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, is present while guests stay, 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 12.5%.
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] [2] |
| Home Share: host lives on-site and is present, half the bedrooms max | A Home Share must be hosted by an owner or tenant who lives on-site and is present while guests stay; only up to half the bedrooms may be rented, one booking at a time, with no more than four unrelated guests (or two per room, whichever is less) [1] [2] |
| Home Share registration and annual fee | Home Shares must register with the city annually: $275 the first year, then $100 a year if owner-occupied or $125 a year if not owner-occupied [1] [2] |
| 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% | 12.5% combined: 6% Florida sales tax and 0.5% Orange County discretionary surtax (both filed with the Florida Department of Revenue), plus 6% Orange County Tourist Development Tax (filed with Orange County) [3] [4] [5] [6] |
| 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 [6]Confirming |
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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 [6]Confirming |
|---|
Florida statewide framework
| Florida's pre-2011 grandfather clause | Florida Statutes 509.032(7)(b) bars local governments from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating stay length unless their rule was adopted on or before June 1, 2011. How Orlando's whole-home restriction fits within this framework should be confirmed with the city [7] [8] [9] Renting single rooms rather than the whole unit is not a public lodging under state law and does not need a Florida DBPR vacation rental license, though local rules still apply. No 2026 state vacation rental legislation was found; a 2024 bill (CS/SB 280) passed the Legislature but was vetoed. |
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Changes
Recent and pending changes
We re-checked the City of Orlando short-term rental fact sheet (dated August 2021), the city's Home Sharing Registration page, Florida Statutes 509.032 (2026), Florida DBPR vacation rental guidance, Florida Department of Revenue tax rate tables, and recent news on the 2026 Florida legislative session and Orlando home sharing. No pending city or state changes were found. The penalty schedule and the ordinance's adoption history (City Code Ch. 58, Part 5B(19)) could not be read from Municode and remain unconfirmed. Watch the fact sheet, the home-sharing registration page and City Council agendas. Unincorporated Orange County, Kissimmee and Osceola County are separate jurisdictions and are not covered here.
Sources
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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.