Short-term rental eligibility in Tampa Bay
A practical guide to where short-term rentals (Airbnb, Vrbo, and similar) can legally operate across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties — and what to verify before you write an offer.
How to read this guide
Each county summary uses a five-tier eligibility scale based on county ordinances, zoning categories, and city-level overlays. Higher tiers are more permissive; lower tiers carry more friction or risk. None of these ratings is a guarantee — they're a starting point for your own due diligence with a real-estate attorney and the local Land Development office.
Florida statewide requirements (apply to every county)
- DBPR Vacation Rental License. Required for any property rented to transient guests for periods of less than 30 days, more than three times per calendar year. Two license types — Dwelling (1–4 units) or Condo (single condo unit).
- Sales tax registration. Florida Department of Revenue certificate to collect and remit transient rental taxes.
- State + county lodging taxes. 6% Florida sales tax plus a local Tourist Development Tax that varies by county (typically 5% to 6%). Airbnb and Vrbo collect and remit most of this on your behalf — but you remain responsible for any taxes the platform doesn't capture.
- Safety code compliance. Smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, pool barriers (if applicable), egress from sleeping rooms. Buildings 3+ stories: balcony inspection every three years.
- Listing disclosure. Your DBPR license number must appear on every Airbnb / Vrbo / direct-booking listing.
County-by-county breakdown
Hillsborough County
Generally STR-friendlyThe most permissive of the three counties for short-term rental operators. Code enforcement is largely complaint-driven rather than proactive, and the county has explicitly chosen not to prohibit STRs — preserving meaningful tourist tax revenue. The main pitfalls are planned-development (PD/PUD) zoning and HOA covenants.
- Minimum stay
- 7 nights or less is treated as transient (the regulated category). In unincorporated zones, 7-day minimums are the safe operating zone. The City of Tampa allows any duration in commercial and mixed-use zoning with a Business Tax Receipt.
- Required permits
- State DBPR license + Hillsborough County Business Tax Receipt (~$45/year) + Florida sales tax certificate.
- Lodging tax
- ~11% total (6% state sales tax + 6% Hillsborough Tourist Development Tax, with 1% surtax temporarily suspended through 2025).
- Enforcement
- Reactive. Complaints from neighbors are the primary trigger. Fines for unlicensed operation or zoning violations.
Zoning eligibility
Pinellas County
Heavily regulatedPinellas adopted Ordinance 25-15 in March 2025, the most restrictive STR framework in Tampa Bay. Unincorporated properties now require a Certificate of Use program. Several incorporated cities — notably St. Petersburg and Treasure Island — have their own restrictive ordinances that pre-date the state's 2011 preemption and remain enforceable.
City-by-city posture
- Indian Rocks Beach
- STR-friendly. Has its own registration ordinance grandfathered in before 2011. Active investor market.
- Largo
- Allowed with fire-safety inspection and a designated responsible party.
- Clearwater Beach
- Allowed in most beach-area zoning; verify parcel-specific rules.
- Dunedin / Gulfport
- Allowed only in specific zoning overlays. Most of each city's residential is off-limits to STR.
- St. Petersburg
- Effectively prohibited in residential zones. City code limits rental to no more than three times per any 365-day period, except in specific transient-lodging zoning districts.
- Treasure Island
- Prohibited in single-family and multifamily zones with limited exceptions.
- Redington Beach / Redington Shores
- Heavily restricted. Verify city ordinance before any purchase.
- Unincorporated Pinellas
- Allowed with a Certificate of Use (~$450/year) plus an initial $150 inspection. Re-inspection every two years at $100. Application deadlines vary by ZIP.
Pinellas Certificate of Use cost
Other Pinellas-specific rules
- One off-street parking space required per three guests (rounded up).
- Owner must register sexual predators with the Sheriff and disclose to guests.
- 24/7 responsible party phone number must be on file and posted at the property.
- Children under 12 no longer exempt from the 10-person max as of 2025.
- Verify whether your specific city has its own license on top of the Pinellas County Certificate of Use.
Pasco County
Permitted with conditionsLess restrictive than Pinellas but more involved than Hillsborough. Pasco requires a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from the Planning Director before a property can operate as a short-term rental, even in residentially zoned areas. The CUP confirms the property meets county standards for parking, occupancy, and use.
- Required permits
- Pasco Conditional Use Permit + state DBPR license + Florida sales tax certificate + property insurance with adequate liability coverage.
- Where allowed
- Short-term rentals are permitted in all residential zoning districts subject to compliance with the CUP conditions.
- Minimum stay
- No statewide minimum; Pasco doesn't add one. Operate at any duration permitted by your DBPR license.
- Lodging tax
- 11% total (6% state + 5% Pasco Tourist Development Tax).
- Enforcement
- Active. Pasco assesses fines starting at $250 for first violations, escalating for repeat unlicensed operation.
Conditional Use Permit checklist
- Designated parking space included on the property — no RV parking on-site or in adjacent right-of-way.
- Occupancy limits documented in the application.
- Adequate property insurance and liability coverage in place at the time of application.
- CUP must be issued before the property is listed or accepts bookings.
| Hillsborough | Pinellas | Pasco | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Difficulty | Generally friendly | Heavily regulated | Permitted w/ CUP |
| County permit needed? | Business Tax Receipt only | Certificate of Use ($450/yr) | Conditional Use Permit |
| Inspection required? | Generally no | Yes — $150 initial, every 2 yrs | As part of CUP review |
| Total lodging tax | ~11% | ~12% | ~11% |
| Enforcement style | Reactive (complaints) | Active | Active |
| Biggest risk | HOA covenants in PD zones | City-level bans (St. Pete) | ADU restriction; CUP delay |
Before you write an offer
Whatever county the property is in, the same five questions answer most of the eligibility risk. Run through them with your agent before the inspection period closes.
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Confirm the parcel zoning.
Pull the parcel record from the county property appraiser. Confirm the zoning code matches an STR-permissive category in the table above. If the zoning is PD, PD-A, PUD, or MPUD — assume STR is prohibited until you've read the specific land-use contract.
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Read the HOA covenants.
Almost every HOA / condo association governs rentals via CC&Rs — and a covenant can prohibit STR even if the zoning permits it. Look for any rental-duration minimum, leasing-frequency cap, or explicit Airbnb / Vrbo prohibition. The seller is required to provide HOA documents during the inspection period.
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Check the city ordinance.
County rules are necessary but not sufficient. Cities — especially in Pinellas — can be substantially more restrictive than the county. Search the city's municipal code for "vacation rental" and "short-term rental."
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Look for proof of existing operation.
A neighboring DBPR-licensed property, a public AirDNA listing on the same street, or seller-provided rental income records are all meaningful evidence the local rules permit STR in practice. The strongest signal is when the subject property itself is already DBPR-licensed.
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Talk to a local attorney.
For any property over $500,000 — or anywhere the rules feel ambiguous — a one-hour consultation with a Florida real-estate attorney is the cheapest insurance you can buy. They'll review the HOA documents and zoning specifically for STR risk.
Important: this is informational, not legal advice
This guide summarizes publicly available information about Florida short-term rental regulations as of April 2026. It is intended to help you start a conversation with your agent and other professional advisors — not to substitute for legal, tax, or compliance advice.
This information may already be outdated by the time you read it. Short-term rental rules at the state, county, and city level change constantly — through new ordinances, revised zoning interpretations, fee adjustments, court rulings, and preemption legislation. Pinellas County rewrote its STR framework in March 2025; Pasco prohibited ADU short-term rentals in February 2025; the Florida Legislature has attempted to centralize regulation in two recent sessions. Whatever you read here, verify it against the current ordinance text on the official county or city website on the day you need to rely on it.
Before purchasing any property with the intent to use it as a short-term rental, you should independently verify all eligibility questions with: (a) the county Land Development or Planning office; (b) the city zoning administrator if the property is incorporated; (c) the property's HOA or condo association; (d) a Florida-licensed real-estate attorney; and (e) a tax professional regarding lodging and income tax obligations.
Neither Santy Kumar nor HomeSmart provides legal or tax advice. We do not guarantee any property will be approved for short-term rental use, that any specific revenue or occupancy figure will be achieved, or that local rules will not change after closing.
Have a property in mind?
I'll pull the parcel zoning, HOA documents, and any neighboring DBPR licenses so you can decide before the offer deadline.
Santy Kumar · HomeSmart
813-845-4522 · team@masalahomes.com
Florida real estate license SL 3640259
8270 Woodland Center Blvd, Suite 156, Tampa, FL 33614
