Madeira Beach vacation rental rules

• Business tax receipt: "Every business or entity operating in the city of Madeira Beach is required to obtain and maintain" one (City Code ch. 62, art. II). It covers property rental, renews every year and expires Sept 30. It's granted only after all inspections pass. Apply on the city's online portal.
• Fire inspection every year for short-term rentals (city FAQ).
• Local contact: "Short-term vacation rentals are required to provide a local contact. This can be a property management company or someone you know in the Tampa Bay area."
• Where: the city keeps a vacation rental restriction map and an interactive zoning map; check your address before you list.
• Fees are in City Code sec. 62-60.

"there shall be posted or placed in a plainly legible fashion, in a conspicuous place in each rental unit for each occupancy, a sign in form and substance approved by the city manager that explains the 'Madeira Beach Leave No Trace Ordinance'"City Code sec. 42-37

The sign covers: unattended tents or property left on the beach at night are treated as discarded and removed; holes filled in the same day; camping, bonfire and glass rules; and breach of the peace, sound and disorderly conduct rules. Because it has to be the city manager's approved version, ask the city for its current sign rather than writing your own.

The city's fire safety handout (Jan 2026) also lists, to post inside: the responsible party's contact, evacuation instructions, the trash and recycling schedule, the nearest hospital, a floor diagram showing exits and rooms, and a fire safety pamphlet for guests.

• Smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas and on each level; CO alarms near bedrooms and on every level.
• A main exit plus a second way out, unless sprinklered.
• A 2A:10B:C extinguisher on each floor, within 40 feet of travel.
• At least an hour of battery emergency lighting at the main exit; no unvented fuel heaters.
• The handout sets 1 person per 150 square feet, 1 off-street space per 3 guests, and a responsible party available 24/7 who responds within 2 hours.
• The handout also lists separate "Pinellas County Standards" (2 per bedroom plus 2, quiet hours 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.) that read like the county's rules for unincorporated areas; ask the city whether they apply to you.

• Pinellas County tourist development tax, 6%, on stays of six months or less; file monthly by the 20th, zero returns too. The county lists Airbnb and VRBO as collecting it, but "if the agent fails to collect and pay the tax, the owner will be held liable."
• Florida sales tax 6% plus Pinellas's 1% surtax to the Department of Revenue.