Lee County property tax: millage rates, homestead exemption and a worked bill

At a glance

Lee County millage rates for 2025

Millage is the tax per $1,000 of taxable value. Lee County has many taxing districts because of its fire districts, so check the district number on the parcel record. This breakdown is from the Lee County Property Appraiser's 2025 millage book for district 057, City of Cape Coral.

Cape Coral proposed 5.5188 for 2025 but adopted the rollback rate of 5.1471, and the library and mosquito districts also adopted their rollback rates. The non-school share of the total is 10.0616 mills, which is the part the second homestead exemption and Amendment 3 would affect.

Cape Coral's redevelopment areas use separate district numbers but carry the same city rate. Proposed 2026 rates were printed on the August 2026 TRIM notice.

Worked example: tax on a typical Lee County home

This example uses Zillow's typical home value for Lee County in August 2026, $335,409, and the 2025 City of Cape Coral millage of 15.3806. It assumes the property appraiser's assessed value equals that figure, which is a simplification: the just value on a tax roll is set as of January 1 and often differs from a sale price. The formula is taxable value × millage ÷ 1,000, worked out separately for school and non-school levies because the second homestead exemption does not apply to school taxes.

On these assumptions the homestead exemption is worth about $644 a year on a home at this value. Treat both figures as estimates only. Your actual bill depends on the appraiser's value, your exact taxing district, any other exemptions and the rates adopted for the year. Non-ad valorem assessments such as solid waste, stormwater, fire or CDD charges are billed on top and are not included here.

For insurance, utilities and other running costs, see the Cape Coral cost of living guide.

How to file for the Lee County homestead exemption

File with the Lee County Property Appraiser. Its online application works for most US citizen applicants whose Florida driver license or ID already shows the property address. The deadline is March 1, and you must own the home and live in it as your permanent residence on January 1. Buy and move in during 2026, and you would file by March 1, 2027. Missing the deadline generally waives the exemption for that year.

The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption covers assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 for non-school taxes only, and now rises with inflation: it was $25,722 for 2025 and is $26,411 for 2026, so the full exemption is up to $50,722 and $51,411. The appraiser may ask for your Florida driver license, vehicle registration and voter registration at the new address. If you are leaving another Florida homestead, file the portability form (DR-501T) with your application.

Save Our Homes cap, portability and the 10% cap

Once a home is homesteaded, its assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. The cap was 2.9% for 2025 and is 2.7% for 2026. It limits the value, not the bill, so higher millage or new assessments can still raise what you pay.

The cap does not pass to a buyer. The home is reassessed at just value on the January 1 after a sale, so ask for the parcel's just value rather than relying on the seller's bill. Portability moves up to $500,000 of the benefit to a new Florida homestead established within three years of January 1 of the year you left the old one.

Second homes and rentals have a 10% annual cap on assessed value for non-school levies, and no cap on school levies. It resets on a sale.

When bills arrive and how the discounts work

The Lee County Tax Collector mails bills once the tax roll is certified. Taxes are due from November 1, and Florida law sets the early payment discounts: 4% in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February. March is full price, and unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1 (or 60 days after the bill is mailed, if later).

Taxes are normally prorated between buyer and seller at closing. Our guide to Florida closing costs explains how that shows up on the settlement statement.

Charges that are not in the millage

In Cape Coral a large part of the bill can be flat assessments. The Lee County millage book notes that its listing does not include non-ad valorem special assessments. Depending on the parcel, Cape Coral bills may include assessments for fire service, solid waste, stormwater and, in some areas, utility expansion for water and sewer.

Utility assessments can be paid off or carried by the owner, which matters in a sale. Our guide to Cape Coral utility assessments explains how to check a parcel. Look at the last tax bill line by line rather than relying on the millage alone.

What Amendment 3 on the November 2026 ballot would change

Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then index it to inflation. It would also cut the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5% and set up a process for counties and cities to raise the exemption further. School taxes would keep the $25,000 exemption. It needs at least 60% of the vote and would take effect January 1, 2027. People who were not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 would get the larger exemption only from their fifth year of exemption.

As a rough illustration, raising the non-school exemption from $51,411 to $150,000 adds $98,589 of exemption. At the 2025 City of Cape Coral non-school rate of 10.0616, that is about $992 a year. It is not a forecast, because rates and fees would change.

Common questions

Sources

• Lee County Property Appraiser: 2025 Taxing District Millage Book
• Lee County Property Appraiser: Tax roll
• Lee County Property Appraiser: Apply for homestead
• Florida Department of Revenue: Property Tax Information for Homestead Exemption (PT-113)
• Florida Department of Revenue: Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment (revised January 2026)
• Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes annual increase table (revised January 2026)
• Florida Department of Revenue: Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation and Portability Transfer (PT-112)
• Palm Beach County Property Appraiser: Assessment caps (10% non-homestead cap)
• Florida Statutes: section 197.162, discounts for early payment
• Florida Statutes: section 197.333, when taxes are due and delinquent
• Florida Department of State: Proposed Constitutional Amendments for the General Election, November 3, 2026
• Tax Foundation: Florida Property Tax Proposal, 2026 details and analysis