Agriculture Department

General Information

The agricultural classification is available to land that meets the requirements set forth under applicable statutes, rules and regulations. Once granted, the parcel is valued pursuant to Section 193.461 (6)(a) Florida Statutes.

An application, Form DR-482, must be must be filled out in its entirety and filed with the Lee County Property Appraiser’s office by March 1st of the taxing year you are applying for. This form can also be obtained from our office. Submit the completed application and applicable documents by mail, fax, e-mail, or in person.

Here are some things to remember:

Use must be in place or significantly underway by January 1st of the taxing year you apply for.
Contact information, including a valid mailing address for all parties involved must be provided so that our office may contact them if any additional information is needed.
Provide any information that you feel is relevant and pertains to the use for which you are qualifying, (e.g., current lease, certifications and registrations, liability insurance, invoices, income/expense and/or profit/loss statements, pictures, sales receipts, tax returns, including IRS Schedule F, business or management plans, inventory list, etc.)
Annual applications are not necessary to qualify once granted.
New applications must be made in the event of use, ownership or name change, or request for additional acreage.

After we receive your application, we’ll review it along with your documentation to determine if you meet the bona fide agricultural use requirements. If we don’t have enough information or have questions, we may reach out to you. Once we’ve made our determination, we’ll notify you by mail. We’ll also post the granted and denied agricultural applications, in accordance with Florida law.

Please reference our Agricultural Classification pamphlet for more information.

Here is our contact information:

Lee County Property Appraiser
Attn: Agriculture Department
P.O. Box 1546
Fort Myers, FL 33902

Phone: (239) 533-6162
E-mail: agriculture@leepa.org

If you have any questions about filing for the agricultural classification or need additional information, feel free to reach out to us.

Sincerely,

Hon. Matthew H. Caldwell
Lee County Property Appraiser

Other Information

Apiaries: "What you need to know" regarding general information when applying for bee/apiary classification.

Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP): View the policy of the Lee County Property Appraiser's Office regarding the assessment procedure for the appraisal of citrus groves and citrus lands under the Citrus Health Response Program as defined in 5B-63.001 of the Florida Administrative Code.