Development Services is responsible for the administrative review and issuance of development orders for site work activities for all commercial, industrial, multiple-family developments, and residential subdivisions within unincorporated Lee County. Development Services also reviews and process applications for pre-application/informal meetings, limited development orders, property subdivision plats, vegetation permits, surety, the formal vacation of easements and rights-of-way, and all improvements to county maintained rights-of-way and Lee County Utilities infrastructure extensions.
Resources
Informal/Pre-Application Meetings
Available with staff to discuss processes and project questions in detail prior to the submission of an application for development order approval. These are virtual meetings which are scheduled in 30-minutes time slots. Applicants are required to provide a site plan with as much information as possible in order to better prepare for the meeting.
Departments Involved:
Development Services
| Environmental
| Planning | LeeTran
|
Zoning
| DOT
| Utilities
| Other Departments (By Request)
|
Apply online using eConnect. Once staff receives and processes your application, you will be provided with the next available meeting dates and times via email.
Development Orders & Limited Review Development Orders
Development Orders:
All multiple-family residential, commercial, institutional, infrastructure, industrial development projects and subdivisions must obtain a Development Order before beginning any site work activities and the issuance of a building permit.
Limited Review Development Orders: (Determined through code requirement in LDC Chapter 10-174)
Utilized for specific smaller projects that are considered to have insignificant impacts.
TYPE A
| Pond excavation for AG use or single family amenity; Improvements with no impacts - up to 200 square feet of additional impervious surface |
| TYPE B | Impervious addition up to 2,500 square feet
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| TYPE C | Outdoor Recreational Facility (total cumulative additional impervious area does not exceed 5,000 square feet); County-owned public water access or County-owned Rights-of-Way
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| TYPE D | New utility lines in existing Right-of-Way or easement; Improvements with insignificant impacts to public facilities; Improvements to County Rights-of-Way in incorporated areas as defined in Section 10-297
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| TYPE E | Residential and commercial lot splits
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Certificate of Compliance
Before a site can be used as approved in a Development Order, including issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for Commercial or Residential buildings, a Certificate of Compliance must be issued by Development Services.
Issuing a Certificate of Compliance requires a multidisciplinary site inspection process involving Development Services, Lee County Utilities, the Lee County Department of Transportation (LDOT), and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) when work occurs within their right‑of‑way.
This process is set in motion by uploading the following documents to the record in eConnect.
- Letter of Substantial Compliance from the project Civil Engineer* for site work
- Must be signed and sealed by engineer
- Lighting Engineer* for site lighting
- Must be accompanied by site verified footcandle readings demonstrating that the outdoor lighting, as installed, conforms with the proposed photometrics.
- Registered Landscape Architect*
- For required buffers and other landscaping and environmental matters
- Must be signed and sealed by landscape architect
- Satisfaction of Stipulation Letter
- Outlining how all stipulations of approval have been satisfied, including any addition documents or requirements
*Forms for Engineering, Architect, and Landscape can be found in the Application & Information Center. For questions or assistance, please contact a Development Services Inspector.
Code References
Vacations
Development Services reviews and processes applications for Petitions to Vacate roadway, utility and drainage easements and rights-of-way. A Petition to Vacate requires an advertised public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners prior to approval. The application and review processes are provided in Lee County Administrative Codes:
Development Services reviews and processes applications for the recording of plats for residential and commercial subdivisions in accordance with Chapter 177, Florida Statutes (F.S.). The review and approval process is administrative in nature and, in addition to Chapter 177, F.S., is governed by Lee County
Administrative Code 13-19