America's biggest pre-platted city, thousands of vacant lots, and two protected burrowing species — we handle the tortoise side, fast.
Cape Coral builders deal with two protected burrowers: the famous burrowing owls, and gopher tortoises on the drier upland lots — especially in the city's north and northwest, away from the older canal core. They're covered by different rules and different reviews, and mixing them up costs time.
Gopher tortoises are state-threatened under Rule 68A-27, F.A.C.: a 25-foot no-disturbance buffer around every burrow, resolvable only through an FWC permit and authorized relocation. Burrowing owls are separately protected and reviewed through the city's own clearing process. We handle the tortoise side end-to-end — and we'll tell you honestly when what you've got is an owl burrow, not a tortoise burrow (they look nothing alike up close).
One more Cape-specific reality: this is a canal city, and FWC does not allow on-site relocation on parcels bordering a canal or waterway. Tortoises on canal lots go off-site to a recipient conservation site at $5,000 per tortoise — which is exactly why a pre-purchase survey matters here more than almost anywhere.
From NW Cape acreage feel to saltwater canal infill.
The drier, later-developing sections hold most of the Cape's tortoise habitat. New builds here should survey before clearing, every time.
Freshwater or saltwater, a burrow on a canal lot means off-site relocation. Know before you close — the math changes by thousands.
Established neighborhoods where a resident burrow sits within 25 feet of the planned dig or equipment path.
Cape lots trade constantly, often sight-unseen. A $350 survey turns an unknown into a line item.
Cape Coral runs a robust clearing-review process (largely because of the owls), and it expects state gopher tortoise compliance to be resolved before land disturbance. The tortoise side is FWC jurisdiction: survey (valid 90 days), permit if a burrow conflicts with the 25-foot buffer, then authorized relocation. Our FWC-format report answers the city reviewer's wildlife question in one attachment.
If your lot turns out to have owls rather than tortoises, we'll say so plainly and point you to the right process — no charge for honesty. If it has both, we'll sequence the tortoise work so it doesn't collide with your owl review.
The same four steps everywhere we work — most clients only ever make one phone call.
Give us the property address and your timeline. We confirm whether a survey is needed and schedule within 48 hours.
We walk 100% of the parcel, GPS-map every burrow, and deliver an FWC-format written report the next business day.
If tortoises are present, we prepare and submit the FWC relocation permit application for you. Typical review: 2–6 weeks.
Once permitted, we capture and relocate the tortoises to an approved recipient area. You're legal to clear and build.
Same transparent pricing across our whole service area — no location markups.
| Gopher tortoise survey | $350 / quarter acre |
| Relocation (up to 2 tortoises, permit included) | $1,400 |
| Each additional tortoise | +$400 |
| Off-site recipient site fee (waterfront/canal lots — paid to the conservation site) | $5,000 / tortoise |
Full details, examples by lot size, and what's never included: see the pricing page.
Tortoise, owl, or both — start with one call and we'll tell you exactly what your lot needs.