Short-term rental rules · Orlando, Florida
Short-term rentals in Orlando, explained properly.
Inside City of Orlando limits, whole-home rentals of 1 to 29 days are not permitted in residential areas. The legal residential option is a registered Home Share, where an owner or tenant lives on-site and rents no more than half the bedrooms. Commercial dwelling units (7–29 days), hotels and motels, and bed-and-breakfasts follow separate zoning and Business Tax Receipt rules. These city rules do not cover the resort areas many investors mean by 'Orlando' — addresses in unincorporated Orange County, Kissimmee, or Osceola County follow different codes. Combined guest-facing tax is roughly 12.5%.
Draft. These rules were compiled from the sources listed below — official where available, with fields that rely on secondary sources marked for review — and have not yet been checked line by line. Confirm with the city before making decisions.
At a glance
What you need to know before you buy or list
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Short-term rental = under 30 days | The city defines a short-term rental as a stay of less than 30 days[1] |
| Entire-home rentals of 1–29 days not permitted | Renting an entire home for 1 to 29 days is not permitted under the city's home-sharing rules[1] |
| Home Share: host must live on-site, half the bedrooms max | A Home Share must be hosted by an owner or tenant who lives on-site, and only up to half the bedrooms may be rented[1] |
| Home Share registration and annual fee | Home Shares must register with the city and pay an annual fee through orlando.gov/homeshare; the fee amount was not confirmed in this pass[1] |
| Commercial units, hotels and B&Bs follow separate rules | Commercial dwelling units (7–29 days), hotels/motels (1–7 days), group housing (7+ days, with a zoning letter of determination) and bed-and-breakfasts (owner on-site, no more than two rooms in a residential district) each need a Business Tax Receipt and the right zoning[1] |
| Combined tax about 12.5% | A secondary source puts the combined rate at 12.5%: 6% Florida sales tax, 6% Orange County Tourist Development Tax, and a 0.5% discretionary surtax[2]Confirming |
| Fines reported from $250 per day | A secondary source reports civil fines starting at $250 per day for unregistered hosts; not confirmed against the city code[2]Confirming |
| Last researched | September 25, 2026 |
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Detailed rules
The full picture, section by section
Check which jurisdiction you're in
| City rules stop at city limits | The home-sharing program applies only inside incorporated City of Orlando limits; addresses in unincorporated Orange County follow separate land-use codes, and nearby resort areas in Kissimmee and Osceola County have their own rules[2]Confirming |
|---|
Florida statewide framework
| Florida's pre-2011 grandfather clause | Florida Statutes 509.032(7) bars local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating stay length unless their ordinance was in place by June 1, 2011. How Orlando's whole-home restriction fits within this framework should be confirmed with the city[3]Confirming |
|---|
Changes
Recent and pending changes
Watch the City of Orlando short-term rental fact sheet and home-share registration page, plus City Council agendas. The registration fee, penalty schedule and ordinance history were not confirmed from official sources in this pass. Orange County and Osceola County are separate markets and are not covered here.
Sources
Every rule above links to one of these
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This page is general information compiled from public sources, not legal or tax advice. HOA rules, deed restrictions and zoning for a specific property can be stricter. Confirm with the local permitting office and a qualified professional before buying or listing a property.