Local wash notes
Pressure washing planning for North Fort Myers
North Fort Myers lies across the river from downtown Fort Myers and east of Cape Coral, and Lee County, not a city hall, sets the rules a wash has to follow.
A county planning community on the river
Lee County’s North Fort Myers Community Plan (retrieved September 27, 2026) describes a planning area of 25,132 acres, about 4.8 percent of county land, bordered by Charlotte County to the north, the City of Cape Coral and another county planning area to the west, and the Caloosahatchee River to the south, with more than 10 miles of water frontage. That is a lot of shoreline for runoff to reach.
County water rules that mention pressure washing
Lee County’s published year-round irrigation restrictions list pressure washing outdoor buildings or structures among the uses allowed at any time, and ask that vehicles and boats be washed with an automatic shut-off nozzle, where possible on soil or grass. The page also notes that stricter South Florida Water Management District orders take precedence during a declared water shortage.
That permission covers the water use, not the runoff. Lee County’s NPDES page states that only clean rainwater may enter county waters. Wash water with detergent or grime in it should stay on the property or be recovered.
Fertilizer season and chemicals
A county fertilizer reminder explains that Lee County Ordinance 08-08 bars nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer on turf and landscape plants in unincorporated Lee County from June 1 to September 30, and asks for a 10-foot barrier between fertilized landscape and water. It also says to sweep up spilled granules instead of washing them away with a hose. A crew hosing a driveway where granules sit is doing exactly what that advice warns against.