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Florida vacation rental license and rules

A Florida house or condo rented more than three times a year for less than 30 days needs a state vacation rental license from DBPR. Here is the license, what the state says to post, and the taxes. Your county or city may add rules of its own.

Checked on Nov 11 2026 against the official pages below

The three things to know

PERMIT

A DBPR vacation rental license (Condominium or Dwelling). Apply online; DBPR says it usually takes one to two business days. $50 application + $10 education fee, then $170 a year for one unit. Renting without one is a second-degree misdemeanor.

DOOR NOTICE

Every vacation rental posts the state's human trafficking awareness sign (English and Spanish, at least 11 by 15 inches) where workers see it. The license is displayed or shown on request, and a dish notice goes up if dishes aren't commercially sanitized.

TAX

6% Florida sales tax plus your county's surtax go to the Department of Revenue. Your county's tourist development tax is on top, and many counties collect it themselves. Register with the Department of Revenue before your first guest.

Print the door notice

Florida's own signs come from DBPR as PDFs: print those as they are (links below). This page prints a license card for the house, so guests and inspectors can see the license number. A contact line is optional for the state, but many counties require one.

The state's own signs (print these as they are)

Type what you know. Anything left empty prints as a line to write on, so it works as a blank form too. What you type stays on this phone.

FLORIDA VACATION RENTAL

State license

Licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants.

    License display: s. 509.241(3), Florida Statutes. Card made free at headedin.com/stay/rules/florida/

    Prints one letter page. Put it where guests come in. Post DBPR's human trafficking sign where your cleaners and workers will see it.

    What the rules say

    Who needs the license
    "rented to guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 consecutive days or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented"s. 509.013(4)(a)1, Florida Statutes (2026)
    • Covers condo and co-op units and houses with up to four units (s. 509.242(1)(c)).
    • Renting a room or rooms, not the whole unit, isn't a public lodging to the state; local rules may still apply (DBPR guide).
    • License types: Single (one owner, no agent), Group (a licensed agent, one complex), Collective (a licensed agent, up to 75 units in one district).
    • Fees (DBPR guide): $50 application + $10 Hospitality Education Program; $170 a year for one unit ($90 for a half year), $180 for 2 to 25; Collective $150 + $10 a unit.
    • Every year: renew; your renewal month depends on your county's district. Report a change of address or unit count within 30 days (s. 509.241(4)(b)).
    • Without one: a misdemeanor of the second degree (s. 509.241(1)).
    What has to be posted
    • Human trafficking sign (s. 509.096): "in a conspicuous location" your employees can see, at least 11 by 15 inches, 32-point type, English and Spanish, with the hotline. Fine: $2,000 a day after a 45-day chance to fix it. DBPR's FAQ says vacation rentals are included. Workers who clean or work a front desk need yearly training.
    • The license (s. 509.241(3)): displayed in the office or lobby; DBPR's brochure says "if available" or made available on request. A license card by the door covers both.
    • Dish notice (Rule 61C-3.001): only when dishware isn't commercially sanitized, posted where the dishes are.
    • Safety gear (DBPR guide): smoke alarms in every unit and a charged fire extinguisher; hearing-impaired smoke alarms free on request. Buildings 3 stories or taller need a balcony inspection every 3 years.

    The state sets no posted contact or guest limit. Many counties and cities do, so check yours.

    What cities and counties can and can't do
    "A local law... may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate the duration or frequency of rental"s. 509.032(7)(b), Florida Statutes
    • Local laws adopted on or before June 1 2011 are kept. Local registration, occupancy, parking, noise and posting rules are common.
    • 2024's SB 280 (statewide registration) was vetoed. 2026's SB 658 (pool safety) died. Neither is law.
    • 2025's chapter 2025-113 is in effect: it changed the definition above and how a host can remove a guest (s. 509.141).
    Taxes
    • 6% state sales tax plus any county discretionary surtax on rentals of six months or less, always filed with the Department of Revenue.
    • Tourist development tax: each county's own rate on top; in many counties you file it with the county, not the state.
    • Register online with the Department of Revenue; agents with several houses use form DR-1C, one county per form.
    • The Oct 1 2025 repeal of the commercial rent tax didn't touch vacation rentals; they're still taxed.

    House rules go in your listing

    For bookings made from Nov 20 2026, Airbnb wants every house rule in the listing itself; signs in the house can only repeat them. This notice only carries what Florida requires, so it adds no new rules. Put quiet hours, parking and the rest in your listing first.

    Official sources, read Nov 11 2026

    Plain-words summary, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, and the official page always wins. Checked Nov 11 2026.

    Help us get it right

    Host in Florida? If a rule, fee or form here has changed, or we missed something, tell us. We check every note against the official source before we change a page, and we put the new checked date on it.

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