Lee County energy calcs & Manual J.
Cape Coral, Fort Myers and the islands each permit on their own.
Unincorporated Lee County wants Form R405 uploaded as the energy-calculation cover sheet, signed, with a passing result, for new homes, duplexes and living-area additions. Lee sits in climate zone 1A, with a 93°F cooling design limit. Inside Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Bonita Springs, Estero or Fort Myers Beach, the city permits instead.
- Department
- Lee County Building & Permitting Servicesunincorporated · eConnect (all contractors submit online)1
- Code edition
- FBC Energy Conservation, 8th Ed. (2023)9th Ed. (2026) scheduled for Dec 31, 2026 · what changes2
- Climate zone
- Zone 1A1% cooling 93°F · 99% heating 45°F3
- Price
- $195 · $445 · $595Energy calc from · full package · sealed. Same in all 67 counties · price list
- Ready by
- 2–3 business daysExpedited: within 24 business hours, +$150. Clock starts when complete plans pass intake (3:00 PM ET cutoff) · how it works
- Evidence
- 12 primary sourcesEvery number on this page links to its source · references
What Lee reviewers ask for
The county's Digital Projects FAQ answers the cover-sheet question directly: it wants Form R405, the performance-method form, and it must be signed and show a passing result to be approved.4 The same FAQ notes the cover-sheet requirement now applies only to residential record types; the county dropped it for commercial records to end confusion.4
The rest of the Lee submittal notes2 more paragraphs
Lee's residential permitting guide lists energy calculations for single-family homes, duplexes and all living-area additions, prepared to the 8th Edition (2023) energy conservation provisions.5 For alterations, the required-documents matrix keys the energy calc and its cover sheet to one question on the application: will more than 200 sq ft of air-conditioned space be added or converted?6
Where a document goes depends on the record. Before approval, uploads belong in the Digital Projects tab; after approval, supplemental papers go in Attachments.4 We deliver the R405 as its own PDF so it can land in the right slot without being split.
Building departments
4 departments · addresses, phones, portals
Lee County's own permit page tells applicants in Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Estero, Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel that they may need to apply through their local jurisdiction, and it serves the unincorporated county through eConnect.1 Cape Coral routes every application through its EnerGov portal, and from 2026 it expects owner-builders to file online too.7 Sanibel splits its systems: new permits go into CityView while older ones stay in EnerGov.9 For Bonita Springs, Estero and Fort Myers Beach, use each city's own building page for contacts.
| Department | Address | Phone | Portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee County Building & Permitting Services (unincorporated) | Permit Office, Public Works Building lobby, 1500 Monroe Street, Fort Myers, FL 33901 | Official page | eConnect (all contractors submit online)1 |
| City of Cape Coral, Permitting Services Division | See official page | Official page | EnerGov Self-Service Portal (all applications)7 |
| City of Fort Myers, Building, Permitting & Inspections | 1825 Hendry St., Fort Myers, FL 33901 | 239-321-7925 | EnerGov Customer Self Service8 |
| City of Sanibel, Building Department | 475 Library Way, Sanibel, FL 33957 | 239-472-4555 | CityView (new permits), EnerGov (existing)9 |
Design conditions
93°F cooling · 45°F heating · zone 1A · weather stations
Cooling station: Fort Myers Page Field (Manual J). Heating station: Southwest Florida grid point, lat 26.5 / long 81.8 (Manual J).3
Lee's 1% cooling design limit of 93°F is the highest of the four Gulf-coast counties from Sarasota south, and its 99% heating figure is 45°F.3 Since the 8th Edition, Lee is climate zone 1A, the same zone as Miami-Dade, not zone 2A like Charlotte next door.2 Our reading: heating barely registers here, so equipment is chosen almost entirely on the cooling load, and an inland Lehigh Acres lot and a Sanibel lot share one design temperature.
Worked example
2,200 sq ft house → 29,990 Btu/h, 2.5 tons · illustrative
Illustrative · not a Manual J
We picked a 2,200 sq ft, 3-bedroom block home with impact windows because new single-storey block is what the county's housing age profile points to. The total lands around two and a half tons; the 1.15 ceiling in the code's sizing rule caps what a single-stage unit can add on top.11
| House | new single-storey block home, Cape Coral style |
|---|---|
| Conditioned area | 2,200 sq ft, 1 storey, 9.33 ft ceilings |
| Bedrooms / occupants | 3 / 4 |
| Glazing | 15% of floor area (330 sq ft), U 0.32, SHGC 0.25 |
| Walls / ceiling | R-7.8 walls, R-38 ceiling under a vented attic |
| Air leakage | 4.5 ACH50 |
| Ducts | in the attic, 8% gain allowance |
| Ventilation | mechanical, per FBC formula |
| Outdoor design | 93°F cooling / 45°F heating (sourced above) |
| Indoor design | 75°F cooling / 70°F heating |
| Design grains difference | 50 gr/lb (assumption) |
Illustrative only. A simplified block-load estimate with the inputs shown, not an ACCA Manual J, and not for permitting. A real calc goes room by room with your plans, orientation and equipment data. Code ceiling for single-stage cooling at 1.15× total load: 34,490 Btu/h.11
Local housing
Median year built 2000 · 57.8% single-family detached · Census ACS
The median Lee home was built in 2000, and about half of all housing units (49.6%) went up in 2000 or later, more than any other county on this list.12 Single-family detached homes make up 57.8% of units, mobile homes 8.2%, and 91.8% of occupied homes heat with electricity.12 For calcs, that skews toward newer slab-on-grade block homes where the R405 inputs can be read straight off recent plans.
Utility rebates
FPL · LCEC
- FPL. FPL's A/C rebate is a $200 instant invoice credit for a new central A/C or heat pump rated SEER2 15.2 or higher, replacing both indoor and outdoor units, installed by a participating contractor; ductless mini-splits don't qualify.10
- LCEC. LCEC serves parts of Lee. We haven't confirmed a current LCEC residential A/C rebate, so none is listed here.
Utility programs change often; check the program page before you count on a rebate.
Lee County questions
3 answers · Does Lee County want the R405 or the full printout?
Does Lee County want the R405 or the full printout?
Unincorporated Lee asks for Form R405 as the energy-calculation cover sheet, signed and showing a passing result. Upload the full energy calculation too, because the residential guide lists energy calculations as a required document for new homes, duplexes and living-area additions. Inside a city, follow that city's checklist instead.
My addition is 180 sq ft. Do I need an energy calc in Lee County?
Lee's required-documents matrix ties the energy calc and cover sheet on alterations to whether more than 200 sq ft of air-conditioned space is added or converted. At 180 sq ft the county's matrix answer would be no, but confirm with plan review, since record type and other answers on the application also matter.
Is Cape Coral the same as Lee County for permits?
No. Cape Coral runs its own Permitting Services Division and takes every application through its EnerGov self-service portal, while unincorporated Lee uses eConnect. Check the parcel's jurisdiction first. Our calc package is the same either way; the upload portal and checklist are what change between the two.
Price
One statewide price in all 67 counties. Building departments decide what they accept; we don’t guarantee approval. Revisions for plan-review comments on the same design are free.
Nearby and related
Sources
12 primary references · numbered to match the citations
- 01Lee County, Building and Permitting Servicesleegov.com
- 022023 Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation (8th Ed.), Table R301.1, climate zones by countyup.codes
- 03RESNET / ENERGY STAR, Appendix A: HVAC Design Temperature Limits by State and County (v4, 2019). 1% cooling and 99% heating values drawn from the ASHRAE 2013 Handbook of Fundamentals and ACCA Manual J 8th Ed.resnet.us
- 04Lee County, Digital Projects FAQ (Form R405 cover sheet)leegov.com
- 05Lee County, Residential Building Application and Permitting Guide (PDF)leegov.com
- 06Lee County, Required Documents by Record Type (PDF)leegov.com
- 07City of Cape Coral, Permitting Services Divisioncapecoral.gov
- 08City of Fort Myers, Building, Permitting & Inspectionsfortmyers.gov
- 09City of Sanibel, Buildingmysanibel.com
- 10FPL, Ways to Save: A/C Rebatefpl.com
- 11Florida Building Commission, R405-2026 documentation checklist example (quotes R403.7.1.1 cooling equipment sizing limits)floridabuilding.org
- 12U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates (B25018, B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003, B25040), via Census Reportercensusreporter.org