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/STAY · LOCAL RULES · WALTON COUNTY, FL

Walton County vacation rental rules (30A, Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach)

Houses rented short-term in unincorporated Walton County, including 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, Inlet Beach and Miramar Beach, need a county certificate renewed every June. The county spells out a notice for the main door or the fridge, down to the occupancy sentence.

Checked on Nov 11 2026 against the official pages below

The three things to know

PERMIT

A yearly county short-term vacation rental certificate, $300 a property, renewed by June 1. You sign an affidavit instead of a routine inspection. Condos, owner-occupied homesteads and some managed communities are exempt or certify together. Renting without one is $500 a day.

DOOR NOTICE

On or next to the main entrance door, or on the fridge: the address, the local responsible party's name and phone, the most guests in the State Fire Marshal's words, the most vehicles with a parking sketch, the noise ordinance notice, trash and recycling days, sea turtle rules near the beach, the nearest ER hospital, and beach flag information. Plus a sign outside, readable from the street.

TAX

5% Walton County tourist tax south of the bay (30A, Santa Rosa Beach, Miramar Beach), filed monthly with the Clerk of Court by the 20th. The Clerk says it isn't contracted with any platform, so you collect and file it. Plus 7% Florida sales tax.

Print the door notice

This prints the notice from LDC sec. 1.13.16(G)(1), with the State Fire Marshal sentence filled with your number. Add your parking sketch and the beach flag details. The outside sign is separate (18 by 12 inches at most).

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.

WALTON COUNTY SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTAL

Welcome. Please read.

Posted as required by Walton County Land Development Code sec. 1.13.16(G).

    Walton County Land Development Code sec. 1.13.16(G)(1). Notice made free at headedin.com/stay/rules/walton-county/

    Prints one letter page. Post it on the back of or next to the main entrance door, or on the fridge (a binder doesn't count), with your parking sketch.

    What the rules say

    Who needs the certificate
    "any property owner who wishes to rent a residential unit as a short-term vacation rental must first apply for and receive a short-term vacation rental certificate… and shall renew the certificate annually."LDC sec. 1.13.16(A)
    • One certificate per unit. Exempt (sec. 1.13.16(B)): condos, an owner-occupied homestead, and multifamily developments under common management; co-ops and HOAs can take a community certificate.
    • Fees (county resolution, from Feb 1 2025): $300 a property; $227 in a community certificate; $125 to change the managing agent; $25 to change the responsible party; $500 a day without a certificate.
    • No routine inside inspection: you sign an affidavit of compliance. Inspections follow a complaint or a state notice; fix violations within 30 days.
    • Renew every year by June 1; the window opens April 1. Register with the Florida Department of Revenue, DBPR and the Clerk's tourist tax office first.
    What has to be posted, inside and out
    "On the back of or next to the main entrance door or on the refrigerator the following information shall be provided"LDC sec. 1.13.16(G)(1)
    1. The address, for emergencies.
    2. The local responsible party's name and phone.
    3. The maximum occupancy, in the State Fire Marshal sentence.
    4. The most vehicles, a parking sketch, and where parking isn't allowed.
    5. The noise ordinance notice: fines up to $500 and/or a criminal violation, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
    6. Trash and recycling days, and that trash stays in the containers.
    7. In the Wildlife Protection Zone: sea turtle nesting season and lighting rules.
    8. The nearest hospital with an ER, and to call 911 in an emergency.
    9. Beach safety: the flag system and the penalties.

    The county's FAQ says a binder doesn't count. Homes with three or more floors also need an evacuation map by each bedroom door on the third floor and up.

    Outside (sec. 1.13.16(G)(3)): a sign no larger than 18 by 12 inches, readable from the street but not in it, with the responsible party's name and 24/7 number (or the county hotline) and the certificate number. The county has a free template.

    Guests, parking, trash and the one-hour rule
    • Guests: one per 150 square feet of floor area, or a lower number agreed during certification (sec. 5.07.03(D)). A septic permit can cap it lower.
    • Parking (sec. 5.07.03(B)): one space per six guests for new construction; no parking in the public right-of-way.
    • Trash: 35 gallons of lidded cans per four guests, to the curb no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before and back by sunset on pickup day.
    • Responsible party: reachable 24/7, at the house "within one hour following notification", and checks it weekly (sec. 1.13.16(E)(3)).
    • Ads show the certificate number and the tourist tax registration number, and match the certified guests and parking (sec. 5.07.03(J)).
    • Lease states the guest limit, the noise notice, trash days, the duty to evacuate and the parking sketch (sec. 1.13.16(F)).
    Taxes
    • Tourist development tax, 5% south of Choctawhatchee Bay (ZIPs 32550, 32459, 32461), on rent plus required fees like cleaning, filed with the Walton County Clerk of Court by the 20th, even with no stays.
    • The Clerk: "Walton County is NOT contracted with ANY platform… it is your responsibility to collect & remit."
    • Florida sales tax: 6% state plus Walton's 1% surtax, to the Department of Revenue; some platforms collect this part. About 12% in all on the coast.
    • North of the bay the county rate is lower; the Clerk's own documents differ on the number, so ask the Clerk.

    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 Walton County 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 Walton County? 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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