes |
| Bonita Beach and Little Hickory | 2026-06-16 | $1,375,000 | 0.20 | C-1 | Parcel on Little Hickory Island | City | Yes |
| Bonita Beach and Little Hickory | 2026-03-20 | $538,000 | 0.35 | RS-1 | Bonita Beach 1st Addition Block L | City | |
| Bonita Beach and Little Hickory | 2026-01-02 | $5,100,000 | 0.32 | RS-1 | Bonita Beach Block E Lot 1 plus vacated Hickory Blvd | City | |
| Bonita Beach and Little Hickory | 2025-12-15 | $1,095,000 | 0.15 | RS-1 | Bonita Beach 1st Addition Block M Lot 8 | City | Yes |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-08-31 | $145,000 | 0.19 | RS-1 | Arroyal Heights Unit 2 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-07-15 | $85,000 | 0.13 | TFC-2 | Rosemary Park 1 Block C Lot 15 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-06-30 | $130,000 | 0.36 | AG-2 | Arroyal, part Lots 64 and 65 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-06-11 | $150,000 | 0.23 | TFC-2 | Orange Grove Trailer Park, Lots 6 to 8 | City | Yes |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-06-03 | $210,000 | 0.22 | TFC-2 | Arroyal, part Lot 65 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-05-19 | $95,000 | 0.16 | TFC-2 | Rosemary Park No 2 Block D Lot 11 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-05-06 | $78,000 | 0.16 | TFC-2 | Heitmans Bonita Springs Block 34 Lot 23 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2026-04-30 | $95,000 | 0.17 | Form-Based | Bonita Springs Block 4 Lot 6 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2025-11-14 | $180,000 | 0.24 | TFC-2 | Bonita Park Lot 32 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2025-11-10 | $182,000 | 0.26 | RS-1 | Bonita Golf Club Villas 1st Addition Lot 20 | City | |
| Downtown and Old 41 infill | 2025-11-06 | $135,000 | 0.25 | TFC-2 | Orange Creek Block B Lot 5 | City | |
| Mobile home subdivisions | 2026-08-14 | $118,000 | 0.28 | MH-1 | Oak Creek Manor Lot 41 | City | |
| Mobile home subdivisions | 2026-06-30 | $275,000 | 0.18 | MH-1 | Mound Key Mobile Haven Unit 1 Lot 16 | City | Yes |
| Mobile home subdivisions | 2026-05-01 | $79,900 | 0.12 | MH-1 | Leitner Creek Manor Unit 2 Block 5 Lot 2 | City | |
| Mobile home subdivisions | 2026-02-26 | $120,000 | 0.10 | MH-1 | Spring Creek Village No 3 Lot 198 | City | |
| Mobile home subdivisions | 2026-02-05 | $50,000 | 0.19 | MH-1 | Imperial Bonita Estates Lot 57 | City | |
| Mobile home subdivisions | 2025-12-29 | $135,000 | 0.09 | MH-1 | Spring Creek Village Unit 1 Lot 76 | City | Yes |
| Gated communities | 2026-07-02 | $225,000 | 0.17 | RPD | Serrano Lot 42 | City | |
| Gated communities | 2026-02-19 | $425,000 | 0.25 | PUD | Spanish Wells Unit 1 Block C Lot 37 | City | |
| Gated communities | 2025-10-03 | $280,000 | 0.30 | PUD | Spanish Wells Unit 1 Block A Lot 1 | City | |
| DR/GR east of I-75 | 2026-04-17 | $153,545 | 0.40 | AG-2 | Metes and bounds parcel (same parcel, same day as the next row) | City | |
| DR/GR east of I-75 | 2026-04-17 | $45,000 | 0.40 | AG-2 | Metes and bounds parcel | City | |
| DR/GR east of I-75 | 2026-04-13 | $80,000 | 0.26 | AG-2 | Sun Village Estates Block B Lots 26 and 27 | City | |
| DR/GR east of I-75 | 2026-03-18 | $490,000 | 4.92 | AG-2 | Rural parcel, Section 30 | City | |
| Other acreage east of I-75 | 2026-01-09 | $2,000,000 | 5.01 | AG-2 | Metes and bounds parcel | City | |
| Other acreage east of I-75 | 2026-01-09 | $1,100,000 | 5.00 | AG-2 | Metes and bounds parcel | City | |
| Other acreage east of I-75 | 2025-11-05 | $200,000 | 1.99 | AG-2 | Metes and bounds parcel | Unincorporated | |
| Everything else | 2026-04-07 | $265,000 | 0.22 | RS-1 | Metes and bounds lot | City | |
| Everything else | 2025-12-19 | $782,000 | 0.08 | TFC-2 | Parcel in Section 30 | City | Yes |
| Everything else | 2025-12-19 | $44,000 | 0.40 | AG-2 | No legal description on file | City | |
| Everything else | 2025-12-19 | $44,000 | 0.28 | AG-2 | No legal description on file | City | |
| Everything else | 2025-12-18 | $40,000 | 0.28 | AG-2 | No legal description on file | City | |
| Everything else | 2025-10-24 | $675,000 | 0.27 | TFC-2 | Metes and bounds parcel, Section 32 | City | |
| Everything else | 2025-10-23 | $700,000 | 3.84 | AG-2 | Rural parcel, 6 acres or less | City |
Source: Lee County Property Appraiser sale files, every qualified vacant residential sale over $1,000 with a Bonita Springs site address, 12 months to September 25, 2026, Village of Estero excluded; acres, zoning and seawall or dock flags from the Lee County parcel layer. Area grouping is ours. The county codes three of the TFC-2 rows "TFC2". Some rows are pieces of larger interests or same-day transfers of one parcel; we show them as recorded.
Who owns the vacant lots in Bonita Springs?
About a third of Bonita Springs' 2,039 vacant residential parcels are not lots you can buy from a private seller. Builders hold 510 lots inside new communities, Gulf Coast Camping Resort LLC owns 177 of the 212 RV lots, and about 1,350 parcels are individually owned. Another 111 parcels have no determined road access on the county roll. Data updated: October 2026.
| Owner group | Vacant parcels | What it means for a lot buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Pulte (Vivid Shores and Solis Grande) | 322 | Sold only as new homes by the builder |
| Lennar-linked land entity (Natura at Bonita Fairways) | 106 | Held for a builder program; not resale lots |
| SD Grande Shores LLC (Vivid Shores) | 77 | Builder land inside Vivid Shores |
| All builder-held lots | 510 | None sold as vacant land in the 12 months to September 25, 2026 |
| Gulf Coast Camping Resort LLC (RV lots) | 177 of 212 RV lots | Campground sites, not house lots |
| Individually owned parcels | about 1,350 | The real pool of resale land |
| "ACCESS UNDETERMINED" on the roll | 111 (80 east of I-75) | Legal access must be proven before closing |
Source: Lee County Property Appraiser parcel layer, 2026 roll, owner and site address fields for vacant residential parcels with a Bonita Springs site address, read October 25, 2026. Owner groupings are ours.
Why it matters: when a listing site says "hundreds of lots in Bonita Springs", most of the empty parcels behind that impression are builder inventory or campground sites. If you want a new home on one of those builder lots, the path is the builder's sales center, and our Bonita Springs new construction guide covers Vivid Shores, Solis Grande and what is coming next. If you want land to build your own home on, the pool is the roughly 1,350 individually owned parcels, and the 69 recorded sales above are the evidence of what they trade for.
The 111 "ACCESS UNDETERMINED" parcels deserve a separate warning. That is the address the Property Appraiser assigns when it cannot tie a parcel to a road. Eighty of them are east of I-75 (62 in the non-DR/GR acreage and 18 in the DR/GR) and 9 in the north AG-2 acreage. A parcel like that may still have legal access through an easement or a recorded road, but the burden is on the buyer to prove it, through the title commitment and a survey, before closing. Florida's standard vacant land contract has the seller warrant that the property "presently has ingress and egress", which is a warranty to enforce, not a substitute for checking.
What can you build on a Bonita Springs lot?
It depends on the zoning district and the lot's size. In RS-1, TFC-2 and MH-1, a new single-family home needs a lot of at least 7,500 sq ft and 75 ft of width; smaller lots build only as lawful lots of record. AG-2 calls for about 39,500 sq ft. The City sells a written buildability determination for $150. Data updated: October 2026.
| Zoning district | Vacant parcels (median acres, median 2026 just value) | Minimum lot for a new home | Setbacks: street / side / rear / water | Height and coverage | What it allows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RPD | 542 (0.23 ac, $34,098) | Set by the approved master plan; conventional subdivisions default to the RS and TF table | Per the RPD ordinance; 15 ft development perimeter | Per the RPD ordinance | Whatever the zoning resolution approved; read the RPD's own conditions. Most of these lots are builder inventory |
| AG-2 | 466 (1.25 ac, $221,441) | 39,500 sq ft interior, 33,600 sq ft corner; 100 x 130 ft | 25 ft on a local street (40 ft inside San Carlos Estates) / 15 / 25 / 25 (50 on the Gulf) | 35 ft; 25 percent coverage (40 percent on nonconforming lots) | A conventional single-family home, or one mobile home if it is the only unit; DR/GR limits apply east of I-75 |
| RS-1 | 274 (0.25 ac, $216,652) | 7,500 sq ft; 75 x 100 ft | 25 ft on a local street / 7.5 / 20 / 25 (50 on the Gulf) | 35 ft (beach rules on Bonita Beach); 40 percent coverage | Single-family detached; accessory apartment by special exception |
| TFC-2 (also coded TFC2) | 223 plus 87 (0.23 to 0.24 ac, $132,172 and $83,140) | 7,500 sq ft for a single-family home or duplex; 3,750 sq ft per attached two-family unit | 25 ft on a local street / 7.5 (0 at a common wall) / 20 / 25 | 35 ft; 40 percent coverage | Existing two-family areas; the district is "not available for new developments", but a lot already zoned TFC-2 can be built on |
| RV-3 | 191 (0.05 ac, $9,932) | 2,000 sq ft RV site, 30 x 55 ft | 10 ft between RVs; 40 ft park perimeter | 35 ft; 40 percent | RV sites in existing RV parks; not house lots |
| MH-1 | 122 (0.12 ac, $219,850) | 7,500 sq ft; 75 x 100 ft | 25 ft on a local street / 7.5 / 20 / 25 | 35 ft; 40 percent | Mobile homes; a conventional home on a qualifying individual lot (confirm with City Planning) |
| PUD | 24 (0.36 ac, $538,465) | Per the PUD approval | Per approval | Per approval | Legacy planned development zoning; read the PUD resolution |
| MH-2 | 22 (0.09 ac, $38,150) | 5,000 sq ft; 50 ft wide | Per the MH table | Per the MH table | Mobile homes; park trailers allowed in MH-2 only |
| RM-2 | 17 (0.26 ac, $140,424) | 6,500 sq ft single-family; 7,500 sq ft duplex or townhouse; 10,000 sq ft multifamily | 25 ft on a local street / 7 (single-family) or 20 (multifamily) / 20 / 25 | 35 ft; 45 percent | Single-family up to multifamily, capped by the Bonita Plan land use category |
| TF-1 | 10 (0.13 ac, $62,517) | 7,500 sq ft single-family; 10,000 sq ft duplex | 25 ft on a local street / 7.5 / 20 / 25 | 35 ft; 45 percent | Single-family, duplex and two-family |
| Form-Based (downtown) | 11 (0.17 to 0.19 ac, $112,501 and $150,153) | T3 and T3 Restricted: 30 ft wide x 50 ft deep minimum, 15,000 sq ft maximum | T3: front 10 / side 5 / rear 15; T3 Restricted: front 15 / side 5 / rear 20 | 2 stories (principal building); T3 40 percent building coverage | Single-family and townhome forms by transect; one accessory dwelling per principal building, not counted in density |
Source: City of Bonita Springs Land Development Code, Chapter 4 (agricultural, residential, RV, planned development and Downtown Form-Based Code divisions, Ordinance 20-12 of November 4, 2020 and Ordinance 20-10), read October 25, 2026; parcel counts, median acres and median just values from the Lee County Property Appraiser 2026 roll for vacant residential parcels with a Bonita Springs address. Street setbacks are for a local street; arterial and collector streets are 25 ft (65 ft with a frontage street) and private streets 20 ft.
What is a lot of record, and why does it matter for small lots?
The City counts a lot of record as a lot on a lawfully recorded plat (under Chapter 177 of the Florida Statutes) or a parcel whose deed was recorded on or before January 28, 1983. That definition is what decides buildability for many of the 1,090 vacant parcels under a quarter acre. Under the City's nonconforming-lot rules, a lot lawfully created before June 1962 can carry one single-family home if it is at least 40 x 75 ft and 4,000 sq ft (75 x 100 ft and 7,500 sq ft in AG-2 and AG-3). A lot below the density the Bonita Plan allows needs a favorable single-family residence determination. On platted lots recorded after June 1962, the side setback is 10 percent of the lot width (at least 5 ft) and the rear setback a quarter of the depth (at most 20 ft).
How do you get a written answer on whether a lot is buildable?
Ask the City. The City's Planning and Zoning fee schedule (Resolution 21-70) lists a Minimum Use and Single-Family Determination at $150. It is the cheapest insurance in a land deal, and on a lot under 7,500 sq ft, a part-lot in Bonita Farms or an older parcel east of I-75, it is the document that tells you whether a house is allowed at all. The City's Planner on Call can also give setback and lot-size information by strap (parcel) number. Order the determination during your due diligence period, not after closing.
Are there height limits on a Bonita Springs lot?
Yes. Most residential districts cap height at 35 ft, and in flood-prone areas the City measures height from the minimum required flood elevation, not from the ground, so an elevated house does not lose a story to the flood rules. On Bonita Beach and Little Hickory Island the limit is 35 ft above the minimum flood elevation with an absolute 40 ft cap including roof elements and no variance. Along the Bonita Beach Road corridor west of US 41 the limit is 45 ft (55 ft with added setbacks). Downtown, the form-based code limits height in stories.
How do you get a building permit in Bonita Springs?
Inside City limits, a new home permit goes to the City of Bonita Springs, filed in person or by email; as of October 2026 the online portal takes only trade mechanical permits. You need sealed plans, a drainage plan sealed by an engineer, architect or surveyor, and two elevation certificates. The City targets 5 to 7 working days for a complete application. Data updated: October 2026.
| Step | What happens | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Confirm jurisdiction and zoning | City or unincorporated Lee County; zoning district; setbacks and lot size by strap number | City Planning and Zoning (or Lee County for unincorporated parcels) |
| 2. Confirm flood zone and base flood elevation | Current FEMA maps took effect November 17, 2022; the City's Find My Flood Zone app shows the zone | City, FEMA |
| 3. Check environmental limits | Wetlands, gopher tortoise burrows within 25 ft, eagle buffers, sea turtle lighting on the barrier islands | Your consultant; SFWMD, Army Corps, FWC, City |
| 4. Confirm utilities | Bonita Springs Utilities availability letter for water and sewer, or a paid septic permit and well affidavit | BSU; the state onsite sewage program |
| 5. Driveway access | City right-of-way permit; county driveway permit on county roads; San Carlos Estates Water Control District access permit inside the district | City Public Works, Lee DOT, SCEWCD |
| 6. Design | Sealed plans to the 8th edition (2023) Florida Building Code, energy calculations, product approvals, sealed drainage plan, plot plan with finished floor elevation | Architect or engineer, surveyor |
| 7. Submit | In person at 9220 Bonita Beach Rd, Suite 111, or by email to the City's permitting address | Owner or contractor |
| 8. Review | City target of 5 to 7 working days for a complete and accurate application; state cap of 30 business days for a home under 7,500 sq ft | City Building Division |
| 9. Pay and record | Permit fee, impact fees, utility fees; record a Notice of Commencement for jobs of $5,000 or more | Owner or contractor |
| 10. Build and inspect | Foundation survey within 10 days of the slab inspection; "Building Under Construction" elevation certificate before work above the slab; $50 per re-inspection | Contractor, surveyor |
| 11. Close out | Final grading, drainage and landscaping inspection, finished-construction elevation certificate, solid waste fee paid, then the certificate of occupancy | City |
Source: City of Bonita Springs Residential Permitting Procedures (January 2024) and Community Development pages; Section 553.792, Florida Statutes (2025); City Resolution 25-129. Read October 24 to 25, 2026.
Can you file a new home permit online in Bonita Springs?
Not yet. As of October 2026, the City's EnerGov permit portal accepts only trade mechanical permits online; every other permit type, including a new single-family home, is still submitted in person or by email. The portal does handle status lookups and payments, and the City says it never asks for permit payments by email or wire, only through the portal. Unincorporated Lee County parcels such as El Dorado Acres go through Lee County's own eConnect system instead.
What does the drainage plan rule mean for a lot buyer?
Since the City adopted Ordinance 19-12 on December 4, 2019, every new house in Bonita Springs needs a Stormwater Drainage Plan prepared by a professional engineer, architect or land surveyor (Land Development Code Section 4-2224). The plan uses an elevation grid of at least 50 by 50 ft, keeps slopes no steeper than 5 to 1, and needs an as-built survey before the certificate of occupancy. A lot raised more than 30 inches above its neighbors can be required to submit water quantity calculations for a 5-year, 1-day storm, and a final grade more than 18 inches above the street crown or an adjacent developed lot needs a grading and drainage plan. Fill cannot come onto a residential lot without a permit; outside a building permit it takes a Type 99 Limited Review Development Order.
Do you need a separate permit to clear a lot?
Usually not inside the City. For single-family and duplex homes, the City's Environmental Sciences division puts it plainly: "your building permit is your clearing permit". Other construction needs a Vegetation Removal Permit. In unincorporated Lee County, the County's own Vegetation Removal Permit for single-family clearing applies only at 5 acres or more, or on listed coastal islands. A tree removal permit outside a building permit is $55 for the first tree under the City's Resolution 21-70.
How fast does Florida law make the City decide?
Section 553.792 of the Florida Statutes requires a building department to tell an applicant within 5 business days whether a single-family application is complete, and to approve, approve with conditions or deny it within 30 business days of a complete application for a home under 7,500 sq ft (60 business days at 7,500 sq ft and up). If it runs late, the permit fee drops 10 percent for each late business day. The City's own target is faster, 5 to 7 working days for a complete and accurate residential application, but builders still publish 2 to 3 months for "permits and engineering", because the plans, engineering and any HOA review come first.
Can you be your own builder in Bonita Springs?
Florida lets an owner-builder pull a permit for their own home, and the City allows it, but the owner must personally sign the application and is responsible for meeting the Florida Building Code and zoning. On a vacant lot that means the drainage plan, elevation certificates and inspections are yours to manage.
What does it cost before you build?
For a new single-family home inside the City, impact fees total $17,199.95 as of October 2026, and Bonita Springs Utilities charges $3,424 for water and $4,459 for sewer connection plus a meter charge of about $700 to $2,200 depending on meter size. The City building permit with plan review runs about $3,300 to $3,600 for a typical 2,500 sq ft home. Data updated: October 2026.
| One-time fee, new single-family home, City of Bonita Springs | Amount (October 2026) | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Roads impact fee (City) | $12,350 | City Ordinance 18-10; full fee since November 8, 2021 |
| School impact fee | $3,016.20 (about $3,000) | City impact fee calculator; Lee County's own table shows $2,879 |
| Parks impact fee (City) | $912 | City Ordinance 18-07, effective August 15, 2018 |
| Fire impact fee (Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue District) | $861.75 | Lee County Ordinance 26-01, step effective May 4, 2026 |
| EMS impact fee | $60 | Lee County Ordinance 26-01, step effective May 4, 2026 |
| City impact fees, total | $17,199.95 | City impact fee calculator, read October 25, 2026 |
| BSU water connection (aid to new construction) | $3,424 | BSU water tariff effective January 1, 2026 |
| BSU sewer connection (aid to new construction) | $4,459 | BSU wastewater tariff effective January 1, 2026 |
| BSU meter installation | about $700 to $2,200 depending on meter size ($715 on an existing 3/4 inch tap; $1,675 to $2,180 for a new 3/4 inch service line) | BSU water tariff effective January 1, 2026 |
| BSU service deposit (5/8 x 3/4 inch meter) | $65 | BSU water tariff |
| BSU neighborhood special service charge | $0 in most areas; paid in full for new construction where it applies (for example Spring Creek Village $4,826 water and $7,210 sewer) | BSU rates page, modified January 16, 2026 |
| City building permit plus 25 percent plan review, 2,500 sq ft home | about $3,300 to $3,600 | City Resolution 25-129, effective January 1, 2026 |
| State surcharges on the permit fee | 1 percent (s. 553.721) plus 1.5 percent (s. 468.631), $2 minimum each | Florida Statutes (2025) |
| City right-of-way driveway connection | $215 single, $260 double | City Public Works fee sheet (revised 2017; confirm) |
| Prorated solid waste fee before the certificate of occupancy | up to $371.63 | City FY27 prorated schedule |
Source: City of Bonita Springs impact fee calculator and fee schedule page; City Ordinances 18-07 and 18-10; Lee County Ordinance 26-01 (adopted February 3, 2026); Bonita Springs Utilities rates page and January 1, 2026 tariffs; City Resolution 25-129; Sections 553.721 and 468.631, Florida Statutes. Read October 24 to 25, 2026.
Two of those lines move on a schedule. Fire and EMS impact fees step up every May 4 through 2029 under Lee County Ordinance 26-01: the Bonita Springs district fire fee goes from $861.75 now to $1,149 at full phase-in, and EMS from $60 to $65. Impact fees are due when the permit is picked up, so a buyer who holds a lot for a few years pays the rates in force on permit day, not the rates on the day they bought the land. And the school fee has two official numbers: the City's calculator charges $3,016.20, while Lee County's table shows $2,879. The City collects it on City permits, so use the City figure and call it about $3,000.
How does the City figure the building permit fee?
By valuation, under Resolution 25-129 (adopted October 15, 2025, fees effective January 1, 2026). The fee is $968.50 for the first $100,000 plus $5.26 for each additional $1,000 up to $500,000; $3,072.50 for the first $500,000 plus $4.42 per $1,000 up to $1,000,000; and $5,282.50 for the first $1,000,000 plus $2.74 per $1,000 above that. Residential plan review adds 25 percent of the permit fee. The City values the house with a cost factor per square foot for one- and two-family homes of $169.09 to $215.90 depending on construction type ($187.11 for type IIIB). On a 2,500 sq ft home at the $169.09 and $187.11 factors, permit plus plan review comes to about $3,334 and $3,630, which is the "about $3,300 to $3,600" in the table. Using a private provider for inspections halves the permit fee. Those cost factors are the City's permit valuation basis, not a construction quote.
Does unincorporated Lee County charge different impact fees?
Yes, and lower ones. For the 102 Bonita-address vacant parcels outside City limits, such as El Dorado Acres, Lee County's schedule for a single-family home is roads $5,248, parks $806 (community $464 plus regional $342), schools $2,879, fire $861.75 and EMS $60, a subtotal of $9,854.75, plus a 3 percent administrative fee, for about $10,150. The roads fee alone is about $7,100 lower than the City's $12,350, so the jurisdiction line changes the bill. Lee County requires an Impact Letter with the permit application.
| One-time impact fees, single-family home | City of Bonita Springs | Unincorporated Lee County (Bonita address) |
|---|---|---|
| Roads | $12,350 | $5,248 |
| Parks | $912 | $806 |
| Schools | $3,016.20 | $2,879 |
| Fire (Bonita Springs district) | $861.75 | $861.75 |
| EMS | $60 | $60 |
| Administrative fee | none listed | 3 percent |
| Total | $17,199.95 | about $10,150 |
Source: City of Bonita Springs impact fee calculator, read October 25, 2026; Lee County impact fee schedule and Ordinance 26-01. The unincorporated total is our sum of the County's published items.
What other fees can surprise a lot buyer?
Some Bonita Springs Utilities areas carry a neighborhood special service charge that must be paid in full for new construction, on top of the standard connection fees. BSU's list includes Spring Creek Village ($4,826 water and $7,210 wastewater), Imperial Harbor ($2,482.49 water and $1,095.67 wastewater), Sun Village Estates ($3,584), Lakes of Sans Souci ($4,948), Fountain Lakes and Marsh Landing ($3,442 single-family), Bonita Springs Golf and Country Club ($3,365 single-family), Forest Mere and Spring Lakes ($2,182 single-family), the Gravity Expansion Area ($1,717), the Villages in Imperial Bonita Estates ($1,522), Leisure Time ($943.73) and Hacienda Village ($795). Ask BSU whether a charge applies to the parcel before you write an offer. Other smaller lines from the City's schedules: construction water at $110 to connect and disconnect plus $4.81 per 1,000 gallons, a $300 temporary certificate of occupancy (90 days), $50 permit extensions for the first three months and $100 for the second, and a $400 residential pool and spa permit.
What does it cost to build a house on a Bonita Springs lot?
Our estimate for a 2,500 sq ft home on a quarter-acre City lot, using the $214,750 county median for quarter to half acre lots, runs from about $666,000 to $2.35 million, depending on which of three published builder price tiers you build in. A lot in flood Zone AE adds 8 to 25 percent of construction cost. Data updated: October 2026.
This is an estimate, built from published 2026 fee schedules and builder price ranges. Your builder's bid, the survey and the City's permit review decide the real number. The assumptions are ours: a one-story 2,500 sq ft home under air, a quarter-acre lot inside City limits, Bonita Springs Utilities water and sewer at the lot with no special service charge, a City right-of-way driveway and no pool.
Fees and site work before the house
| Line | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| City impact fees (roads, parks, fire, EMS, schools) | $17,199.95 | $17,199.95 |
| BSU water and sewer connection, meter and deposit | $8,663 (existing tap) | $10,128 (new long service line) |
| City permit, plan review and 2.5 percent state surcharges | $3,417.71 | $3,720.98 |
| City right-of-way driveway permit | $215 | $215 |
| Prorated solid waste fee before the certificate of occupancy | $32.26 | $371.63 |
| Boundary survey | $450 | $800 |
| Two elevation certificates | $370 | $700 |
| Geotechnical (soil boring) report | $1,500 | $3,500 |
| Lot clearing, quarter acre | $2,000 | $8,000 |
| Subtotal before the house | about $34,000 | about $45,000 |
Source: City of Bonita Springs impact fee calculator, Resolution 25-129 and FY27 solid waste schedule; Bonita Springs Utilities tariffs effective January 1, 2026; Sections 553.721 and 468.631, Florida Statutes; survey, elevation certificate, soil report and clearing ranges are industry estimates published by Southwest Florida surveyors, engineers and land clearing firms in 2026. Not priced, because we found no reliable dated source: the drainage plan, architectural plans, the foundation survey, HOA review fees, construction loan costs and closing costs on the lot.
Three builder tiers, Zone X lot
| Tier (builder's own published range) | Construction at $ per sq ft | Builder's risk insurance (1.2 to 4.5 percent) | Land (county median) | Fees and site | Estimated total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Value custom, $165 to $220 per sq ft (EBM Development) | $412,500 to $550,000 | $4,950 to $24,750 | $214,750 | about $34,000 to $45,000 | about $666,000 to $834,000 |
| B. High-end custom, $300 to $400 per sq ft (A2 Construction, Naples) | $750,000 to $1,000,000 | $9,000 to $45,000 | $214,750 | about $34,000 to $45,000 | about $1.01 million to $1.30 million |
| C. Entry luxury, $600 to $800 per sq ft (DeSanctis Homes, Tier 1 inland) | $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 | $18,000 to $90,000 | $214,750 | about $34,000 to $45,000 | about $1.77 million to $2.35 million |
Source: our estimate. Builder ranges are what each builder publishes about its own pricing in 2026 (EBM Development, March 25, 2026, updated October 12, 2026; A2 Construction 2026 guide; DeSanctis Homes Bonita Springs cost guide, April 17, 2026), not market statistics. Land is the Lee County median recorded sale for 0.25 to 0.5 acre vacant lots in Bonita Springs, $214,750, from 20 sales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026. Builder's risk range is an industry estimate from a Florida insurance agency (May 5, 2026).
Two cautions on the table. EBM says its per-foot price already includes permits, engineering, clearing, grading, fill if needed and the driveway, so up to about $12,000 of the fee and site lines may already be inside Tier A; treat the top of Tier A as its ceiling. And DeSanctis publishes "2,500 sq ft Luxury Home: $1.5M to $2.2M" for construction alone, which lines up with Tier C. For reference, the City's own permit valuation factor for one- and two-family homes, $169.09 to $215.90 per sq ft, sits near the bottom of the published builder ranges; it values a permit and is not a price quote.
What does a flood zone add to the cost of building?
In Zone AE the lowest floor must sit at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, so the house usually goes on a stem wall with fill rather than a slab at grade. DeSanctis Homes publishes that flood elevation "typically adds 8% to 25% to total construction cost". On a simple AE lot that needs little fill, the foundation difference can be much smaller: industry estimates put a stem wall at $10 to $18 per sq ft against $6 to $12 for a slab, which is about $10,000 to $15,000 more on a 2,500 sq ft footprint before fill.
| Tier | Zone X estimate | AE premium (8 to 25 percent of construction) | Estimated total, Zone AE |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Value custom | about $666,000 to $834,000 | $33,000 to $137,500 | about $699,000 to $972,000 |
| B. High-end custom | about $1.01 million to $1.30 million | $60,000 to $250,000 | about $1.07 million to $1.55 million |
| C. Entry luxury | about $1.77 million to $2.35 million | $120,000 to $500,000 | about $1.89 million to $2.85 million |
Source: our estimate, using DeSanctis Homes' published 8 to 25 percent flood elevation premium (April 2026) on the construction lines above. Stem wall and slab ranges are industry estimates (Southwest Florida house plan and engineering firms, 2026).
In Zone VE and Coastal A, which covers most Bonita Beach and Hickory Blvd lots, the house must stand on pilings or columns, structural fill cannot support it, and soil borings are needed to design for scour. A Florida engineering firm publishes pile foundations at $40,000 to $120,000 against $8,000 to $20,000 for a slab (industry estimate, March 20, 2026). We do not put a single total on a VE lot; get an engineer on the lot during your inspection period.
How long does it take to build on your own lot?
Builders publish 8 to 12 months from contract to keys for a value custom home (EBM Development), and 12 to 20 months for luxury custom work (DeSanctis Homes, with its own benchmarks of 15 months at Pelican Landing and 20 months at Barefoot Beach, which is in Collier County). Two to three months of that is design, engineering and permitting before ground is broken. A permit can be extended ($50 for the first three months, $100 for the second), so do not plan around a fixed date.
Who builds custom homes on Bonita Springs lots?
These builders show Bonita Springs work on their own sites, listed alphabetically: BCB Homes (names Bonita Bay, Bonita Beach and Pelican Landing), DeSanctis Homes (names Bonita Bay, Pelican Landing and nearby communities), Harwick Homes (office in Bonita Springs; says it has built there for over 35 years), London Bay Development Group (Saltleaf and The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Estero Bay) and STOCK Custom Homes (estates in Bonita Bay; Vivid Shores). The list is not an endorsement and not complete; ask any builder for Bonita Springs projects you can drive past and for a written allowance schedule. For production builders and new communities, see Bonita Springs new construction.
How do flood zones change what you can build?
The flood zone sets how high the house sits and how it is built. In Zone AE the lowest floor must be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation. In Zone X, the City still requires the lowest floor at least 12 inches above the crown of the nearest street. In VE and Coastal A zones the house goes on pilings or columns. Data updated: October 2026.
We pulled a random sample of 80 vacant residential parcels in Bonita Springs against FEMA's flood hazard layer on October 24, 2026: 44 were in Zone X, 34 in Zone AE and 2 in Zone VE, so 36 of the 80 sat in an A or V zone. The base flood elevations we saw were 9, 10, 11 and 13 ft (NAVD88). The current FEMA flood maps for Bonita Springs took effect November 17, 2022.
| Flood zone | What the code requires for a new home | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zone X (outside the special flood hazard area) | Lowest floor at least 12 inches above the crown of the nearest local street | City Ordinance 22-05, Sec. 24-114 |
| Zone AE | Lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation plus 1 ft, or the design flood elevation if higher. This is the Florida Building Code standard (R322.2.1); the City adds no freeboard of its own for homes | Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th edition (2023); City Ordinance 22-05 |
| Zone VE and Coastal A | Bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at the base flood elevation plus 1 ft (R322.3.2); pilings or columns required (R322.3.3), with a stem wall exception only in Coastal A; new buildings landward of mean high tide; breakaway walls below | Florida Building Code R322.3; City Ordinance 22-05 |
| Fill outside Coastal A | The minimum necessary, sloped to existing grade, under the City's drainage rules | City Ordinance 22-05; LDC 4-2224 |
| Fill in VE and Coastal A | Only minor grading and nonstructural fill for landscaping and drainage | City Ordinance 22-05 |
| Regulatory floodway | No fill or regrading unless an engineered analysis shows no rise in the base flood elevation | City Ordinance 22-05 |
| Enclosures below an elevated home | Parking, access and limited storage only; a signed nonconversion agreement recorded before the certificate of occupancy | City Ordinance 22-05 |
| Mobile homes | Bottom of frame at the base flood elevation plus 1 ft; prohibited in V and Coastal A zones except in existing parks | City Ordinance 22-05 |
Source: City of Bonita Springs Ordinance 22-05, Flood Hazard Reduction (adopted August 3, 2022); Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th edition (2023), Section R322; City Community Development flood notices (November 3, 2025). Sample: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer, 80 randomly sampled vacant residential parcels, queried October 24, 2026.
On a lot with a 10 ft base flood elevation in Zone AE, the lowest floor of a new home must sit at 11 ft NAVD88 or higher. The City notes that each foot above the required elevation can cut flood premiums by "nearly 50%", and each foot below can double them. Fifty-one vacant parcels in Bonita Springs sit inside a FEMA regulatory floodway (22 of them in mobile home subdivisions, 9 in the DR/GR and 6 on canals), where building needs an engineered no-rise showing.
What is the 50 percent rule on a lot with an old house?
If the lot you are buying has an older house you plan to remodel rather than replace, the City applies the substantial improvement rule: improvements adding up to 50 percent of the building's market value, counted cumulatively over five years and excluding the land, force the whole house to meet current flood elevation rules. Windows, doors, shutters and roofs count for one year only. The City uses the Property Appraiser's building value unless you submit a private appraisal. On a teardown lot, it is often the reason buyers rebuild instead of renovate.
Can a lot be taken out of the flood zone?
Sometimes, through FEMA. A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) applies when the land is on natural ground at or above the base flood elevation and was never raised with fill; FEMA charges no review fee. For a lot, the lowest point on the lot must be at or above the base flood elevation. A Letter of Map Revision based on Fill (LOMR-F) covers land raised by fill, carries a FEMA review fee and needs the community to find the site reasonably safe from flooding. FEMA normally decides within 60 days of complete data. A LOMA removes the federal requirement to carry flood insurance on a federally backed loan, but the lender can still require it. Ask your surveyor for the lowest lot elevation at the same visit as the boundary survey; that one number tells you whether a LOMA is worth pursuing.
Does Bonita Springs get a flood insurance discount?
Yes. The City kept its Community Rating System Class 5 rating, worth a 25 percent discount on National Flood Insurance Program premiums, according to a City notice of November 21, 2024. You do not insure a vacant lot against flood; the policy comes with the house, and the lender decides what it requires.
Is the lot on sewer or septic, and does it have water?
Most of Bonita Springs is served by Bonita Springs Utilities, a member-owned cooperative, but service at a given lot is never automatic. Water and sewer connection fees are $3,424 and $4,459 for a single-family home in 2026. Where sewer is not available, a new septic system needs a state permit. Ask BSU for a service availability letter on the parcel. Data updated: October 2026.
Bonita Springs Utilities, founded in 1970, is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative that serves the City, the Village of Estero and unincorporated south Lee County. Its service area is set by its franchise agreements with the City and Lee County, and a parcel inside the franchise area is not proof that a line reaches the lot. The City requires a letter from the utility verifying availability with the building permit application, so the availability letter is the document to get during your due diligence period.
| Item | Amount or rule (2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water connection fee (aid to new construction), single-family | $3,424 per unit | BSU water tariff, January 1, 2026 |
| Sewer connection fee (aid to new construction), single-family | $4,459 per unit | BSU wastewater tariff, January 1, 2026 |
| Meter installation | about $700 to $2,200 depending on meter size and tap | BSU water tariff |
| Monthly base charges after move-in | water $9.18, wastewater $32.27, billing $4.61 | BSU rates page, modified January 16, 2026 |
| Connection once sewer arrives | Required within one year by state law and City ordinance | BSU Sun Village FAQ |
| New septic permit (only where there is no sewer) | $390 application, $155 site evaluation if needed, $465 for a performance-based system | Lee County health department septic page, modified June 23, 2026 |
| Septic in a nutrient-protection basin | Since July 1, 2023, a new septic system on a lot of 1 acre or less in a basin management action plan area, where sewer is not available, must be an enhanced nutrient-reducing system | Florida DEP |
Source: Bonita Springs Utilities rates page and tariffs; Florida DEP onsite sewage and basin management action plan pages; Florida Department of Health in Lee County. Read October 24 to 25, 2026.
Which Bonita Springs land areas use septic?
On-site septic is still normal in parts of the acreage. San Carlos Estates listings commonly describe BSU water with a septic system on each tract, the district's own driveway handbook shows a septic area and a "verify no wells" note on its sample site plans, and some listing remarks say sewer is now available; confirm it on the tract. In El Dorado Acres, Lee County's 2009 septic layer flags 149 of 210 improved parcels as likely on septic. Wells and septic are typical on the acreage east of I-75, though we could not confirm a count. Sun Village Estates and Lakes of Sans Souci are being converted from septic to central sewer by BSU and the City with state grant funding. For Bonita Farms, Imperial Shores and Tropic Acres, our sources do not confirm sewer availability lot by lot, so ask Bonita Springs Utilities for a service availability letter before you assume a hookup.
Who permits a septic system and a well?
Florida DEP has run the state onsite sewage program since July 1, 2021, when it took the program over from the Department of Health. The City's permit checklist asks for a paid septic permit receipt and a well affidavit at application, and the well permit must be finaled before the certificate of occupancy. The Imperial River and Hendry Creek watersheds fall inside the Everglades West Coast basin management action plan (2025 version, effective November 25, 2025), which is why the nitrogen-reducing septic rule matters for small infill lots without sewer. A 1.25-acre San Carlos Estates tract is just over the 1-acre line.
What is different about San Carlos Estates?
San Carlos Estates is governed by the San Carlos Estates Water Control District, a state Chapter 298 special district, not an HOA. Its roads are private and owner paid, the City will not issue a certificate of occupancy until the district approves your driveway and right-of-way work, and some tracts contain protected wetlands. None of its 165 vacant tracts is in a FEMA flood zone. Data updated: October 2026.
| San Carlos Estates fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Governance | Chapter 298 water control district formed in 1969, three elected supervisors; no HOA | SCEWCD |
| Zoning and lot size | AG-2; 165 vacant tracts, median 1.25 acres, 134 owners | City LDC; Lee County Property Appraiser |
| Flood | 0 of 165 vacant tracts in a FEMA special flood hazard area | City FEMA flood layer |
| Roads | "All roads within San Carlos Estates are privately paid for by the property owners within the District with public access"; perimeter roads Tuck, Moriah and Bonita Bill are gated for maintenance | SCEWCD |
| Certificate of occupancy | The City requires district final acceptance of driveway and right-of-way work before it issues the CO | SCEWCD 2026 Water Control Plan Amendment |
| Unpaved access | Where a tract has no paved access, the owner must extend the paved road from the nearest paved point to the driveway, under a Roadway Extension permit with a $1,500 initial payment | SCEWCD driveway permitting handbook |
| Front setback | 40 ft street setback for AG-2 inside the district, not the usual 25 ft | City LDC |
| Wetlands | About 80 acres of protected wetlands sit inside private lots; single-family work on a wetland lot needs purchased mitigation credits, about $180,000 per credit | SCEWCD 2026 Water Control Plan Amendment |
| Planned road work | $5.66 million to resurface every road over 5 years; "additional assessments may be required" | SCEWCD 2026 Water Control Plan Amendment |
| District assessment | $708.04 per acre for FY 2026-27, about $885 a year on a 1.25-acre tract | SCEWCD |
| Recorded sales, 12 months | 8 at a $272,500 median ($75,000 to $460,000) | Lee County sale files to September 25, 2026 |
Source: San Carlos Estates Water Control District (about page, driveway permitting handbook posted February 17, 2025, and Water Control Plan Amendment of March 2026, posted May 28, 2026); City of Bonita Springs Land Development Code; Lee County Property Appraiser 2026 roll and sale files. Read October 24 to 25, 2026.
What should you check on a San Carlos Estates tract?
Four things, in this order. First, wetlands: walk the tract with an environmental consultant before you price it, because a wetland tract can need mitigation credits that cost as much as the land. The largest wetland area, about 45 acres, crosses Amarillo Dr and Rocky Rd. Second, road access: if the road in front of the tract is not paved, budget for extending the paved road to your driveway at your cost, starting with the district's $1,500 initial payment. Third, the driveway and culvert: every driveway needs a district access and right-of-way permit, typically with an 18-inch culvert, and the permit expires three years after approval or one year after work starts. Fourth, the money: ask the district for the parcel's current assessment and any planned special assessment, because the 2026 road resurfacing plan says more may be required. Parcels on unpaved roads pay reduced assessments.
Is San Carlos Estates in the City of Bonita Springs?
Yes. Every San Carlos Estates sale in the county file carries City jurisdiction, so City zoning, City permits and City impact fees apply, while the district handles roads, drainage and driveway permits. San Carlos Estates is also an unrecorded subdivision: its tracts exist through deeds that reference Official Records Book 557, Page 354, rather than through a plat recorded under Chapter 177, which makes a boundary survey and a title commitment more important there than on a platted lot.
What should you check before you buy land in Bonita Springs?
Check jurisdiction, zoning, legal access, flood zone, wetlands and protected species, fill and drainage, water and sewer, survey and title, and the seller's identity, each with the office that answers it. The City of Bonita Springs governs about 95 percent of Bonita-address lots; the rest follow unincorporated Lee County rules. Data updated: October 2026.
| # | Check | Who answers it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | City or unincorporated Lee County (or Collier, for a few Bonita addresses) | Lee County Property Appraiser parcel record; City Planning and Zoning |
| 2 | Zoning, lot size and whether a home is allowed | City Planning and Zoning; the $150 single-family determination |
| 3 | Legal access and who maintains the road (City, County, a district, an HOA, or no one) | Title agent, survey, City Public Works or the San Carlos Estates Water Control District |
| 4 | Boundary survey: corners, encroachments, easements, flood zone | Florida licensed surveyor (standards in Chapter 5J-17, Florida Administrative Code) |
| 5 | Lowest lot elevation against the base flood elevation | Surveyor; FEMA map; City Find My Flood Zone app |
| 6 | Wetlands (federal and state permits) | Environmental consultant; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; South Florida Water Management District or Florida DEP |
| 7 | Gopher tortoise burrows, eagle nests, sea turtle rules | Environmental consultant or an owner-run burrow survey; FWC; City Environmental Sciences |
| 8 | Fill, grading and drainage | Engineer, architect or surveyor (City drainage plan rule) |
| 9 | Water and sewer, or septic and well | Bonita Springs Utilities availability letter; state septic permit |
| 10 | Title: liens, unrecorded plat, easements, mineral reservations | Florida licensed title agent or real estate attorney |
| 11 | HOA, deed restrictions or district assessments | Association documents; the water control district |
| 12 | Taxes after the sale | Lee County Property Appraiser |
| 13 | That the seller is the real owner | Your agent and title agent (see the scam section below) |
Source: City of Bonita Springs Community Development; Lee County; FEMA; FWC; Bonita Springs Utilities; Florida Realtors Vacant Land Contract (VAC-14, revised August 2024). Read October 24 to 25, 2026.
City of Bonita Springs vs unincorporated Lee County: which rules apply?
Lee County's 2026 roll shows 1,937 of the 2,039 vacant residential parcels with a Bonita Springs address inside the City and 102 outside it, so the City rule is the one that applies to about 95 percent of lots. The two sets of rules differ in ways that change the budget.
| Rule | City of Bonita Springs | Unincorporated Lee County (Bonita address) |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues the building permit | City Building Division (in person or by email) | Lee County, through eConnect |
| Impact fees, single-family home | $17,199.95 (October 2026) | about $10,150 including a 3 percent administrative fee |
| Clearing a single-family lot | "Your building permit is your clearing permit" | Vegetation Removal Permit only at 5 acres or more, or on listed coastal islands |
| Grass and weeds on a vacant lot | Violation over 16 inches; invasive overgrowth must be cleared | Reported as 12 inches, with County mowing billed to the owner |
| Driveway | City right-of-way permit; district permit in San Carlos Estates | County driveway permit, finaled by Lee DOT before the certificate of occupancy |
| Road access rule | City LDC | "All development must abut and have access to a public or private street" (Lee LDC 10-291) |
Source: City of Bonita Springs Environmental Sciences, Neighborhood Services and impact fee calculator; Lee County Vegetation Removal Permit guide, impact fee schedule and Ordinance 25-09. The unincorporated grass height is as reported by WINK News (April 24, 2026), not read from the County code.
What survey and title issues come up on Bonita Springs land?
Start with the survey. Florida's standard vacant land contract lets the buyer survey at its own expense and requires notice of any encroachment or zoning violation within 5 days of receiving the survey and no later than 5 days before closing; if the price is per acre, the acreage is "as certified" by a Florida licensed surveyor. Then the title commitment, which matters more than usual in three situations:
- Unrecorded subdivisions. San Carlos Estates and El Dorado Acres were never recorded as Chapter 177 plats. Their lots exist through deeds that reference a sketch map, so lot lines depend on deed descriptions and the surveyor's reconstruction. Splitting one further may require platting.
- Roads nobody maintains. Under Section 95.361 of the Florida Statutes, a road a government has maintained for 4 years (or 7 years, if someone else built it) is deemed dedicated to the public to the width maintained. A road on a sketch that no government maintains may be only a paper street. Confirm who maintains the road to your lot.
- Mineral reservations. Deeds from the state's Internal Improvement Trust Fund and some agencies reserve three-fourths of phosphate, minerals and metals and half of petroleum (Section 270.11), but the state's right of entry is released on a tract of less than 20 acres under one ownership. Easements in use survive Florida's Marketable Record Title Act. Your title agent confirms what applies to the specific parcel.
What environmental permits can a lot need?
Wetlands and protected species are the two that stop projects. For wetland fill, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers again issues the federal Section 404 permit in Florida, because a federal court vacated the state's 404 program in 2024 and the D.C. Circuit upheld that ruling on March 27, 2026; the state Environmental Resource Permit through the South Florida Water Management District or Florida DEP is a separate track. A single home is exempt from the state permit only if it involves no work in wetlands or other surface waters. For gopher tortoises, a state-listed threatened species common on sandy uplands, FWC requires a relocation permit before anyone disturbs a potentially occupied burrow, and "disturbance" means any work within 25 ft of a burrow; no permit is needed if all clearing, grading and staging stay at least 25 ft away. Landowners may run their own burrow survey for FWC's 10 or Fewer Burrows permit, walking transects no more than 33 ft apart. The City also has its own bald eagle protection ordinance and monitors nest buffer zones, and enforces sea turtle lighting on the beach.
What does the Florida vacant land contract protect?
The Florida Realtors Vacant Land Contract (VAC-14) is an "as is" contract with a buyer due diligence period, 30 days if the blank is left empty, for environmental, zoning, soil, access, utility and permit checks. If the buyer gives no written notice before the period ends, the property is accepted as is. The seller warrants that the property "presently has ingress and egress". Keep the due diligence period; the contract's "no due diligence period" box makes the buyer accept that sewer and water are available or that a well and septic will be approved.
On disclosure, Florida's Johnson v. Davis (1985) requires a seller of a home to disclose known facts that materially affect value and are not readily observable. Whether that duty reaches a vacant lot, and whether the state's flood disclosure law (Section 689.302) covers vacant residential land, is unsettled. Put your questions about flooding, fill, wetlands, claims and FEMA aid to the seller in writing during due diligence either way; your closing attorney or title agent confirms what applies.
Two more contract pointers apply to some deals. If any part of a lot is seaward of the coastal construction control line, the seller owes a coastal disclosure and an affidavit or survey (Section 161.57). And Florida's foreign-principal land law (Section 692.203) requires a buyer affidavit at purchase; your closing agent handles it. Federal FIRPTA withholding can apply when the seller is a foreign person.
Can you get a loan to buy a lot in Bonita Springs?
Yes, but land is financed differently from a house. Many land purchases close in cash, and lot loans usually ask for a larger down payment than a home loan; the lender pages we reviewed show about 20 to 35 percent down. A construction-to-permanent loan can roll the lot and the build into one mortgage. Under Fannie Mae's guide, the borrower must hold title to the lot, which may be bought as part of the same transaction, and a single-closing loan caps the construction period at 12 months for a single period and 18 months in total, with no exceptions. A longer build uses two closings. The standard vacant land contract also allows seller financing, with a purchase money note and mortgage to the seller.
How do you avoid a vacant land seller scam?
Verify the seller against the tax roll and the recorded deed before any money moves. On June 16, 2026 the FBI warned that criminals impersonate owners of vacant land, using fake IDs, email and internet phone numbers, to sell lots they do not own, and title firms name vacant land as the top fraud target. Data updated: October 2026.
The FBI's public service announcement of June 16, 2026 lists the red flags: a seller who communicates only by email, text or internet phone and will not meet; pressure to close fast at a below-market price; little knowledge of the property and no surveys or tax information; a request to wire money to an international account, an account in another name or a place unrelated to the property; and deeds notarized in a foreign country. Its advice to buyers is specific: send a certified letter to the owner's address on the tax record to confirm the sale is real. The title industry sees the same thing. An American Land Title Association study reported by Florida Realtors on September 17, 2026 found that 59 percent of title firms saw a seller impersonation attempt in the prior year and that 82 percent named vacant land as the most frequent target.
How we verify a land seller. Before we write an offer on a vacant lot, we compare the seller's name to the Lee County tax roll and the recorded deed, verify the seller's phone and email independently instead of using the contact details that came with the inquiry, send a certified letter to the owner's address on the tax roll, close with a title company that checks the seller's ID, and never accept changed wiring instructions by email. Own land in Lee County? Sign up for the Lee County Clerk's free Property Fraud Alert, which emails you within 24 hours when a deed, mortgage or other land record with your name or parcel ID is recorded.
If you are the victim of a forged deed, the Lee County Clerk's steps are a police report, a quiet title action and a notice to the Property Appraiser and Tax Collector, because tax bills may have been redirected and unpaid taxes can lead to a tax deed sale. Report the fraud to the FBI's IC3 with the emails, phone numbers and bank accounts used.
How is vacant land taxed in Lee County?
Vacant land gets no homestead exemption, because homestead needs a residence. The 10 percent annual cap on assessed value applies only to non-school levies, and it resets after a sale: the lot is reassessed at just value on the January 1 after you buy it. Do not budget from the seller's current tax bill. Data updated: October 2026.
| Tax rule | What it means for a lot buyer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| No homestead on vacant land | Homestead needs a residence on January 1; build first, then apply | Florida law |
| 10 percent non-homestead cap | Assessed value may rise no more than 10 percent a year, for levies other than school district levies | Section 193.1555, Florida Statutes |
| Reset on sale | Reassessed at just value on January 1 after a sale or a transfer of more than 50 percent of an owning entity | Section 193.1555 |
| Reset on improvement | A substantially completed improvement that raises just value by 25 percent or more resets the assessment | Section 193.1555 |
| Contract notice | "Buyer should not rely on the seller's current property taxes" | Florida Realtors Vacant Land Contract |
| CDD liens | Special benefit tax liens imposed by a CDD are prorated at closing | Florida Realtors Vacant Land Contract |
Source: Sections 193.1555 and 193.461, Florida Statutes (2025); Florida Realtors Vacant Land Contract (VAC-14, revised August 2024); Lee County Property Appraiser agricultural classification brochure (revised June 2024). Read October 25, 2026.
Can AG-2 land get an agricultural tax classification?
Only with real farming. AG-2 zoning does not give a parcel an agricultural classification; the Property Appraiser treats zoning as only one factor. Under Section 193.461, the land must be used primarily for bona fide, good-faith commercial agriculture, the use must be in place or well underway by January 1, and the return (Form DR-482) is due by March 1. Lee County's typical guidelines call for about 5 acres of citrus or crops, about 10 acres of fenced and maintained pasture, or about 10 acres of planted pine under a management plan, and agriculture solely for personal use does not qualify. A new application is required after any change of ownership. Most AG-2 tracts in San Carlos Estates, at about 1.25 acres, are well below those typical sizes.
Who mows a vacant lot, and what if you live out of state?
You do, or someone you pay. Inside the City, grass and weeds over 16 inches are a code violation, invasive or exotic overgrowth must be cleared and kept from regrowing, and junk, trash and horticultural waste are not allowed; the City starts with voluntary compliance and moves to formal enforcement under Chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes. In unincorporated Lee County the threshold is reported as 12 inches, with County mowing billed to the owner. If you buy land to build later, budget for regular mowing and clearing from the day you close.
Talk to a Domain Realty Group land specialist
Domain Realty Group, the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, works from a home office in Bonita Springs and helps buyers find, check and close on land across the city, from San Carlos Estates tracts to canal lots and acreage east of I-75. Tell us what you want to build and your budget, and we will pull the zoning, flood zone, sales and ownership on the lots that fit. Data updated: October 2026.
In practice that means checking a lot's jurisdiction and zoning before you fall for it, ordering the $150 City determination on any lot under 7,500 sq ft, getting the Bonita Springs Utilities availability letter and the flood zone into the due diligence period, putting the recorded sales in that area next to the asking price, and running the seller check in the box above before an escrow deposit goes anywhere. We tracked every fee, rule and recorded sale on this page from the City's, the County's and the utility's own documents, so the numbers you compare are the ones you will pay.
★★★★★ "Kay Tarnowski did an excellent job helping us sell our house, from beginning to end. I would highly recommend Kay and Domain Realty." Verified Google review. J F, on working with Kay Tarnowski of Domain Realty Group.
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Start your search here:
- Bonita Springs land and lots for sale
- Bonita Springs land under $250,000
- Bonita Springs land $250,000 and up
- All Bonita Springs homes for sale
Looking at land just north of the city as well? Our Estero land for sale guide covers the Village of Estero, and the Bonita Springs communities guide lists every neighborhood, gated and not, with its jurisdiction and HOA status.
Ready to tour land in Bonita Springs?
Contact Domain Realty Group or call 239-441-2816, and a Bonita Springs agent will line up the lots that fit your plan, with the zoning, flood zone and recorded sales for each, before you walk a single one.
Selling a lot or a home in Bonita Springs?
Land sellers get the most when the buyer's questions are answered before they are asked: zoning, flood zone, survey, access and utility availability. If you are selling a lot or a home here and want to know where it stands against these recorded sales, Jesse and Marc's McGreevy and Comisar team will show you what your Bonita Springs property is worth.
Frequently asked questions about Bonita Springs land for sale
Short answers drawn from the sections above. Each figure has its date in the sections above and its source in the list below.
How much does land cost in Bonita Springs?
Lee County recorded 69 qualified vacant residential land sales with a Bonita Springs address in the 12 months to September 25, 2026, at a $225,000 median. The middle of the market is a quarter-acre to half-acre lot at about $214,750, and the range runs from under $50,000 for small parcels to $5,100,000 for a Bonita Beach lot.
How much does an acre of land cost in Bonita Springs?
It depends on size more than anything. Recorded sales in the 12 months to September 25, 2026 show a $147,764 median per acre for 1 to 2.5 acre tracts, $140,851 per acre for 2.5 to 5 acres, and more than $1,000,000 per acre for lots under a quarter acre, which price per lot rather than per acre.
How many lots are for sale in Bonita Springs right now?
The live count changes daily, so use the MLS search: Bonita Springs land listings. Be careful with portal counts; their Bonita Springs land results mix in Estero and Naples lots and boat slips. The county roll shows 2,039 vacant residential parcels with a Bonita Springs address, about 1,350 of them individually owned.
Where does the lowest-priced land in Bonita Springs sell?
In the recorded sales, the lowest medians are in the mobile home subdivisions ($119,000 for 6 sales) and the downtown and Old 41 infill plats ($135,000 for 11 sales), both for lots of about a tenth to a quarter acre. Check those lots hard for size: many are below the 7,500 sq ft minimum for a new single-family home and build only as lots of record.
What are the main areas with land for sale in Bonita Springs?
San Carlos Estates (1.25-acre AG-2 tracts), Bonita Farms along the Imperial River, El Dorado Acres (unincorporated Lee County), the north AG-2 acreage such as Tropic Acres and Trieste Preserve, the canal neighborhoods of Imperial Shores and Estero Bay Shores, Bonita Beach and Hickory Blvd, downtown and Old 41 infill, and the acreage east of I-75.
Is San Carlos Estates in the City of Bonita Springs?
Yes. San Carlos Estates sales in the county record carry City jurisdiction, so City zoning, permits and impact fees apply. Roads, drainage and driveway permits are handled by the San Carlos Estates Water Control District.
What zoning is San Carlos Estates?
AG-2. All 165 vacant San Carlos Estates tracts on the 2026 roll are zoned AG-2, with a median of 1.25 acres. AG-2 allows a conventional single-family home, and inside the district the street setback is 40 ft rather than the usual 25 ft.
Does San Carlos Estates have an HOA?
No. It has a state water control district instead, formed in 1969 under Chapter 298 of the Florida Statutes, with three elected supervisors. The district maintains the private, owner-paid roads, canals and swales, issues driveway and right-of-way permits, and levies an assessment, $708.04 per acre for FY 2026-27, about $885 a year on a 1.25-acre tract.
How do I find the zoning of a lot in Bonita Springs?
Look up the parcel on the Lee County Property Appraiser site, which shows the zoning code, then confirm it with City of Bonita Springs Planning and Zoning, whose Planner on Call gives setback and lot-size information by strap number. For a written answer on whether a home is allowed, order the City's $150 single-family determination.
Is a Bonita Springs lot in the City or in unincorporated Lee County?
Most are in the City: 1,937 of the 2,039 vacant residential parcels with a Bonita Springs address on the 2026 roll, about 95 percent. The other 102, including El Dorado Acres, are in unincorporated Lee County, which issues its own permits and charges lower impact fees. A few Bonita addresses, such as Barefoot Beach and Bonita Shores, are in Collier County.
Can I build on a lot smaller than 7,500 square feet?
Sometimes. A new single-family home in RS-1, TFC-2 or MH-1 needs 7,500 sq ft and 75 ft of width, but a lawful lot of record (on a recorded plat, or with a deed recorded on or before January 28, 1983) can still carry one home, and lots created before June 1962 can qualify at 40 x 75 ft and 4,000 sq ft. Get the City's $150 determination before you buy.
Can I put a mobile home on a lot in Bonita Springs?
On MH-1 and MH-2 lots, yes, and on an AG-2 lot one mobile home is allowed if it is the only unit. New and replacement mobile homes must have the bottom of the frame at the base flood elevation plus 1 ft, they are prohibited in V and Coastal A flood zones except in existing parks, and they are existing only in the interstate interchange area.
Can I build a house on an RV-3 lot in Bonita Springs?
Generally no. RV-3 lots are RV sites of about 2,000 sq ft. Under the Lee County code the City inherited, no RV may be used as a year-round residence and a conventional house is "existing only" in RV-3; confirm the current City text. One company, Gulf Coast Camping Resort LLC, owns 177 of the 212 RV lots.
How long does it take to get a building permit in Bonita Springs?
The City targets 5 to 7 working days to review a complete and accurate residential application. Florida law requires a completeness notice within 5 business days and a decision within 30 business days for a home under 7,500 sq ft. Design and engineering usually take 2 to 3 months before you apply.
How much does a building permit cost in Bonita Springs?
The City's valuation-based fee plus 25 percent plan review comes to about $3,300 to $3,600 for a typical 2,500 sq ft home under Resolution 25-129 (effective January 1, 2026), plus state surcharges of 1 and 1.5 percent of the permit fee. Impact fees and utility fees are separate.
Can I apply for a new home permit online in Bonita Springs?
Not as of October 2026. The City's online portal accepts only trade mechanical permits; a new home permit is filed in person at 9220 Bonita Beach Rd, Suite 111, or by email. You can check permit status and pay through the portal, and the City never asks for payment by email or wire.
What are impact fees in Bonita Springs, and who pays them?
They are one-time fees for roads, schools, parks, fire and EMS, paid when the building permit is picked up. Inside the City they total $17,199.95 for a new single-family home as of October 2026; in unincorporated Lee County, about $10,150. On a new home from a builder, they are built into the price; on your own lot, you or your builder pay them at permit.
How much does it cost to connect to water and sewer in Bonita Springs?
Bonita Springs Utilities charges $3,424 for water and $4,459 for sewer connection on a single-family home under its January 1, 2026 tariffs, plus a meter installation of about $700 to $2,200 and a $65 deposit. Some neighborhoods add a special service charge that must be paid in full for new construction.
How much does it cost to build a house on a lot in Bonita Springs?
Our estimate for a 2,500 sq ft home on a quarter-acre City lot, including about $214,750 for the land and $34,000 to $45,000 in fees and site work, runs from about $666,000 to $2.35 million across three published builder tiers ($165 to $800 per sq ft). An AE flood zone adds 8 to 25 percent of construction cost.
Should I talk to a builder before I buy the land?
Yes, during the inspection period. A builder or engineer can check the elevation against the base flood elevation, how much fill the lot needs, the setbacks and whether the house you want fits, and give you a rough foundation cost. On a VE lot or a lot with wetlands, that conversation can change the price you should offer.
What flood zone is my Bonita Springs lot in?
Check the City's Find My Flood Zone app or FEMA's map; Bonita Springs' current maps took effect November 17, 2022. In our random sample of 80 vacant parcels, 44 were in Zone X, 34 in AE and 2 in VE. Inland AG-2 areas such as San Carlos Estates are almost all Zone X; canal and coastal lots are almost all AE or VE.
How high does a new house have to be in a Bonita Springs flood zone?
In Zone AE the lowest floor must be at least 1 foot above the base flood elevation, so on a lot with a 10 ft base flood elevation that is 11 ft NAVD88. In Zone X the lowest floor must be at least 12 inches above the crown of the nearest street. In VE and Coastal A the bottom of the lowest structural member must be 1 foot above the base flood elevation, on pilings or columns.
Do I need flood insurance on vacant land?
No; you insure the house, not the lot. Once you build, a federally backed loan on a building in a high-risk flood zone requires flood insurance, and a lender can require it anywhere. Bonita Springs' Community Rating System Class 5 gives a 25 percent discount on National Flood Insurance Program premiums.
Can a lot be taken out of the flood zone?
If the lowest point of the lot is naturally at or above the base flood elevation, FEMA can issue a Letter of Map Amendment at no review fee, usually within 60 days of complete data. A lot raised with fill needs a Letter of Map Revision based on Fill, which carries a fee. A lender can still require flood insurance after either one.
Can I fill my lot in Bonita Springs?
Yes, with a permit and a plan. Fill cannot come onto a residential lot without a permit, every new house needs a drainage plan sealed by an engineer, architect or surveyor, and a lot raised more than 30 inches above its neighbors can need water quantity calculations. In V and Coastal A zones only minor nonstructural fill is allowed, and in a floodway none without an engineered no-rise analysis.
Do I need a permit to clear trees on my lot?
Inside the City, for a single-family or duplex home, "your building permit is your clearing permit". In unincorporated Lee County a Vegetation Removal Permit for single-family clearing applies only at 5 acres or more or on listed coastal islands. Gopher tortoise rules apply either way.
What happens if there are gopher tortoises on the lot?
You need an FWC permit before any work within 25 ft of a potentially occupied burrow. If you keep all clearing, grading and staging at least 25 ft away, no permit is needed. For 10 or fewer burrows that cannot be avoided, FWC offers a simpler permit, and a landowner may run the burrow survey.
What if the lot has wetlands?
Expect two permit tracks: a federal Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a state Environmental Resource Permit. In San Carlos Estates, single-family work on a wetland lot needs purchased mitigation credits, which the district puts at about $180,000 per credit. Have a consultant flag wetlands before you close.
What is the DR/GR in Lee County?
The Density Reduction/Groundwater Resource designation protects the groundwater recharge lands east of I-75. Lee County's plan sets DR/GR density at one home per 10 acres in unincorporated Lee. Inside the City, the City's plan keeps east Bonita at very low density; confirm the lot's future land use with the City before you buy.
Can I build a house on 5 acres east of I-75?
Maybe. On DR/GR land the density is very low, so a parcel smaller than the density allows may carry a home only as a lawful lot of record or with a City single-family residence determination. Check access too: 80 of the 111 Bonita parcels the Property Appraiser lists as "ACCESS UNDETERMINED" are east of I-75.
What are the hidden costs of buying land in Bonita Springs?
The ones buyers miss most: impact fees ($17,199.95 in the City), water and sewer connection ($7,883 plus a meter), a sealed drainage plan, fill and a stem wall in an AE zone, pilings in VE, road extension on an unpaved San Carlos Estates tract, wetland mitigation credits, gopher tortoise relocation, and a tax reassessment after the sale.
Who pays closing costs when you buy land in Florida?
Under the standard Florida Realtors Vacant Land Contract, the seller pays the documentary stamp taxes on the deed and the cost of clearing title, and the buyer pays to record the deed, its loan costs, inspections and the survey. Who pays for the owner's title policy is chosen by checkbox in the contract, and that party picks the closing agent.
How can I tell if a land seller is the real owner?
Compare the seller to the tax roll and recorded deed, verify phone and email independently, send a certified letter to the owner's address on the tax record as the FBI recommends, and never accept changed wiring instructions by email. Be wary of a seller who will only email or text, wants a fast cash close or prices well below market.
Is Revana Lakes land for sale?
No. Revana Lakes is a planned Seagate community of up to 299 homes on Bonita Beach Road that the City approved in January 2026. It has no lots on the market; it is a pipeline project, covered on our Bonita Springs new construction page.
About Domain Realty Group in Bonita Springs
Domain Realty Group is a team of about 40 agents founded in 2008, serving Lee, Collier and Charlotte County, Florida, led by Jesse McGreevy (SL3101296) and Marc Comisar (BK3060671), who bring over 45 years of combined direct experience between Jesse McGreevy and Marc Comisar. Domain Realty Group, the #1 team in Southwest Florida since 2012, has $2.5 billion in team production and 4,000+ transactions. RealTrends 2026: #1 in Bonita Springs and #5 in Florida.
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. All agents are licensed Florida real estate professionals.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of the sources below, read October 24 to 25, 2026 unless another date is shown. No competing brokerage or listing portal is cited. Fees, assessments and rules change, so verify any figure that drives a purchase decision against its source.
County record
- Lee County Property Appraiser parcel layer (2026 roll; vacant residential parcels, zoning, acreage, owners, site addresses, seawall and dock flags)
- Lee County Property Appraiser sale files (qualified sales over $1,000; windows ending September 25, 2026, the newest qualified sale in the file)
- Lee County Property Appraiser, agricultural classification brochure (revised June 2024)
- Lee County GIS layers (road centerlines, utility franchise areas, likely septic tanks 2009, Lee Plan future land use, FIRM)
- Lee County Clerk, Property Fraud Alert
City of Bonita Springs
- City GIS layers (FEMA flood zones, future land use 2040, Old 41 master plan, Beach Zone)
- Planning and Zoning (lot of record, Planner on Call)
- Land Development Code (Municode)
- Ordinance 20-12, residential and mobile home district tables (November 4, 2020)
- Resolution 21-70, Planning and Zoning fees
- Downtown District regulating plan (November 15, 2024)
- Height of structure rules (LDC 4-1871 to 4-1874)
- Permit Portal
- Residential Permitting Procedures (January 2024)
- Resolution 25-129, Building Permit Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2026)
- Impact fee calculator
- Fee schedule page
- Ordinance 18-10, roads impact fee
- Ordinance 18-07, parks impact fee
- Fire and EMS impact fee increases notice (April 23, 2026)
- Solid waste fees FY27
- Residential stormwater drainage plans, Ordinance 19-12 (December 2019)
- Drainage plan submittal rules
- Ordinance 22-05, Flood Hazard Reduction (August 3, 2022)
- FEMA flood zone information and the 50 percent rule
- Substantial improvement and substantial damage notice (November 3, 2025)
- Flood protection information (FIRM effective November 17, 2022)
- Community Rating System notice (November 21, 2024)
- Find My Flood Zone app
- Mobile and manufactured home elevation requirements (August 22, 2022)
- Environmental Sciences (clearing, eagles, sea turtles)
- Dock and shoreline permit application (January 7, 2022)
- Dock and shoreline code updates (October 20, 2021)
- Building questions (owner-builders)
- Right-of-way permit packet
- Code enforcement (vacant lots)
- Septic to sewer grants (February 13, 2023)
Lee County
- Impact fee schedule
- Ordinance 26-01, fire and EMS impact fees (adopted February 3, 2026)
- Vegetation Removal Permit informational guide
- Ordinance 25-09 (LDC 10-291 access rule)
- Residential Building Guide (eConnect)
- Lee Plan text (DR/GR density)
Utilities and districts
- Bonita Springs Utilities, rates and charges (modified January 16, 2026)
- Bonita Springs Utilities, water tariff effective January 1, 2026
- Bonita Springs Utilities, wastewater tariff effective January 1, 2026
- Bonita Springs Utilities, Sun Village FAQ
- San Carlos Estates Water Control District, about the district
- San Carlos Estates Water Control District, driveway permitting handbook (posted February 17, 2025)
- San Carlos Estates Water Control District, Water Control Plan Amendment (March 2026, posted May 28, 2026)
State and federal
- Section 553.792, Florida Statutes (permit review deadlines)
- Section 553.721, Florida Statutes (1 percent surcharge)
- Section 468.631, Florida Statutes (1.5 percent surcharge)
- Section 193.1555, Florida Statutes (non-homestead cap and reset)
- Section 193.461, Florida Statutes (agricultural classification)
- Section 95.361, Florida Statutes (roads dedicated by maintenance)
- Section 270.11, Florida Statutes (state mineral reservations)
- Section 712.03, Florida Statutes (Marketable Record Title Act exceptions)
- Section 689.302, Florida Statutes (flood disclosure)
- Section 161.57, Florida Statutes (coastal disclosure)
- Section 692.203, Florida Statutes (foreign principal land purchases)
- Johnson v. Davis, 480 So. 2d 625 (Fla. 1985)
- Florida Building Code, Residential, 8th edition (2023), R322.2.1
- Florida Building Code, Residential, R322.3.3 foundations
- FEMA flood hazard layer (NFHL)
- FEMA, Letter of Map Amendment and LOMR-F
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- Florida DEP, onsite sewage program
- Florida DEP, enhanced nutrient-reducing septic systems
- Florida DEP, basin management action plan documents
- Florida DEP, State 404 program status
- Florida DEP, coastal construction control line permits
- Florida DEP, Big Hickory Pass inlet management plan (June 2026)
- Florida Department of Health in Lee County, new septic permit requirements (modified June 23, 2026)
- South Florida Water Management District, Environmental Resource Permits
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, Section 404 notice
- FWC, gopher tortoise permits
- FWC, 10 or Fewer Burrows permit
- FBI IC3, public service announcement on vacant land seller impersonation (June 16, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B5-3.1-01, construction-to-permanent financing
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B5-3.1-02, single-closing transactions
- IRS, FIRPTA withholding
Builders, contract forms and other references (not linked)
- EBM Development, custom home building costs in Southwest Florida (March 25, 2026, updated October 12, 2026).
- A2 Construction, cost to build a custom home in Naples (2026 guide).
- DeSanctis Homes, Bonita Springs custom home cost guide (April 17, 2026).
- Harwick Homes, BCB Homes, London Bay Development Group and STOCK Development, Bonita Springs project pages (read October 25, 2026).
- Florida Realtors, Vacant Land Contract (VAC-14, revised August 2024).
- Florida Realtors news, seller impersonation fraud attempts rise (American Land Title Association study), September 17, 2026.
- Industry cost estimates for surveys, elevation certificates, soil reports, lot clearing, foundations and builder's risk insurance, published by Southwest Florida firms in 2026.
- WINK News, vacant lot rules in Southwest Florida, April 24, 2026.
- Citizen Portal and WGCU, Revana Lakes approvals, October 17, 2025 and January 22, 2026.