Florida Short-Term Rental License & Laws: The Complete 2026 Guide

Planning to rent out a property in Florida for less than 30 days at a time? Here's exactly what the state, your county, and your city require before you can legally operate, plus what changed in 2024 that a lot of hosts still don't know about.

Key Takeaways

• You need a Florida short-term rental license from the DBPR if you rent an entire unit more than three times a year for stays under 30 days, on top of any city or county rules.
• A single-unit license runs about $230 the first year and roughly $180 at renewal once you add up the license fee, the application fee, and the required education fee.
• There is no statewide ban on short-term rentals in Florida. State law limits how far cities can go in restricting them, though a 2024 bill that would have gone further, SB 280, was vetoed by the governor.
• Florida short-term rental laws vary significantly by city: Destin caps overnight guests at 24 per home, Jacksonville only allows short-term rentals in two zoning categories, and Saint Petersburg limits most homes to three short-term rentals per year.
• Get your paperwork right the first time: a DBPR license, state and local tax registration, and (in most cities) a business tax receipt are the three pillars of legal short-term rental operation in Florida.

Getting into short-term rentals in Florida can feel daunting: a state license, state and local taxes, a city or county permit, zoning rules, and sometimes a homeowners association on top.

The good news is that none of it is actually complicated once it's broken down piece by piece. This guide walks through the Florida short term rentals law that applies statewide, then the license and tax paperwork every host needs, then the city-specific rules that trip people up most often, and finally a straight answer to whether Florida has banned short-term rentals (it hasn't).

Whether you're an individual host with a single condo or one of Florida's growing number of vacation rental operators managing several rental properties at once, the same core rules apply. Florida property owners of every size start from the same DBPR license requirement, though the paperwork scales differently once you're managing multiple rental units across residential properties in different Florida counties.

The short-term rental industry in Florida has matured a lot over the past few years, and the short-term rental market now supports everything from single-room hosts to full-time vacation rental businesses. Whatever stage you're at, getting licensed correctly separates a legitimate vacation rental business from one that's one complaint away from a fine. Florida short-term rentals that skip this step are the ones that end up on the evening news.

What Is a Short-Term Rental Under Florida Law?

Florida's Legal Definition of a Vacation Rental

Florida law doesn't use the term "Airbnb." Under the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, a vacation rental is legally defined as:

Any unit or group of units in a condominium or cooperative or any individually or collectively owned single-family, two-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit that is also a transient public lodging establishment but that is not a timeshare project.

In plain English, that covers almost any Florida property, whether it's a single condo, a collectively owned single family home, or a small multi-unit building, used as a public lodging establishment rather than a long-term residence. You'll see the terms "vacation rentals" and "short-term vacation rentals" used interchangeably throughout Florida short-term rental laws and by most Florida property owners; both describe the same DBPR-licensed properties.

The Florida statutes get more specific from there. A property crosses this threshold when it is rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days, or one calendar month (whichever is less), or when it is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests. Meet either condition and you're operating one of Florida's public lodging establishments, not just renting out a spare room.

One exemption is worth knowing: renting a single room in your own home, where guests share common space with you, generally doesn't require a DBPR license or the license fees that come with one, because a single room doesn't meet the definition of public lodging on its own.

Condo vs. Dwelling: The Two License Categories

Florida splits vacation rental licenses into two categories, and you cannot mix them on one application:

• Condo license — for any unit or group of units inside a condominium or cooperative.
• Dwelling license — for a single-family, two-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit that isn't part of a condo association.

You can combine several properties of the same type into a single license application, but a condo and a dwelling always need separate applications. Within each category, Florida also uses three "Resort Classifications":

• Single — one to four units located within the same building.
• Group — multiple units within the same building or complex, with no maximum.
• Collective — up to 75 units located at different addresses within one district.

Both applications need a Main Address and a Rental Location Address per rental unit. If you own several rental units, you'll need a complete, valid Florida county address for each.

Buildings three stories or taller, or with a 17-foot balcony drop, need a Certificate of Balcony Inspection on file, renewed every three years. Housekeeping and front-desk staff must also complete Florida's human trafficking awareness training.

Is There a Ban on Short-Term Rentals in Florida?

No. Florida law does not ban short-term rentals statewide; it actually restricts how aggressively cities and counties can ban them on their own.

Under state law, local governments generally cannot pass ordinances that prohibit vacation rentals or cap stay length. What cities and counties can regulate is the operational side: registration, safety inspections, noise, parking, and occupancy limits — why the rules below vary so much city to city, even though none is an outright ban.

What Happened to SB 280, and Why It Was Vetoed

If you've seen headlines about Florida "cracking down" on short-term rentals, they likely meant Senate Bill 280 — a 2024 bill handing the state, not cities, most authority over rental registration and enforcement. Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed it in June 2024, arguing vacation rental markets differ too much across the state for one set of rules to work.

No replacement bill passed in 2025 or 2026, so the mix of state and local rules here remains the current Florida short-term rental laws heading into 2026.

The June 1, 2011 Grandfather Rule

One exception: any ordinance on the books on or before June 1, 2011 is grandfathered in and stays enforceable, even if it amounts to a near-total ban. Miami Beach's unusually strict rules trace back to a pre-2011 ordinance.

How to Get a Florida Rental License (Step by Step)

Step 1: Confirm You Need a DBPR License

If you're renting out an entire unit more than three times a year for stays under 30 days, or advertising it as a place regularly rented to guests, you need a DBPR license before booking. Renting a spare room in your own home is the only exception.

Step 2: Gather Your Application Details

Before you apply, gather your main address, a rental location address for every unit, your resort classification (single, group, or collective), and, if applicable, Disabled Veteran Exemption paperwork (a DD214 showing honorable discharge). Attach a Certificate of Balcony Inspection if needed.

Step 3: Apply for a Condo or Dwelling License

Apply online through the DBPR's licensing portal, choosing the condo or dwelling application for your property type. Online applications process faster and let you pay by card at the end.

Step 4: Register for State and Local Taxes

Register separately with the Florida Department of Revenue to collect and remit the state sales tax and transient rental tax, then check with your county about the local option transient rental tax (the tourist development tax). Some counties collect it directly; others route it through the Department of Revenue too.

Step 5: Get Your Local Business License

Most Florida cities also require a local business license or occupational tax receipt on top of the state DBPR license. Requirements vary by city, which is why the city-by-city section further down matters just as much as the state rules.

Step 6: Renew Every Year

DBPR licenses are annual and staggered across seven license districts, so your renewal date depends on location, not when you first applied.

How Much Does a Florida Short-Term Rental License Cost?

Florida's short-term rental license fees are often quoted as "$50," which is only the initial application fee, not the total cost. For a single-unit dwelling or condo license, budget for roughly:

• $50 initial application fee (new licenses and ownership changes only, not renewals)
• $170 base license fee for a single unit
• $10 Hospitality Education Program fee

That's about $230 in year one and $180 at renewal, since the application fee doesn't apply again. Larger group or collective licenses cost more. Local occupational tax receipts and city fees stack on top of these state license costs.

Do I Need an Occupational License to Rent Out My Property?

Yes. Florida short-term rentals all need a state license, including properties advertised through Airbnb, Vrbo, or Booking.com, and most cities layer a local business license (linked to igms.com/str-license/) or occupational tax receipt on top of that. If you're starting an Airbnb business in Florida, treat the DBPR license application as step one and your city's licensing step as step two.

Typical business paperwork includes your operating name (a DBA or legal name), Articles of Incorporation or Organization for LLCs or corporations, and any related registration fees.

Does a Short-Term Rental Agreement Have to Be in Writing?

Technically, no. Florida law only requires that formal notices between a landlord and tenant be in writing and either hand-delivered or mailed, even when the underlying rental agreement itself was made verbally.

Most platforms still expect hosts to set house rules (linked to igms.com/vacation-rental-house-rules-template/) guests agree to at booking, and a written rental agreement gives short-term rental owners something concrete to point to if a dispute escalates.

Can I Charge Cleaning Fees on Top of My Nightly Rate?

Yes. Cleaning fees (linked to igms.com/airbnb-cleaning-fee/) are standard practice, generally part of your short-term rental business's operating costs — the cleaning and maintenance expenses are typically deductible when you file lodging tax returns and your annual income tax return. Keep your receipts for your own taxes and in case of an audit.

How Long Can You Rent Out a Property as a Short-Term Rental in Florida?

This is one of the most confused points in Florida rental law, mostly because different agencies define "short-term" differently depending on what they're regulating:

• For DBPR licensing purposes, a rental becomes short-term once a unit is rented more than three times in a calendar year for stays under 30 days (or one calendar month, whichever is less).
• For state tax purposes, any rental of six months or less counts as a taxable transient rental, a wider window than the licensing definition.
• Some cities apply their own rules on top of both: Jacksonville uses a 30-day threshold, Kissimmee uses six months, and Sarasota uses seven days in residential zones.

Because definitions differ by purpose and city, check your local zoning code and the state licensing rules before assuming one "magic number" applies everywhere.

Are There Limits on How Many People Can Stay in a Florida Short-Term Rental?

Occupancy limits are set locally, not statewide, and vary widely. Orlando only allows hosted short-term rentals, where the owner lives on-site. Destin caps overnight stays at 24 people per home regardless of bedroom count. Sarasota limits residential-zone rentals to two guests per bedroom plus two more per property. Always check your specific city's short term rental rules rather than assuming a statewide occupancy limit exists, because none does.

Short-term rental regulations and short-term rental laws change often, so property owners with short-term rental properties, whether it's a single unit or a handful of short-term rental properties across different counties, should recheck the rules at least once a year, especially before expanding into short-term vacation rentals in a new market.

Understanding Florida Short-Term Rental Taxes

Every property owner dreads tax season, but it doesn't need to be intimidating with accounting and reporting (linked to igms.com/features/accounting-and-reporting/) organized. Florida short-term rentals generally trigger four categories of tax for the operator to track.

State Sales Tax and the Transient Rental Tax

Florida's state sales tax is 6% and applies to short-term rentals the same way it applies to hotel stays, since the Florida Department of Revenue treats short-term stays as a taxable transient rental, not a long-term lease. This 6% is sometimes called the state's transient rental tax, separate from any county tax layered on top.

County Surtax and Tourist Development Tax

On top of the state sales tax, most counties add a discretionary sales surtax (DR-15DSS form) and a local option transient rental tax, often called a tourist development tax, that adds several more points depending on the county (DR-15TDT form). Some counties collect it directly; the Department of Revenue collects it for others. Either way, the combined rate a guest pays is almost always higher than the 6% state sales tax alone.

Federal Tax Deductions for Short-Term Rental Owners

The Internal Revenue Service uses its own test for which Florida short-term rentals qualify for federal tax deduction purposes: your home generally qualifies if you rent it at least 14 days a year and use it personally no more than 14 days, or 10% of days rented, whichever is greater. Meet that test and you may claim federal tax deductions for upkeep, repairs, insurance, utilities, linens and kitchenware, and accounting or legal fees, reducing the income tax you owe.

The Homestead Tax Exemption Risk

If a property is your primary residence, owned as of January 1 of the tax year, Florida's homestead tax exemption knocks $25,000 off the first $50,000 of assessed value and can exempt certain school levies too, as long as you established permanent residence there in good faith.

Here's the part hosts frequently get wrong: renting out your homestead doesn't automatically strip the exemption the moment you cross 30 rental days in a year. Under Florida Statutes, the exemption is only at risk if the home is rented for more than 30 days per calendar year for two consecutive years. A single busy year of short-term rentals, on its own, generally doesn't trigger a loss of the homestead tax exemption, but a pattern across two straight years can.

Insurance Requirements for Florida Short-Term Rental Hosts

Standard homeowners insurance frequently excludes commercial short-term rental business use, so most Florida short-term rentals need a separate insurance policy or endorsement to cover guests. Liability coverage for a single dwelling unit typically runs $200–$400 a year, depending on property size and location.

Am I Liable if a Guest Is Injured on My Property?

Generally yes, if negligence is involved. Under Florida law, a paying guest is typically classified as an "invitee" — the category owed the highest duty of care — meaning the host must keep the rental property reasonably safe.

Platforms often offer supplemental host liability coverage (Airbnb's covers up to $1,000,000 for qualifying injury and property damage claims), but these typically exclude lost income, product liability, and intentional host acts — a supplement to proper insurance, not a replacement.

Florida Short-Term Rental Laws by City

State licensing and state taxes are only half the picture. Local governments layer their own short-term rental regulations on top of the state's laws, and property owners can encounter dramatically different rules even between neighboring cities.

Here's what Florida property owners can expect in the state's most active short-term rental markets.

Miami and Miami Beach

Miami and Miami Beach are two different jurisdictions with different rules, and mixing them up is a common mistake. In unincorporated Miami-Dade County, properties designated Estate or Low-Density Residential under the county's land use map generally require the Responsible Party (usually the owner) to live on-site more than six months a year for a short-term rental to be legal.

The same Responsible Party requirement can carry over to a co-host managing the unit. Miami Beach is stricter still: it requires a current DBPR license plus a City of Miami Beach Business Tax Receipt Number and a Resort Tax Certificate Number, both displayed on every listing. Overnight occupancy in a Miami Beach vacation rental is capped at two guests per bedroom, up to 12 (not counting children under three). First-offense fines for unlicensed operation can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Clearwater Beach

Clearwater Beach has some of the strictest short-term rental rules on Florida's Gulf Coast. Residential-zoned properties can't be rented for stays shorter than 31 days or one calendar month; only monthly rentals can be advertised, and daily or weekly rentals aren't permitted. Short-term rentals are allowed in business and tourist zones, where operators need a City of Clearwater Business Tax Receipt on top of the state license.

Destin and Fort Walton Beach

Destin and Fort Walton Beach add their own registration layer on top of the state's vacation rental license:

1. Rentals for stays of less than one year must register with the city and hold a short-term rental permit.
2. Registering requires a City of Destin Local Business Tax Receipt, obtainable through the city's Building Division.
3. Registration renews annually, and the fee scales with square footage, from about $500 for homes under 2,499 square feet up to about $700 for homes of 5,000 square feet or more.

Occupancy in Destin is capped at two adults per bedroom plus up to four more per property, with a hard ceiling of 24 overnight guests regardless of bedroom count.

Jacksonville

Jacksonville defines a vacation rental as the transient rental of a room, rooms, or an entire unit for pay, for stays under 30 days, and only conditionally approves short-term rentals in two zoning categories: General Commercial and Historic Core. They're generally prohibited elsewhere, with a narrow exemption for owner-occupied homes on the Jacksonville Contributing Historic Landmark List, which may qualify for a conditional use permit as a bed-and-breakfast.

Operating legally in one of the two eligible zones requires a land use permit followed by a local business license. You can reach the Jacksonville Planning Department (now part of the city's Development Services Division) at (904) 255-8300 for current zoning questions before you apply.

Kissimmee

Kissimmee, just outside Orlando, treats stays under six months as short-term or vacation rentals — wider than the state's 30-day licensing threshold. Only specific zoning districts allow short-term rental businesses, and owners may also need a conditional use permit plus a local occupational license, requiring a fire department inspection first.

Naples

The City of Naples sits outside Collier County's countywide registration ordinance, so Naples properties still need a Florida DBPR license and must pay the Collier County Tourist Development Tax, but follow the city's own process instead of the county's. If you're weighing a Naples vacation rental property, budget time to register directly with the city.

Orlando

Orlando doesn't allow whole-home short-term rentals. The only options are home-sharing, where an on-site owner can rent up to half the bedrooms for one to 29 days, and bed-and-breakfast setups, where all bedrooms except the owner's can be rented from a single day to a full season. Home-share registration costs $275 the first year and $100 after; bed-and-breakfast operators need a Business Tax Receipt.

Pompano Beach

Pompano Beach is one of the more accommodating short-term rental markets on Florida's east coast. Any property rented for six months or less in a calendar year counts as a short-term rental here, and operators need a permit from the city's Development Services Director in addition to the state paperwork.

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg Airbnb hosts operate under some of the tightest limits in the Tampa Bay area: outside the small number of zoning districts that permit hotels and motels, a property can only be rented for stays under 30 days three times per calendar year. (The neighboring, separately incorporated St. Pete Beach has its own, different short-term rental ordinance — don't assume the two are interchangeable.) Beyond that frequency limit, operators still need the standard state licensing and tax paperwork.

Sarasota

Sarasota prohibits rentals under seven calendar days citywide in residential-zoned property, with one carve-out: in the Coastal Islands Overlay District, owner-absent rentals under 30 days are allowed under specific occupancy rules — generally two per bedroom plus two more per property (max 10 in single-family zones, 12 in residential multi-family zones), not counting children under six.

Tampa and Hillsborough County

Tampa itself has no dedicated short-term rental ordinance, so operators there mostly follow state rules directly. Hillsborough County, however, restricts rentals of seven days or less to specific zoning areas, and in 2025 county commissioners advanced a proposed registry ordinance adding an annual per-unit fee and a 24-hour contact requirement — check current rules before assuming the older framework still applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the law on short-term rentals in Florida?

Florida requires a DBPR license for any unit rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days, plus state and local tax registration. Cities and counties can regulate operational details like zoning, occupancy, and registration, but state law generally prevents them from banning short-term rentals outright, except where a local ban predates June 1, 2011.

Has Florida lifted the ban on short-term rentals?

There has never been a statewide ban to lift. Florida law actually restricts how far local authorities can go in banning vacation rentals. A 2024 bill, SB 280, would have shifted more authority to the state, but it was vetoed, so the existing state-plus-local framework remains in place.

How many days is a short-term rental in Florida?

For state licensing purposes, a rental becomes "short-term" once it's rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days (or one calendar month). For state tax purposes, any rental of six months or less is treated as a taxable transient rental. Some cities apply their own, different day thresholds on top of both.

Is there a ban on vacation rentals in Florida?

No. Vacation rentals are legal statewide, provided the operator holds a DBPR license and meets state and local tax and registration requirements. Only pre-2011 local ordinances can amount to a near-total local ban, and those are the exception, not the rule.

Final Thoughts

Florida's short-term rental laws look intimidating all at once, but they break into three layers: a state DBPR license, state and local taxes, and whatever city license or permit your city requires. Get those right, watch your city's occupancy and zoning rules, and carry proper insurance, and you're on solid legal ground.

Vacation rental hosts and property owners who stay current on licensing, taxes, and city rules rarely run into trouble. It's the hosts running short-term vacation rentals off the books, without a proper license, who end up facing fines, whether they're renting out vacation rentals full-time or just a few weekends a year.

To recap the essentials:

1. You need a DBPR license to rent a residential property short-term in Florida once you cross the three-times-a-year, under-30-day threshold.
2. Budget for the real cost, about $230 in year one and $180 at renewal, not just the $50 application fee.
3. There's no statewide ban on short-term rentals — the 2024 bill that would have added one, SB 280, was vetoed.
4. Rules vary by city, so don't assume one Florida city's rule applies elsewhere.
5. Carry proper insurance and keep your tax paperwork current every calendar year.

Once you've checked every regulatory box, getting your Florida short-term rentals off the ground is where most hosts lose time: juggling calendars, guest messages, and payouts across multiple platforms.

That's where iGMS comes in. iGMS' vacation rental software helps hosts and property managers manage bookings across platforms, automate guest communication with Inbox Automation, and keep pricing sharp via PriceLabs, DPGO, and Wheelhouse integrations, so the legal side of running a Florida vacation rental doesn't come with an operational headache too.