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Changes to Rental Registration and Fees Effective January 1, 2026

December 31, 2025

Beginning January 1, 2026, changes adopted by Cape Coral City Council to the City’s Residential Rental Registration Program, under Resolution 279-25 and Ordinance 53-25, will take effect. The changes establish annual renewal requirements and strengthen enforcement provisions.

What’s changing January 1

  • Annual registration and renewal are now required for all residential rental properties.
  • New annual fees: $35 for long-term rentals (more than six months) and $350 for short-term rentals (six months or less).
  • Online registrations and renewals will be available through the City’s rental registration portal starting January 1 at CapeCoral.gov/RentalRegistration.
  • New enforcement provisions introduce fines for failing to register, renew, or accurately report rental type.
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Who must register

  • All residential rental properties within the city leased to another person or entity, including:
  • Single-family homes
  • Duplexes
  • Multi-family dwellings
  • Condominiums
  • Applies to:
  • Long-term rentals: leased for more than six months
  • Short-term rentals: leased for six months or less
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How to register or renew

  • Starting January 1, visit CapeCoral.gov/RentalRegistration to:
  • Access the portal to complete new registrations and annual renewals
  • Access full program details and payment instructions
  • Renewal dates are tied to the date you last registered, not January 1.
  • Renewal notices will be sent to the billing contact on file prior to the anniversary date.
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Fines and enforcement established by Resolution 279-25 & Ordinance 53-25

  • New registrations:
  • Failure to register will result in a $50 fine, and the property record will be referred to Code Compliance for enforcement.
  • Renewals:
  • Failure to renew within 30 days of your anniversary date will result in a $50 fine, and the property record will be referred to Code Compliance.
  • Additional enforcement provisions:
  • Long-term rentals:
  • $250 for the first late renewal violation
  • $500 for repeat offenses
  • Short-term rentals:
  • $500 for the first violation
  • $1,000 for repeat offenses
  • Owners who misrepresent their rental type or fail to register may face separate higher penalties for broader violations like operating as short-term when registered as long-term or failing to register at all.
  • Revenue from fines will support code enforcement, police, and rental registration software.
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More information

For more information, visit CapeCoral.gov/RentalRegistration.