Field notes / Cape Coral
Cape Coral exterior washing: the cost and rules index
Many Cape Coral homeowners who have read the watering rules assume a pressure washer must obey them. It does not: the City Code exempts pressure washing from the irrigation schedule by name. This index sets that exemption beside the schedule, the water bill, the business tax receipts and the penalties, each with its source, and it says plainly where no office has published an answer.
Short answer: The two-days-a-week irrigation limit does not reach a pressure wash, because section 19-90.9(f) of the City Code exempts it. The same code charges $55.00 for the pressure cleaning business tax receipt, and the irrigation fines run from nothing up to $500. Neither the City Code nor the County’s stormwater page names pressure wash water or sets a number for it.
How to read this index
This guide is an independent local referral service and planning guide. It is not the City, the County or a contractor, and it sets no rule of its own. Every figure below was read from the office that publishes it and is dated retrieved October 11, 2026. Nothing is rounded or adjusted. Where two offices describe the same thing differently, both numbers appear with both names. Where the offices say nothing, the table says not published and names the page that was checked.
1. The exemption: pressure washing is outside the watering schedule
Section 19-90.9 of the Cape Coral Code of Ordinances (retrieved October 11, 2026) lists the activities that the irrigation article does not govern. Item (f) reads, word for word: “Pressure washing, car, truck or trailer washing, boat washing, and flushing boat motors after salt water use.” The Code exempts this work from sections 19-90 through 19-90.9, and adds that it should still follow Florida-Friendly best management practices.
| Activity | Published treatment | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Pressure washing | Exempt from the irrigation article | 19-90.9(f) |
| Car, truck or trailer washing | Exempt | 19-90.9(f) |
| Boat washing, and flushing boat motors after salt water use | Exempt | 19-90.9(f) |
| Washing of cars, trailers, boats, mobile homes, trucks or other equipment normally washed outside | Counted inside the definition of IRRIGATION | 19-89 |
| Hosing off driveways, sidewalks and steps | City page advises sweeping instead; advice only, no fine | Conservation page |
The table shows why the confusion exists. The definition in section 19-89 pulls vehicle and equipment washing into the word irrigation, so a reader who stops there concludes that washing is watered down by the same limits. Section 19-90.9(f) then takes it back out. The City’s own conservation page adds to the muddle by telling residents to sweep rather than hose, which sounds like a rule and is advice. That page attaches no fine and no pressure washing rule to the sentence.
What the restriction does cover
The limit governs landscape irrigation: sprinklers and the lawn and plant beds they feed. The City’s water conservation page (retrieved October 11, 2026) carries it under the heading Year-Round Cape Coral Watering Schedule, which matches Code section 19-90 (Ordinance 46-23). The schedule is set by the last digit of the street address.
2. The irrigation schedule in force today
Each digit gets two days a week and its own window. Three of the ten digits are shown here, enough to see the pattern, and the City page lists the other seven. The windows are the ones published under section 19-90(a)(1).
| Last digit of address | Days | Window |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Monday and Thursday | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. |
| 2 | Monday and Thursday | 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. |
| 9 | Thursday and Sunday | 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. |
The private-well order in northeast Cape Coral
A second rule sits on top of the City calendar for one part of town. The South Florida Water Management District issued a Modified Phase IV order for the northeast, then eased it on May 4, 2026 to Modified Phase II, which allows one irrigation day per week by address digit. In its release (retrieved October 11, 2026) the example is an address ending in 0, which waters on Mondays from 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. The order covers private wells in the Mid-Hawthorn Aquifer. It does not cover City potable water or City reclaimed water, and it sets irrigation days, not washing days.
| Who it applies to | Rule as published | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Private wells, designated northeast Cape Coral area | Modified Phase II Water Shortage Order, one irrigation day a week; addresses ending in 0 water Mondays, 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. | SFWMD |
| Unincorporated Lee County, as worded in the District release | Even addresses Sundays only, odd addresses Saturdays only, no irrigation 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | SFWMD |
| Unincorporated Lee County, current phase, June to January | Odd addresses Wednesdays and Saturdays, even addresses Thursdays and Sundays, midnight to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to midnight; none from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or at any time on Monday, Tuesday and Friday | Lee County Utilities |
| Pressure washing outdoor buildings or structures, unincorporated Lee County | May occur anytime without restriction | Lee County Utilities |
The two County rows disagree, and this index does not choose between them. They come from different offices and describe the county outside Cape Coral, which the City schedule above does not govern. Anyone watering or washing in unincorporated Lee County should confirm the current days with Lee County Utilities. The water rules guide walks through all three sets of days in plain language.
3. What the water itself costs
The customer pays for every gallon a wash uses, so the City’s rate schedule belongs in this index. The rate schedule effective October 1, 2026 (retrieved October 11, 2026) prices water in five residential tiers. The tier depends on the household’s total use that month, and each charge is per 1,000 gallons.
| Charge | Basis | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Residential water, 0 to 5,000 gallons | per 1,000 gallons | $5.44 |
| Residential water, 5,001 to 10,000 gallons | per 1,000 gallons | $8.14 |
| Residential water, 10,001 to 15,000 gallons | per 1,000 gallons | $10.86 |
| Residential water, 15,001 to 20,000 gallons | per 1,000 gallons | $14.92 |
| Residential water, 20,001 gallons and above | per 1,000 gallons | $19.00 |
| Non-residential water, all gallons | per 1,000 gallons | $8.14 |
| Water base (capacity) charge, 5/8 inch meter | per month | $25.36 |
| Wastewater commodity charge | per 1,000 gallons | $12.85 |
| Wastewater base charge, 5/8 inch meter | per month | $32.83 |
| Water base charge, 1 inch meter | per month | $63.46 |
| Wastewater base charge, 1 inch meter | per month | $82.08 |
| Irrigation, single-family and duplex flat rate | per month | $13.40 |
| Irrigation, metered multi-family (3 or more units) and non-residential | per 1,000 gallons | $0.71 |
| Irrigation, non-metered | per square foot | $0.0017 |
One wording point on the irrigation lines. The sheet is headed Irrigation Service Rates and never uses the word reclaimed. The City’s water reclamation page says irrigation water is treated wastewater, and that page publishes no price for it. The flat $13.40 is therefore the only irrigation figure a single-family home can read straight off the sheet. How a particular account is billed is a question for the City’s billing office, and the pricing guide sets these tiers next to planning ranges for the work itself.
4. What it costs to be allowed to do this work
Two business tax receipts matter to a washing business around here, one from the City and one from the County. The City’s business tax receipt page (retrieved October 11, 2026) gives no dollar amounts and points to Code section 11-16. The fees below were therefore read from the Municode text of that schedule, in the version the system labels Supplement 38, updated July 6, 2026. That is a sourcing caveat worth stating: the $55.00 pressure cleaning fee is not printed on the City’s receipt page, only in the code text.
| Classification | Section | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| (578) PRESSURE CLEANING | 11-16(578) | $55.00 |
| (583) PROPERTY MAINTENANCE, “very restrictive” | 11-16(583) | $77.00 |
| (423) JANITORIAL SERVICE | 11-16(423) | $55.00 |
| Boat washing or cleaning | 11-16(117)(c) | $33.00 |
| Car wash, steam cleaning, detailing | 11-16(77)(d) | $33.00 |
| Building specialty contractor, one to six employees including the contractor | 11-16(140)(a) | $88.00 |
Two of those rows can both look like a fit, which is why both numbers are printed. Classification 578 is the one named pressure cleaning, at $55.00 per year. Classification 583 costs $77.00, and its note calls the receipt very restrictive: it lists “clean out garage, janitorial, hang drapery rods, yard work, pressure cleaning, or re-screening only of doors, windows and entryways of residential units; no commercial units, lanais, screened porches or pool cages.” The Code does not say which a given crew should hold, and this guide cannot either. Ask the business which classification is on its receipt.
| Situation | Penalty | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Late renewal | 10% for October plus 5% per month, capped at 25% | 11-12, 11-15 |
| Operating without a receipt | 25% of the tax due plus a fine not exceeding $500, or up to 60 days in jail, or both; each day is a separate offence | 11-12, 11-15 |
The Lee County receipt and the licence question
The Lee County Tax Collector sells its own receipt for unincorporated areas. Its business tax application (retrieved October 11, 2026, form revision ADA062026) uses one fee table for every category on the form. Pressure washing sits under “Property Maintenance or Repair, Miscellaneous Maintenance.” The miscellaneous maintenance affidavit describes the receipt as very restrictive in nature, allowing only certain types of work, and lists pressure washing among its examples.
| Receipt term | Months covered | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Full Year | October to September | $50.00 |
| Half Year | April to June | $25.00 |
| Quarter Year | July to September | $12.50 |
| Change fee | any term | $3.00 |
On licensing, the affidavit is plain. A business in this category does not need a state Department of Business and Professional Regulation licence for pressure washing. It signs the affidavit under penalty of perjury instead. The affidavit also says a state licence is required for air conditioning, roofing, plumbing, electrical and irrigation work, among others. No separate registration fee was found. The City and County receipts come from different offices, and neither page says which one a given business needs for a given address, so that question goes to both.
5. The penalties
Three ladders are published. The first is the irrigation penalty in section 19-94, which applies to violations of the irrigation article and of Chapter 21 (the SFWMD water shortage provisions). Pressure washing itself stays exempt under 19-90.9(f), so these fines concern the sprinklers. The section also says an account may be disconnected.
| Violation | Section | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| First violation | 19-94(a) | None |
| Second violation | 19-94(b) | $200 |
| Third violation | 19-94(c) | $350 |
| Fourth and subsequent violations, within a consecutive 12 months | 19-94(d) | $500 |
The second is the fertilizer ordinance, the one storm-linked rule in the Code that touches outdoor property work. It concerns fertilizer, not wash water. The blackout rule (retrieved October 11, 2026) bars fertilizer from June 1 through September 30, and the City Manager may extend it through May 31. It also applies whenever a flood, tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is in effect for any part of Lee County, or when heavy rain is likely. The City’s fertilizer page carries the same dates.
| Item | Section | Rule or fine |
|---|---|---|
| Fertilizer blackout, every year | 9-103 | June 1 through September 30; the City Manager may extend through May 31 |
| Fertilizer blackout, storm trigger | 9-103 | Any flood, tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning for part of Lee County, or heavy rain likely |
| Fertilizer, first violation | 9-111(1) | $100 |
| Fertilizer, second violation | 9-111(2) | $250 |
| Fertilizer, third and later violations | 9-111(3) | $500 |
The third is the general penalty in section 1-14, which catches anything the Code does not price on its own. The section (retrieved October 11, 2026) sets a minimum fine of $100 and a maximum of $500, in addition to court costs, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 60 days. Section 10-6 sends violations of the waterway rules in Chapter 10 to this penalty, and the note on 10-6 counts each day as a separate offence.
6. What is not published
Three questions come up more than any other, and the answer to each, as of retrieved October 11, 2026, is that no office has published one. This guide will not fill the gap with a guess. The rows say what was checked, and the notes under the table give the detail.
| Question | Pages checked | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a Cape Coral code section on wash water running into a storm drain or canal? | City Code Chapters 10 and 19, Land Development Code 5.11.17, Municode | Not published |
| Does Lee County publish a numeric wash-water threshold? | Lee County Natural Resources, NPDES page | Not published |
| Is there a hurricane-season restriction on exterior cleaning, or a dock or seawall cleaning rule? | Municode searches of the City Code | Not published |
| Does the state leaflet set a limit for washing a building? | Florida DEP leaflet on mobile vehicle and equipment washing | No numeric threshold; vehicles only |
No code section on wash water and canals
A Municode search for the phrase wash water returns only Land Development Code 5.11.17, which governs car wash facilities and bars wash-water runoff from being conveyed off site into stormwater. A search for illicit discharge returns nothing. Section 10-4 covers sewage, solid waste and oil in city waters, and the rest of Chapter 10 sits in the City Code (retrieved October 11, 2026). Sections 19-90, 19-90.9 and 19-91 concern irrigation only. A violation of 10-4 would fall under the general penalty of $100 to $500 described above, but no section names pressure wash water.
No numeric threshold from Lee County
The NPDES page (retrieved October 11, 2026) says Lee County requires that only clean rainwater enter Lee County waters. It gives no number and no wash-water wording. The page lists NATRESNPDES@leegov.com as its contact, which is where a question about a specific job belongs.
No storm-season or dock rule found
No hurricane-season restriction on exterior cleaning turned up, and no rule on cleaning a dock or a seawall. Searches of the Code for seawall, dock cleaning and hurricane returned construction, mooring and swimming pool sections only. The fertilizer ban during a watch is the only storm trigger found, and it applies to fertilizer.
What the state leaflet is, and is not
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection leaflet (retrieved October 11, 2026) is about washing vehicles and equipment, not building exteriors. It recommends deciding how wash water will be collected and disposed of, locating stormwater drains first, limiting open washing to cosmetic work with biodegradable detergent unless the system is closed-loop, and choosing pH-neutral detergents. It is recommended practice, not a rule, and the text contains no numeric threshold. The wash-water guide draws on it for practical habits and calls it the closest state guidance for that reason.
What this index did not read
Three sources were outside this pass: the Lee County Land Development Code text on stormwater, Lee County’s contractor licensing ordinance 00-26, and the District’s rule 40E-21 text. A missing section in what was read is a gap in the reading, not permission to let rinse water run to a canal.
Questions to take to a contractor
- Which City classification is on your receipt, 578 pressure cleaning or 583 property maintenance?
- Do you hold the Lee County receipt and the affidavit for miscellaneous maintenance?
- Which tap fills the machine, and is the water on my account or yours?
- Where does the rinse water go once it leaves the surface?
Those four questions fit every job a washing crew quotes in the city. The work itself is described on the pages for house washing in Cape Coral and driveway and paver cleaning in Cape Coral, and pool cage and lanai cleaning is the work the restrictive 583 receipt leaves out by name.
To have a local pro look at a specific property, use the quote form. For a question about a rule, contact the office that publishes it.
Official sources
All sources retrieved October 11, 2026.
- City of Cape Coral Code of Ordinances, section 19-90.9: the exemption for pressure washing; also 19-94 irrigation penalties.
- City of Cape Coral Code, 11-16: schedule of business taxes; also 11-15 penalties, 1-14 general penalty, 10-4 waterways and Chapter 10.
- City of Cape Coral Code, 9-103 fertilizer timing and 9-111 fertilizer penalties; the City’s fertilizer page.
- City of Cape Coral Utilities, Water Conservation: the year-round watering schedule.
- City of Cape Coral Financial Services, water, wastewater and irrigation rates effective October 1, 2026; the water reclamation page.
- City of Cape Coral, Business Tax Receipts: the receipt page, which gives no dollar amounts.
- South Florida Water Management District, news release on northeastern Cape Coral: Modified Phase II from May 4, 2026.
- Lee County Utilities, Year-Round Irrigation Restrictions.
- Lee County Tax Collector, business tax application and miscellaneous maintenance affidavit.
- Lee County Natural Resources, NPDES stormwater.
- Florida DEP, Recommended Best Management Practices for Mobile Vehicle and Equipment Washing.
Before you decide
Questions worth asking
Does Cape Coral’s two-days-a-week watering rule apply to pressure washing?
No. Section 19-90.9(f) of the City Code lists pressure washing among the activities exempt from the irrigation article, and the Code adds that the work should still follow Florida-Friendly best management practices.
What does the City’s pressure cleaning business tax receipt cost?
The schedule of business taxes in Code section 11-16 lists classification 578, PRESSURE CLEANING, at $55.00 per year. It also lists property maintenance, classification 583, at $77.00 with a narrower scope, so ask a business which one it holds.
Is there a Cape Coral rule on pressure wash water reaching a canal?
None was found in the code text read on October 11, 2026. Chapter 10 covers sewage, solid waste and oil in city waters, and its violations fall under the general penalty of $100 to $500.