What Does Lee County Require for Commercial Signage?

For commercial property in unincorporated Lee County, most exterior business signage requires a sign permit through Lee County. This may apply to 9290 Daniels Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33912, but jurisdiction should be confirmed before submitting an application. A Fort Myers mailing address does not necessarily mean a property is located within the incorporated City of Fort Myers.

This overview is intended for preliminary planning and buyer due diligence. Final requirements depend on jurisdiction, zoning, road frontage, the approved development order, the applicable sign plan and the specific sign design.

1. Principal Requirements

  • A sign permit is generally required to erect, replace, relocate, alter, repair or move a wall-mounted or ground sign.
  • Regulated signs include wall signs, ground signs, awnings, tenant panels, billboards, electronic message centers, interchange signs and flagpoles 20 feet or higher.
  • Each proposed sign normally requires an individual permit application.
  • Temporary signage is handled through the temporary-use permitting process.
  • The applicant should submit through the Lee County eConnect permitting portal.
  • The business must have a valid Certificate of Occupancy, Certificate of Use or signed Consent to Erect Sign. A sign permit alone does not authorize a business to open.

Lee County identifies the principal governing standards as the Florida Building Code, Chapter 479 of the Florida Statutes and Chapter 30 of the Lee County Land Development Code.

2. Wall Signs

A wall-sign application should generally include:

  • A dimensioned elevation of the affected building wall.
  • Wall dimensions measured from the ground to the roofline.
  • The proposed sign dimensions and exact placement.
  • The sign wording, logo or artwork.
  • Construction and attachment details.
  • Illumination and electrical details, when applicable.

A wall sign is generally limited to 10% of the area of the wall on which it is installed. The qualifying wall normally must face a street right-of-way or parking area. Multiple signs installed on the same wall may be combined when calculating the permitted area.

Example

A qualifying wall measuring 60 feet wide by 18 feet high contains 1,080 square feet. A basic 10% calculation would provide approximately 108 square feet of wall-sign area, subject to zoning, development-order conditions and any approved unified sign plan.

See the County's Sign Application and Permitting Guide and Sign Permit Frequently Asked Questions.

3. Monument, Pylon and Ground Signs

A ground-sign application generally requires a surveyed or dimensioned site plan showing:

  • Property and right-of-way lines.
  • Available road frontage.
  • The building location.
  • The proposed sign location.
  • The sign's height, width and total area.
  • The copy area and monument-sign text area.
  • Front and side setbacks.
  • Foundation, structural and attachment details.
  • Illumination details.

Lee County's published FAQ identifies a typical minimum setback of 15 feet from the street right-of-way and 10 feet from the side property line. The permitted height and sign area depend on road frontage, zoning, the number of businesses on the site, the type of development and any applicable development order or master sign plan.

For an existing property, the present monument or pylon sign should not automatically be treated as proof that a replacement sign of the same size will be approved. Before purchase, obtain:

  • The original sign permit and approved drawings.
  • The applicable development order and zoning resolution.
  • Any approved unified or master sign plan.
  • Confirmation of legal-conforming or legal-nonconforming status.
  • Written confirmation of allowed height, area, illumination and tenant panels.
  • Confirmation that replacing the cabinet or structural supports will not eliminate protected nonconforming rights.

4. Contractor and Engineering Requirements

The County's published sign-permit FAQ states that a licensed sign contractor is required when a sign exceeds 32 square feet, exceeds 10 feet in height or uses electricity. It also states that a ground sign exceeding 40 square feet, exceeding 20 feet in height or incorporating unusual structural features requires engineering.

The County's newer application guide states that engineering is required when a ground sign exceeds six feet in height under the current Florida Building Code. Because the County publications contain different engineering thresholds, the applicant or sign contractor should obtain written direction from Lee County plan review before completing the design.

Illuminated signage should include its UL information and electrical source. A separate electrical permit may be required for new or extended electrical service. Required sign, foundation and electrical inspections must be completed before permit closure.

5. Drive-Through and Restaurant Signage

A restaurant sign package may need to address all of the following:

  • Main building identification signs.
  • The existing pylon or monument sign and any replacement tenant panels.
  • Drive-through entrance, exit and directional signs.
  • Vehicle-clearance and lane-direction signs.
  • Primary menu boards and preview menu boards.
  • Mobile-order, delivery and pickup signs.
  • Hours-of-operation signs.
  • Required property-address numbers.
  • Any digital or electronic message display.

Menu boards should not be assumed to be exempt merely because they are located inside the property. A sign visible from a public way or functioning as advertising, identification or customer direction may be regulated. Its placement must also avoid conflicts with sight triangles, vehicle stacking, accessible routes, fire access and internal circulation.

6. Temporary Signs

Temporary banners, feather signs, balloons and similar devices are subject to temporary-sign approval. The County's published FAQ states:

  • A new-business banner may be permitted until the permanent sign is approved or for a maximum of 60 days, whichever occurs first.
  • A special-event or sale banner may generally be permitted for no more than 30 consecutive days.
  • No more than four such permits may generally be issued during a calendar year.

These temporary-sign limits should be reconfirmed before installation because the County FAQ displaying them was published in 2018. Current regulations are available through Chapter 30 of the Land Development Code.

7. Due Diligence for 9290 Daniels Parkway

Signage is a meaningful component of the property's value because of the Daniels Parkway traffic volume, interstate proximity and anticipated restaurant use. The purchase agreement or inspection period should provide enough time to verify:

  1. Whether the parcel is regulated by unincorporated Lee County or the City of Fort Myers.
  2. The current zoning classification and all development-order conditions.
  3. The legal status and permitted dimensions of the existing pylon or monument sign.
  4. Whether the existing sign can be refaced, structurally replaced, enlarged, illuminated or converted to an electronic message center.
  5. The allowable wall-sign area on each qualifying building facade.
  6. The number, area, height and permitted locations of drive-through menu and directional signs.
  7. Any sight-distance, right-of-way or visibility limitations associated with Daniels Parkway and the I-75 interchange improvements.
  8. Private signage restrictions contained in easements, reciprocal-access agreements, declarations or shopping-center documents.
  9. Whether the proposed collection of signs requires a unified sign plan.

Lee County's commercial design standards state that a unified sign plan must be used in certain developments involving multiple on-premises signs, including shopping centers and multiple-occupancy complexes under unified control. Review the applicable commercial design standards in Chapter 10.

8. Official Resources

Lee County Building and Permitting Services
1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: 239-533-8329
Email: econnect@leegov.com

Recommended next step: Have a licensed sign contractor prepare one conceptual sign schedule showing every proposed wall sign, ground sign, tenant panel, drive-through sign and menu board. Submit it to Lee County for preliminary review before the purchase contingency expires.

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