Short-term rentals in Sarasota, explained properly.

Sarasota County, Longboat Key, North Port and Venice each have their own zoning offices, and the County Tax Collector tells owners to check with the zoning department of the area where the unit is located. Areas outside City limits, including unincorporated Sarasota County and Siesta Key, are not covered by this page.

Chapter 34.5 does not apply where the owner resides on the property and is present on site during the guest stay. Owner occupied means the owner's primary and permanent residence, with the owner present throughout the stay, including overnight. A Florida homestead exemption on the property is conclusive proof. The minimum stay rule in the Zoning Code is separate from this exemption.

The City's registration program applies to one- to four-family homes in the Residential Single and Multi-Family zone districts. A proposed ordinance to extend registration to the Downtown Neighborhood (DTN) zone is scheduled for a public hearing on October 19, 2026 (see changes below). This page makes no claim about whether short stays are allowed in downtown, commercial or other zones; confirm with the City's zoning staff.

Chapter 34.5 sets non-refundable fees of $500 for an initial certificate (also charged when a new owner registers), $350 for each renewal, $200 for a late application, $200 for an amended certificate, $100 for a first re-inspection and $200 each for a second and third re-inspection. A proposed ordinance on the October 19, 2026 agenda would add new fees and increase current ones.

An initial application must include a copy of the City local business tax receipt (or other proof of payment), a current state DBPR license showing the rental is licensed as a transient public lodging establishment, evidence of arrangements to pay tourist development tax to the Sarasota County Tax Collector and sales and transient rental taxes to the Florida Department of Revenue, and the owner's declaration about the minimum stay rule. A certificate is issued only after an inspection shows the rental meets the chapter's safety and information requirements and other City rules, including zoning.

The registration application must include proof of payment of the City of Sarasota local business tax for the rental, and the County Tax Collector says rental units within city limits must pay the business tax of the city they are in. The amount for a vacation rental is not stated here; ask the City's Local Business Tax office.

Certificates expire on December 31 of the year issued, even if that is less than a year. Renewal applications are filed from July 1 to October 1 each year; the City charges a $200 late fee after the deadline. Each renewal also requires an inspection.

Certificates are non-transferable and non-assignable. When a vacation rental is sold or ownership is transferred, the new owner must apply for a new initial certificate within 15 days; otherwise the old certificate becomes void on the sixteenth day. A new inspection is required.

Overnight occupancy (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.) is limited to two persons per bedroom plus two more per property, with a ceiling of 10 in residential single-family zones and 12 in multi-family zones. Children under six are not counted. Mainland rentals lawfully operating on February 5, 2024 may host up to 14 through December 31, 2026; after that the standard limit applies. That temporary higher limit ends if the property is sold or has two adjudicated violations.

Each registered rental must name one or two designated responsible parties who can be reached by phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and who come to the rental within one hour (or as soon as reasonably possible) when notified by an occupant, the owner, the City or law enforcement.

All vehicles of vacation rental occupants must be parked in a driveway or parking area on the premises, in line with City ordinances.

Every advertisement, including online listings, must display the City vacation rental certificate of registration number, state the rental's maximum occupancy, match the registration information and follow the minimum stay requirement.

Code violations are heard by the City's special magistrate, who can assess penalties under the City Code and suspend a certificate: 30 days for a second violation, 60 for a third, 90 for a fourth and 30 more for each later one, up to 360 days. No guests may stay while a certificate is suspended. Each day a violation continues is a separate violation. The fine amounts are not stated here.

Sarasota County charges a 6% tourist development tax on rent for stays of six months or less, including fees in the rent such as cleaning and pet fees. It is paid to the Sarasota County Tax Collector. Airbnb and HomeAway (and affiliated sites) collect and remit it for bookings made on their sites; owners must collect and remit it for bookings made elsewhere.

Sarasota County's discretionary sales surtax is 1%, effective September 1, 1989 through December 31, 2039, charged on top of the 6% state sales tax.

Florida Statutes § 509.032(7)(b) says a local law, ordinance or regulation may not prohibit vacation rentals or regulate how long or how often they are rented. Local rules adopted on or before June 1, 2011 are exempt from this limit, so some older local rules on rental length can still apply. Section 509.032(7)(a) also reserves the regulation of public lodging establishments (sanitation, inspections and similar matters) to the state, while local governments keep building-code and fire-code inspections. Local governments can still require registration and set other rules that do not ban rentals or limit their length or frequency.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Division of Hotels and Restaurants, licenses vacation rentals. A license is needed when an entire unit is rented more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days or one calendar month, whichever is less, or when the unit is advertised or held out to the public as a place regularly rented to guests. Houses, townhouses and buildings of up to four units take a Vacation Rental – Dwelling license; condominium and cooperative units take a Vacation Rental – Condominium license. Renting single rooms rather than the whole unit does not need a DBPR license, though local rules may still apply. Current licenses must be displayed in a conspicuous place on the premises.

New DBPR vacation rental applications pay a $50 application fee, a $10 Hospitality Education Program fee and a license fee. For a single rental unit the full-year license fee is $170 (half-year $90); group licenses for 2 to 25 units are $180 (half-year $95), with higher tiers for more units. Renewals pay the $10 education fee plus the full-year license fee. Renewal and half-year dates depend on the county's DBPR district.

Anyone who rents, leases, lets or grants a license to use transient accommodations must register with the Florida Department of Revenue to collect, report and remit sales tax.

Florida's 6% state sales tax, plus any applicable county discretionary sales surtax, applies to rent paid for living, sleeping or housekeeping accommodations rented for six months or less.

Counties (and certain cities) may add a local option transient rental tax, such as a tourist development tax, on rentals of six months or less, on top of the 6% state sales tax and any surtax. The Department of Revenue's rate table lists each county's rate and who collects it. Most counties administer the tax themselves, and in those counties it is reported and paid directly to the county rather than to the state.