Property tax in Lee County, Florida
In Lee County, the property tax bill comes from the Lee County Tax Collector. The 2026 bill is due March 31, 2027. You can look up and pay the bill on the county's own payment page. Taken from Lee County's own pages, checked September 23, 2026.
The median property tax bill in Lee County, Florida is $2,858 a year, which is about 0.79% of the county's median home value of $362,200. That effective rate is higher than the typical Florida county (0.72%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.
Who sends the property tax bill in Lee County, and how do you pay it?
The bill comes from the Lee County Tax Collector. The value it is based on is set by a separate office, the Lee County Property Appraiser, which is who to ask if the value looks wrong. For how to look up and pay the bill, go to the county's own payment information.
Two offices handle your tax: the Property Appraiser sets the value and grants exemptions, and the Tax Collector mails the bill and takes payment. The one bill carries the taxes set by the County Commission, the School District, water management districts and any city, plus non-ad valorem assessments for things like fire and solid waste service. The value-appeal window closes in September, before the bill arrives in November, so a disagreement with the value has to be raised from the TRIM notice mailed in August; you can ask the Property Appraiser for an informal conference first, and a Value Adjustment Board petition costs $50. Online payments run through a separate payment site that the Tax Collector links to; e-checks are free, and card and digital-wallet payments carry a 2.35% fee ($1.85 minimum). If you escrow, you can confirm online that your lender paid.
When are property taxes due in Lee County?
For the 2026 bill, Lee County has one due date: March 31, 2027. Bills go out in November 2026. Paying early earns a discount: 4% if paid in November, 3% in December, 2% in January and 1% in February; the full amount is due by March 31. The Tax Collector says that when a discount period ends on a weekend or holiday, the discount extends to the next business day. January 31 and February 28, 2027 fall on Sundays, and the Tax Collector's offices are closed for the New Year holiday on December 31, 2026 and January 1, 2027. Owners on the quarterly installment plan (open when estimated taxes are more than $100; the application is due by April 30, and once enrolled you do not reapply as long as you make the first payment each year) instead pay by June 30, September 30, December 31 and March 31, with discounts of 6%, 4.5%, 3% and none. The first installment can be paid late through July 31 without its discount; missing it removes you from the plan, and you must reapply to use it in a later year. A partial payment plan (up to five payments, no discounts, not online) is also available from November 1 to March 31 with a signed agreement. Unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1, 2027, when a 3% mandatory interest charge is added. Delinquent parcels are advertised once a week for three weeks and the advertising fee is added to the bill. If the taxes are still unpaid, the Tax Collector must hold a tax certificate sale by June 1 (its calendar lists the sale in May); the certificate is a first lien on the property, bidding starts at 18% interest, and two years after the delinquency date the certificate holder can apply for a tax deed that leads to a public auction of the property. Once a certificate has been sold, the taxes can be paid only in certified funds (cash, certified check, cashier's check or money order).
From Lee County's published schedule, checked September 23, 2026. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the county's own rules on the next business day apply.
Estimate the property tax on a home in Lee County
Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Lee County's average effective rate of 0.79% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.
Estimated property tax: $2,861 / year
Property tax in Lee County at a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual property tax | $2,858 |
| Median home value | $362,200 |
| Effective tax rate | 0.79% |
| Typical Florida county rate | 0.72% |
| National median county rate | 0.81% |
Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.
How does Lee County compare in Florida?
Among Florida's 67 counties, Lee County has the 14th highest effective property-tax rate: 13 rank higher and 53 rank lower. That is on the higher side for Florida. Nationally, it ranks 1598th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Florida county ranked.
How much do homeowners in Lee County actually pay?
The median is only the middle bill. Across Lee County's 243,654 owner-occupied homes, 44.8% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 63.2% pay at least $2,000, and 7.9% pay under $800. Another 5.2% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.
| Annual bill | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $800 | 19,331 | 7.9% |
| $800 to $1,499 | 33,461 | 13.7% |
| $1,500 to $1,999 | 24,180 | 9.9% |
| $2,000 to $2,999 | 44,936 | 18.4% |
| $3,000 or more | 109,176 | 44.8% |
| No property tax paid | 12,570 | 5.2% |
Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $2,942 and owners without one pay $2,739. That is within 10% either way, so in Lee County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.
How does the Lee County property tax bill compare with local incomes?
The median property tax bill of $2,858 is about 3.3% of the median income of Lee County homeowner households, $86,271 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 74.3% of Lee County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.
Have property taxes gone up in Lee County?
Yes. The median bill went from $2,105 in 2015-2019 to $2,858 in 2020-2024, a 35.8% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 61.1%, from $224,800 to $362,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.
Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.
Property tax in counties next to Lee County
Lee County borders 4 counties.
| County | Effective rate | Median bill | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte County, FL | 0.85% | $2,785 | $328,900 |
| Glades County, FL | 0.85% | $1,170 | $137,000 |
| Hendry County, FL | 0.8% | $1,756 | $219,200 |
| Lee County, FL (this county) | 0.79% | $2,858 | $362,200 |
| Collier County, FL | 0.63% | $3,386 | $540,700 |
How is a home assessed in Lee County?
Florida assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Lee County included. How Florida assesses and reappraises homes.
Is there a homestead exemption in Lee County?
Yes. Florida exempts up to $50,000 of a permanent resident's home: the first $25,000 from all taxes and a further $25,000 from everything except school levies. Apply with the county property appraiser by March 1. That is the Florida rule, and it applies in Lee County. Florida's exemptions and relief programs in full.
On top of the Florida programs, Lee County runs its own:
- Senior exemption for persons 65 and older (limited income): An additional homestead exemption of up to $50,000 from Lee County taxes (including its dependent districts and municipal service taxing units) for an owner aged 65 or older on January 1 whose household adjusted gross income is at or below a limit the Florida Department of Revenue adjusts every year; it does not reduce school taxes. Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach and Estero grant $50,000 against their own taxes, and Sanibel, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers grant $25,000. Apply by March 1.
- Senior longevity exemption (25-year residents): For an owner who meets the same age and income test and has lived in the home at least 25 years, where the home's just value was under $250,000 in the first year the owner qualified, Lee County exempts the home's full assessed value from county taxes (not school taxes); Fort Myers Beach and Estero also grant it against their own taxes. Apply by March 1.
How to appeal your Lee County property assessment
In Lee County you appeal to the Lee County Value Adjustment Board (petitions filed with the Lee County Clerk of Court). The deadline: Within 25 days after the Property Appraiser mails the TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice of proposed taxes; the deadline date is printed on the notice. For 2026 the notices were mailed August 17 and the deadline for timely value petitions was September 11, 2026. A petition over a denied exemption or classification is due within 30 days of the denial notice. How to file. Checked September 23, 2026 against the official appeal rules.
How Florida's appeal process works, including the next level if the first one turns you down.
Florida rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Florida page.
Work out your own numbers
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How much house can I afford?
Your income, debts and down payment against the 28/36 rule lenders actually use, with Lee County's tax rate to hand.
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Mortgage calculator
Monthly payment with principal, interest, tax and insurance, plus what an extra payment saves you.
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Florida income tax
Brackets, standard deduction and what Florida actually taxes.
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Sales tax in Lee County
The other local tax: combined state and local rate for this county.
Sources
- Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Lee County, Florida: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.