If you are researching a Florida short term rental purchase, you have probably wondered whether the compliance is worth the trouble. The honest answer: the state license is straightforward and clears in one to two business days online. The wrinkles show up at the city and county level.
Every short term rental in Florida needs a vacation rental license from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). The license is held in the property owner’s name, even when a manager runs the day-to-day. Here is how to get one, what it costs, and what else you will need on top.
What is a Florida DBPR vacation rental license?
A Florida DBPR vacation rental license is a state-issued permit required to operate a residential property as a short term rental. Florida Statute 509.241 requires every public lodging establishment, including vacation rentals, to hold a current license before operating. The Division of Hotels and Restaurants within DBPR issues and renews these licenses under the classifications laid out in Florida Statute 509.242.
The statute that defines what counts as a vacation rental is Florida Statute 509.013(4). A vacation rental is a house, condo, or unit rented to transient guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 consecutive days, or one held out as available for such rentals. If you list it on Airbnb or VRBO and it books regularly, you need a license.
Who needs one (and who doesn’t): exemptions
Most short term rentals in Florida need a DBPR vacation rental license. A few situations fall outside the requirement, but for two different legal reasons.
Statutory exemptions under Florida Statute 509.013(4):
- Properties rented three or fewer times per calendar year for periods of less than 30 days
- Timeshare projects
Outside the definition of a vacation rental entirely:
- Renting a bedroom inside an owner-occupied home (the statute applies to a whole house, condo, or two-to-four-family dwelling rented as transient lodging, not to a single bedroom in a home you live in)
- Long term rentals of 30 days or more
Hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts have their own license types.
A few specific cases come up often:
- Renting three or fewer times a year for short periods. Exempt under 509.013(4). You may still owe county tourist development tax and need a county business tax receipt.
- Owner-occupied “host home” rentals. Renting a bedroom inside a home you live in is not a vacation rental under the statute. The DBPR license requirement does not apply.
- Long term rentals (30 days or more). Not regulated as a vacation rental. Different rules apply.
- Condos and individual units rented as transient lodging. Not exempt. DBPR has a specific license type for condo vacation rentals.
If you are unsure whether you qualify, the safe answer is to apply. Operating without a license when you should have one is the expensive mistake.
Dwelling vs. condo, single vs. group vs. collective
DBPR issues two property types of vacation rental licenses, Dwelling and Condominium, based on how the property is structured. Within each type, the license can be Single (one unit), Group (multiple units at one location under one license), or Collective (multiple units across multiple locations under one umbrella, typically used by large management companies). Most owners need a Dwelling Single license.
| License type | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Vacation Rental Dwelling Single | One single-family home, townhouse, duplex, triplex, or fourplex you own and rent |
| Vacation Rental Dwelling Group | Multiple dwellings at one address under one license (e.g., a main house plus a guest cottage) |
| Vacation Rental Dwelling Collective | Multiple dwellings managed under one umbrella, typically for management companies |
| Vacation Rental Condominium Single | One condominium unit |
| Vacation Rental Condominium Group | Multiple condo units in the same building under one license |
| Vacation Rental Condominium Collective | Multiple condo units managed under one umbrella |
If you own one home and rent it out, you want Vacation Rental Dwelling Single. The application walks you through property type questions that confirm the right category.
How to apply: a walkthrough from someone who did it
Most owners need a Vacation Rental Dwelling Single license (one home, condo, duplex, triplex, or fourplex). The application is at myfloridalicense.com. You will need property ownership documentation, basic property details, and payment for the license fees. No inspection is required at initial application; DBPR may conduct random or complaint-based inspections after a license is issued.
When we applied for our property’s license earlier in 2026, the steps looked like this:
- Create a DBPR Online Services account at myfloridalicense.com if you do not already have one. The license is associated with a person or entity, not directly with the property. Decide upfront whether the license should be in your personal name, an LLC, or a trust. This matters for tax and liability and is hard to change later.
- Choose the right license type and tier. For most owners, that is Vacation Rental Dwelling, Single. The application walks you through property type questions that confirm the right category.
- Submit property details. The application asks for the property’s address, ownership details, and confirmation that the property meets safety requirements. The specific fields shown depend on property type and license tier.
- Pay the fees. A single-unit application currently runs $230 (see the next section for the breakdown). Pay online through the portal.
- Wait for approval. Most online applications are approved within one to two business days. The digital license arrives by email with a license number and an expiration date.
The license number and expiration date are what booking platforms like Airbnb and VRBO will ask for as licensing requirements tighten across the industry.
Fees and renewal
Florida DBPR vacation rental license fees scale by the number of units on the license. For a single-unit property, the math looks like this:
| Fee | Full year | Half year |
|---|---|---|
| License fee (single unit) | $170 | $90 |
| Application fee | $50 | $50 |
| Hospitality Education Program fee | $10 | $10 |
| Total for one home | $230 | $150 |
For more than one unit, the per-license fee scales up. The schedule covers tiers from one unit up to 501-plus units, with the full-year license fee climbing from $170 (single unit) to $350 (501-plus units), plus the $50 application fee and $10 HEP fee on each application.
License year and renewal date depend on which DBPR district your property is in. Florida is split into seven districts, each with its own renewal cycle. Half-year fees apply if you apply within six months before your district’s renewal date. Renewal is annual: you log in, pay the renewal fee plus the $10 HEP fee, and the license is extended another year.
DBPR updates fees periodically. The current fee schedule is on myfloridalicense.com. Verify current amounts before applying.
We set our own internal reminder 60 days before expiration as a backup. One missed renewal turns into a back-fee situation.
What happens if you skip it
Operating an unlicensed short term rental in Florida exposes you to fines from DBPR, code enforcement actions from your municipality, potential issues with your property insurer, and increasingly, removal from booking platforms. Airbnb and VRBO have begun requesting Florida license numbers for listings in some markets.
The fine schedule for operating without a DBPR license starts in the hundreds of dollars per violation and escalates. Beyond the direct fine, most homeowner insurance policies do not cover short term rental activity, and operating without proper licensure can be cited as a reason to deny a claim. The license costs less than one weekend booking. Skipping it is a bad trade.
The local layer: county and city add-ons
A Florida DBPR vacation rental license is the state requirement, not the only one. Some counties require a separate business tax receipt and a tourist development tax account. Cities may add permits, registrations, or inspections. A few Florida towns ban short term rentals entirely.
A few patterns we see in our service area (Palm Beach, Martin, and St Lucie counties):
- County business tax receipt (BTR). A local government registration that allows you to operate a business in that county. Annual fee. Used to be called an occupational license. Required regardless of which channel you list on.
- County tourist development tax (TDT) account. A separate registration with the county tax collector that lets you collect and remit the county lodging tax (5 to 6% in our service area) charged to guests on every stay. The BTR is your permission to operate. The TDT account is your tax-collection setup. They are not the same thing.
- Who collects TDT. Airbnb does not remit county TDT in Palm Beach, Martin, or St Lucie. The owner registers and remits TDT on every booking, including Airbnb stays.
- City-specific permits. Wellington requires a one-time vacation rental permit at $600 per unit (effective March 2024). Tequesta requires a vacation rental permit (per-bedroom fee; confirm current amount with the village). Boynton Beach requires short term rental registration on top of the county BTR (effective October 2023; confirm current fees with the city). Other cities have no city-specific requirement.
- Outright STR bans. Lake Worth Beach prohibits short term rentals. Town of Palm Beach effectively bans them with a three-month minimum. Boca Raton prohibits them in residential zones with escalating fines. Sewall’s Point in Martin County requires a 180-day minimum stay. If a property is in any of these jurisdictions, the state license does not help.
We will publish a separate post that walks through county and city requirements in detail. The rule of thumb: get your DBPR license, then check with your county tax collector and city zoning department before you go live. For context on what these markets actually earn, see our post on how much homes earn on Airbnb in Palm Beach County.
Real estate agents
Short term rental compliance is a common buyer due-diligence question. We provide free Florida revenue estimates and STR feasibility checks for your buyer clients. Learn more about our agent program.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Florida vacation rental license cost?
A single-unit Florida vacation rental license costs $230 for a full year ($170 license fee plus $50 application fee plus $10 Hospitality Education Program fee) or $150 for a half-year application. Multi-unit licenses scale up by tier, with the full-year license fee climbing from $170 to $350 depending on the number of units.
How long does DBPR take to process a vacation rental license application?
Online applications submitted through myfloridalicense.com are typically processed in one to two business days. The digital license is emailed immediately after approval. Paper applications take longer.
Do I need a DBPR license to rent my property on Airbnb in Florida?
Yes. Florida Statute 509.241 requires a DBPR vacation rental license for any property rented to transient guests more than three times in a calendar year for periods of less than 30 days, regardless of which platform you list on. Airbnb and VRBO are increasingly requiring the license number on listings.
Does my property manager need a separate DBPR license?
Generally, no. The DBPR vacation rental license is held in the property owner’s name, not the manager’s. Larger management companies that operate 50 or more units may hold a Vacation Rental Dwelling Collective license, which can cover managed properties under their umbrella. For most owners working with a local manager, the license is in the owner’s name and the owner is responsible for renewal and compliance.
This post is general information, not legal or tax advice. License requirements, fees, and processing times can change. Confirm with myfloridalicense.com, your county and city, and your CPA before acting. Last reviewed: May 9, 2026.