Lakefront homes on the Butler Chain: Homes for sale, lake by lake, and what to check before you buy on the water
Lakefront homes for sale from $350,000. Below them: which lakes really connect by boat, dock and seawall permits, lake levels, flood elevation and the boating rules.
Lakefront homes for sale on the chain.
Homes for sale on the Butler Chain's lakes, from $350,000. "Lakefront" in a listing can also mean a pond or a lake off the chain, so check the lake against the table below.
Current Butler Chain lakefront listings appear here.
See Windermere homes for saleListings courtesy of Stellar MLS as distributed by MLS GRID. Some IDX listings have been excluded from this website. IDX information is provided for consumers' personal, non-commercial use, is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed by MLS GRID, and each listing shows its listing brokerage, MLS number and status. Presented by Andy Neal, REALTOR®, The Agency FL, (407) 619-3517.
Which lakes connect by boat.
The Water Atlas counts 13 lakes; the state's Outstanding Florida Water rule names 11 water bodies. Gold lakes share the chain's water and canals; grey lakes nearby sit outside it, at other water levels.
Acreage: Orange County Water Atlas. Connections: Orange County boating ordinance (draft, May 19, 2026). Communities: county subdivision plats touching each lake, a guide to frontage, not proof for every lot. Lake outlines © OpenStreetMap contributors.
All chain lakes, as a table
| Lake | Acres | Connects to | Lakefront communities | Access and notes | State listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Butler | 1,600 | Lake Down, Lake Louise via Wauseon Bay to Lake Down | Isleworth, Reserve at Lake Butler Sound, Chaine du Lac, Summerport Beach and Town plats | Largest lake on the chain; Egret Island swim area | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Lake Tibet-Butler | 1,200 | Lake Isleworth, Lake Chase, Lake Sheen | Isleworth, Keene’s Pointe, Bay Hill sections, Emerson Pointe | Southern basin; links to Chase and Sheen | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Lake Down | 900 | Little Lake Down, Lake Butler (Lake Butler via Wauseon Bay) | Windermere Downs, Lake Down Estates, Down Point and Town of Windermere plats | Public county ramp; Town boat ramps for residents | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Lake Sheen | 656 | Lake Tibet-Butler, Pocket Lake | Lake Sheen Estates, Lake Sheen Sound, Provence at Lake Sheen | Public fuel pump (Orange County Sportsmen’s Association) | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Lake Louise | 140 | Lake Butler, Lake Isleworth | Isleworth, including Isleworth West | Isleworth club pool overlooks the lake | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Lake Chase | 135 | Lake Tibet-Butler, Lake Blanche | Isleworth, Emerson Pointe, Isle of Osprey | Idle-speed canal to Lake Tibet-Butler | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Pocket Lake | 126 | Lake Sheen, Fish Lake | Pocket and Fish lakes together: Phillips Grove, Grand Cypress Resort Ph 2, Turtle Creek plats | — | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Lake Blanche | 121 | Lake Chase | Isleworth, Emerson Pointe, Isle of Osprey, North Bay | — | Added February 18, 1987 |
| Lake Isleworth | 86 | Lake Louise, Lake Tibet-Butler | Isleworth; Keene’s Pointe Unit 3 | R.D. Keene Park public boat ramp | Listed March 1, 1984 (as Lake Palmer) |
| Fish Lake | 23 | Pocket Lake | Pocket and Fish lakes together: Phillips Grove, Grand Cypress Resort Ph 2, Turtle Creek plats | Private bridge, 10.1 ft clearance on the canal | Listed March 1, 1984 |
| Little Lake Down | 23 | Lake Down | — | Canal to Lake Down (county ordinance) | Not named in the rule; counted by the Water Atlas |
Wauseon Bay (about 100 acres) is part of the Lake Down to Lake Butler connection; a 14-acre unnamed lake counted by the Water Atlas has no confirmed boat link. Acreage differs by source: county GIS measures Lake Isleworth at 46 to 57 acres.
On the chain, or only near it?
Several lakes nearby are in the same county lake district and get marketed with the chain, but sit at different water levels with no boat connection. The chain lakes share a normal high water level of about 98.5 feet.
Nearby lakes that aren't on the chain
- Lake Bessie
- Normal high water 96.47 ft; read 93.83 ft on August 5, 2026, when Lake Butler read 97.65Town residents' ramp; not in the state rule
- Lake Burden
- FEMA flood elevation 107.7 ft, against 100.7 ft on the chainKeene's Pointe borders it
- Lake Crescent
- Normal high water 101.67 ft
- Lake Sawyer
- Normal high water 105.07 ft
- Lake Whitney
- Normal high water 109.91 ftThe Reserve at Belmere
How to check a listing
- Name the lake
Match it to the 11 water bodies in the state rule, plus Little Lake Down.
Rule 62-302.700, F.A.C. - Compare its water level
Chain lakes sit near 98.5 ft at normal high water; the others don't.
Orange County lake-levels data - Ask for the riparian rights
A dock permit needs riparian-rights papers and a survey showing the normal high water line.
Orange County EPD dock application
Orange County GIS lake levels (edited September 9, 2026); FEMA Flood Insurance Study, Orange County, revised September 24, 2021. Paying the Windermere Water & Navigation Control District levy doesn't put a lake on the chain: that district also covers lakes off the chain, including Bessie, Burden, Crescent and Sawyer. The chain and the Town, in more depth: the Windermere guide.
Docks and seawalls need permits.
In unincorporated Orange County, a new dock needs an Environmental Protection Division permit before the building permit. Any seawall needs a shoreline alteration permit, a public hearing and County Commission approval.
Orange County lakefront permit fees
The first step of a two-year increase took effect October 1, 2026. A dock permit was $119 before.
| Permit | Now | Oct 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Boat dock construction | $965.50 | $1,812 |
| Seawall (shoreline hardening) | $1,806.50 | $3,431 |
| Dredging or filling | $2,546 | $4,910 |
| Lakeshore vegetation removal | $717 | $1,308 |
| Private boat ramp | $1,260 | $2,338 |
Orange County EPD Boat Docks, Shoreline Alteration and Lakeshore Protection pages and fee table; Engage Orange fee update (updated September 30, 2026); Spectrum News 13, July 2, 2026 (earlier fees). Permits are valid one year; answer a county request for more information within 30 days.
The chain's lakes and canals get Florida's highest water-quality protection: permitted discharges can't lower water quality, and dredge-and-fill work must be clearly in the public interest.
It doesn't set boat speeds, and it doesn't apply to a private dock on pilings under 500 square feet or to restoring a seawall in its old location.
FDEP Outstanding Florida Waters fact sheet (August 2020); Rule 62-302.700, F.A.C. Some older docks are grandfathered: ask EPD what a repair allows. Docks, seawalls and boathouses may also need state permits, and aquatic plant control needs an FWC permit (Town of Windermere).
Getting on the water, and the rules.
R.D. Keene Park
10900 Chase Road, on Lake Isleworth. $5 a day with a trailer, or a $150 annual ramp pass; space for 49 trailers.
Lake Down Boat Ramp
9619 Conroy Windermere Road. Ramps can close in high water, as on September 10, 2024.
Fernwood Park
The Town's Lake Butler ramp, with a $35 annual park pass. Its Lake Bessie ramp isn't on the chain.
- Idle speed, no wake at both county ramps, the Tibet-Butler to Chase canal and within 500 feet of the Lake Sheen fuel pumpOrange County Code ch. 8, as listed in the 2026 draft
- No vessels of any kind inside the buoyed swim area at Egret (Bird) Island on Lake ButlerOrange County, completed August 2023
- Born on or after January 1, 1988? You need a boater education ID to run a 10 hp motor or largerF.S. 327.395
- Pending: a county boating code update re-maps the chain's speed zones, adds slow-speed zones on the canals and drops older wake rules that don't match state lawCommission hearings October 28 and December 1, 2026; we'll update this page after the vote
- A private bridge over the Pocket Lake to Fish Lake canal was built with 10.1 feet of clearanceOrange Observer, January 22, 2020; other clearances aren't published
Orange County Parks (R.D. Keene Park; boat ramp list); Town of Windermere parks and Butler Chain pages: the Town's jurisdiction stops at the shoreline, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office and FWC patrol the water. Orange Observer, September 11, 2024 (ramp closures).
How high the water sits, and can rise.
The chain lakes share one normal high water level and one FEMA flood elevation. What decides a house's flood risk and insurance is its own floor height against those lines.
The chain's water, in feet
- Flood elevation
- 100.7 ft (NAVD88), the 1% annual-chance flood on the chain lakesFEMA Flood Insurance Study, revised September 24, 2021
- Normal high water
- About 98.5 ft, the line shown on dock permit plansOrange County lake-levels data
- Recent reading
- 97.65 ft on Lake Butler, August 5, 2026Orange County lake-levels data
- Range on record
- 94.51 ft (July 1981 drought) to 101.78 ft (1960 and 2004), on an older datumOrange County water-level study, 2006
-
Get an elevation certificate and compare the floor to 100.7 ftFEMA Flood Map Service Center; Orange County InfoMap
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Read the seller's flood disclosureKnown flooding, flood claims and federal flood aid, F.S. 689.302
-
Price flood cover earlyCitizens will require it on all its home policies from January 1, 2027; new policies usually wait 30 days
-
Ask about the flood discountOrange County's Class 5 rating cuts eligible flood premiums by 25%
Elevations in feet. The 2006 study used an older datum, so its range isn't directly comparable to the NAVD88 figures. Orange County flood and Community Rating System page; Citizens Property Insurance. Andy's flood zones and insurance guide; on the water for fun, his watersports guide.
Not all lakefront is equal.
No public study measures a lakefront premium on the Butler Chain; the percentages quoted online aren't sourced. These are the facts that separate one lakefront home from the next.
On the chain or off it
A chain lot can reach the other lakes by boat; a look-alike lake is a lake of its own.
County water dataFrontage and the dock
The county limits dock size, setbacks and roof height, so frontage shapes what you can build.
Orange County EPDHeight above the lake
The floor's elevation against the 100.7 ft flood line drives flood cover and its cost.
FEMA; CitizensWhere it can go
Depth at the dock and bridge heights decide which boat fits and which lakes it reaches.
EPD application; Orange ObserverRecent lakefront prices are in the listings above. For a specific home, ask Andy for recorded sales on the same lake. Selling on the chain? See how Andy sells or get a free home valuation.
Before you buy on the chain.
-
Confirm the lake is on the chainThe lake table above; normal high water near 98.5 ft
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Get the riparian rights and a survey with the normal high water lineBoth are required for any dock permit
-
Pull the dock, boathouse and seawall permitsOrange County EPD and Fast Track; Town homes through the Town
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Have the seawall, dock and lift inspectedNo county inspection standard was found; ask a marine contractor
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Measure water depth at the end of the dockThe EPD application asks for it; levels ranged about 7 feet from 1960 to 2006
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Measure your boat with the top down10.1 ft clearance at the Pocket Lake to Fish Lake bridge
-
Read the HOA's dock, lift and lake rulesDisclosure summary before you sign, F.S. 720.401
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Price home and flood insurance in the inspection periodCitizens 4-point on homes over 20 years old
Orange County EPD dock application (rev. 2019) and Boat Docks page; Orange County Fast Track; Town of Windermere FAQ; Citizens Property Insurance. Buying anywhere in Windermere: how buying works, with Orange County closing costs.
Lakefront with Andy.
Insurance and taxes on a lakefront home can be a lot higher than buyers expect, so price both before you make an offer.Andy Neal · REALTOR®, The Agency FL · #1 in Windermere, RealTrends Verified 2025 · FL Lic. SL3396613
From preparation, negotiations and inspections, to financing and closing, he utilizes his plethora of knowledge to make you feel comfortable throughout the complicated home procurement endeavor.
One community, or the whole town?
Lake Butler Sound
The guard-gated community on Lake Butler: its sections, lots, HOA and homes for sale.
Read the guideWindermere, FL guide
The Town vs the 34786 address, taxes, the chain's history and life on Main Street.
Read the guideSelling on the chain
A free instant estimate, then Andy's value range from recent lakefront sales, by email the same day. Not an appraisal.
Free valuationButler Chain lakefront, answered.
01How many lakes are in the Butler Chain of Lakes?
Thirteen, according to the Orange County Water Atlas, covering over 5,000 acres joined by 32 navigable canals. Florida's Outstanding Florida Water rule names 11 water bodies: Down, Wauseon Bay, Butler, Louise, Isleworth (Palmer), Tibet, Chase, Blanche, Sheen, Pocket and Fish. The Water Atlas adds Little Lake Down and a small unnamed lake.
02Which Butler Chain lakes are connected by boat?
Orange County's boating-zone maps show navigable canals linking Lake Down, Little Lake Down, Wauseon Bay, Butler, Louise, Isleworth, Tibet-Butler, Chase, Blanche, Sheen, Pocket and Fish Lake. Nearby Lakes Bessie, Burden, Crescent and Whitney sit at different water levels and aren't part of the boatable chain.
03Is Lake Bessie or Lake Burden on the Butler Chain?
No navigable connection was found for either. Lake Bessie's normal high water level is 96.47 feet against about 98.5 on the chain, and Lake Burden's flood elevation is 107.7 feet against 100.7. Neither is named in the state rule. Ask for proof of boat access before you buy.
04Where are the public boat ramps on the Butler Chain?
Orange County runs two: R.D. Keene Park at 10900 Chase Road, on Lake Isleworth ($5 a day with a trailer, or a $150 annual pass), and the Lake Down Boat Ramp at 9619 Conroy Windermere Road. The Town's Fernwood ramp on Lake Butler is for Town residents with a $35 annual park pass.
05Are there speed or wake rules on the chain?
Yes. Both county ramps, the Tibet-Butler to Chase canal and the area near the Lake Sheen fuel pump are idle-speed, no-wake zones, and a 2026 draft ordinance adds slow-speed zones on the connecting canals. The County Commission's hearing is December 1, 2026, so check the final rules after that date.
06Do I need a permit to build or replace a dock in Orange County?
Yes. In unincorporated Orange County a new dock needs an Environmental Protection Division permit before the building permit. From October 1, 2026 the application fee is $965.50, rising to $1,812 on October 1, 2027. The permit is valid for one year; some older docks are grandfathered, so ask EPD about repairs.
07Can I build a seawall on Lake Butler?
Possibly, but every seawall needs an Orange County shoreline alteration permit, and all shoreline alteration projects go to a public hearing for County Commission approval. The county expects rip-rap and native plants in front of a seawall. The fee for shoreline hardening is $1,806.50 from October 1, 2026.
08What does "Outstanding Florida Water" mean for homeowners?
It means state-permitted discharges can't lower the chain's water quality, and dredge-and-fill or stormwater work must be clearly in the public interest. It doesn't set boat speeds, and it doesn't apply to a private dock on pilings under 500 square feet or to restoring a seawall where it stood.
09Is Butler Chain lakefront in a flood zone?
The lakes are FEMA Zone AE with a 1% annual-chance flood elevation of 100.7 feet (NAVD88). Whether a house is in the zone depends on its ground and floor elevation, so check the FEMA map and get an elevation certificate. The county's normal high water level is about 98.5 feet.
10How low or high does the water get?
From 1960 to 2006 the chain ranged from 94.51 feet in the July 1981 drought to 101.78 feet in 1960 and 2004, on an older datum. On August 5, 2026, Lake Butler read 97.65 feet, a little under its normal high water level. Dock height and boat lifts should allow for these swings.
11Can large boats reach every lake on the chain?
Not always. A private bridge over the Pocket Lake to Fish Lake canal was built with 10.1 feet of navigation clearance in 2020, and clearances for other bridges aren't published. Measure your boat with the top or tower down before buying on an outer lake.
Looking for a home on the water?
Tell Andy the lake, the frontage and the boat you have in mind. Send an address and he'll check which lake it's on and whether it connects to the chain. Want to see a home from the water? Andy can arrange a showing by boat.
Ask about lakefront homes
A lake or an address is enough. Andy replies personally.
Andy Neal, Realtor · The Agency FL · (407) 619-3517
Sources and how we compiled this page Updated October 2026 · 19 sources
How we compiled it
Lake facts come from Orange County, the State of Florida and FEMA, each checked in October 2026. A lake counts as "on the chain" when the county regulates a navigable canal to it. Fees and rules change, and the county's boating code is under review; confirm anything you rely on with the source or with Andy.
- Orange County Water Atlas, Butler Chain of Lakes (accessed October 2026)
- Rule 62-302.700, Florida Administrative Code (Outstanding Florida Waters)
- FDEP, Outstanding Florida Waters fact sheet (August 2020)
- Orange County, draft ordinance, Chapter 8 (boats and water rules), and boating-zone maps (May 19, 2026)
- Orange County, Boating Code page and update schedule (accessed October 23, 2026; dates subject to change)
- Orange County GIS: lake levels, subdivisions, FEMA flood zones and boat ramps layers (2026)
- FEMA Flood Insurance Study, Orange County, revised September 24, 2021
- Orange County, Butler Chain water-level assessment (Envirosmiths, May 27, 2006)
- Orange County EPD: Boat Docks, Shoreline Alteration and Lakeshore Protection pages and fee table (accessed October 2026)
- Engage Orange, environmental permit fee updates (updated September 30, 2026)
- Spectrum News 13, Orange County considers hiking boat dock and ramp fees (July 2, 2026)
- Orange County Parks, R.D. Keene Park and boat ramp list (accessed October 2026)
- Town of Windermere, Butler Chain of Lakes, parks and stormwater pages (accessed October 2026)
- Florida Statutes 327.395 (boater education), 689.302 (flood disclosure), 720.401 (HOA disclosure)
- Orange Observer: bridge over the Butler Chain canal (January 22, 2020); boat ramp closures (September 11, 2024)
- Orange County, Floodplain and Community Rating System page (accessed October 2026)
- Citizens Property Insurance, inspections page and flood requirement (accessed October 2026)
- Engage Orange, Butler Chain of Lakes MSTU (updated June 15, 2026)
- Orange County Fast Track, permit history (accessed October 2026)
Andy Neal, Realtor, The Agency FL · 4757 The Grove Dr, Suite 124, Windermere, FL 34786 · (407) 619-3517 · Florida Sales Associate, Lic. SL3396613.
The Agency FL (H2 Collective LLC d/b/a The Agency FL), a Florida-licensed real estate brokerage, Lic. CQ1073923. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Information on this page is for general guidance and was checked in October 2026; it isn't legal, survey, permitting or insurance advice. Lake outlines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
