Clearwater, FL short-term rental rules
Clearwater bans rentals shorter than 31 days or one calendar month on every residentially zoned parcel, including Clearwater Beach houses; nightly and weekly rentals are legal only where 'overnight accommodations' is a permitted use, chiefly the Tourist, Commercial and Downtown districts.
Does this apply to you?
Zone-limited · The Residential Rental business tax receipt is issued on application with no cap, but it does not authorize stays under 31 days on residentially zoned land; nightly use exists only in T, C, D and other non-residential districts.
- restricted
Renting your primary residence
You live there and rent a room, or the whole home while you are away.
If your home is on residentially zoned property (LDR, LMDR, MDR, MHDR, HDR, NC overlay or MHP) you may rent it, or a room in it, only for 31 days or one calendar month at a time, whichever is less, and you may not even advertise shorter stays. Living in the house does not create an exception. The one narrow path in the LDR district is a Level Two flexible-development approval for up to four 'overnight accommodation' units accessory to a private residence on an arterial street, effectively a small bed and breakfast. Any rental of a dwelling in the city requires a Residential Rental business tax receipt with a local contact.
Verified 2026-09-05 · City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 8 Definitions (Municode) · City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 2 Zoning Districts, LDR flexible development (Municode) · City of Clearwater — Citizens Guide to Code Compliance (PDF)
What the source says
Residential use means a permanent place of residence for a family. A residential use located on residentially zoned property shall not include rentals for periods of less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less, or which is advertised or held out to the public as a place rented for periods of less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less.
— City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 8 Definitions (Municode)The use is accessory to the use of the principal building as a private residence;
— City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 2 Zoning Districts, LDR flexible development (Municode)In residential districts, the city doesn’t allow a property owner to lease or rent their property for short-term periods, which is anything less than 31 days or a calendar month.
— City of Clearwater — Citizens Guide to Code Compliance (PDF)
- restricted
Whole-home investment property
You do not live there; the unit is rented short-term full time.
A non-owner-occupied house or condo on residentially zoned land can be rented only for 31 days or one calendar month at a time; the code defines the residential 'dwelling unit' to exclude any shorter rental or advertisement, and Sec. 3-919 makes a DBPR transient license, a vacation-rental listing, overlapping short bookings or use of a booking agent prima facie evidence of a violation. Nightly and weekly rentals are the 'overnight accommodations' use, which Chart 2-100 permits in the Tourist (T), Commercial (C), Downtown (D), Office (O), US 19 and Institutional districts, not in LDR through HDR, so an investor wanting nightly income must buy in a T- or C-zoned building such as the Clearwater Beach condo-hotels. Every rental of a dwelling also needs a city Residential Rental business tax receipt with a local representative in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee or Sarasota County, plus a DBPR license and a Pinellas tourist development tax account (Airbnb and Vrbo bookings are platform-collected).
Verified 2026-09-05 · City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 8 Definitions (Municode) · City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Sec. 3-919 Prima facie evidence of certain uses in residential zoning district (Municode) · City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 3 Div. 23 Residential Rentals (Municode)
What the source says
Overnight accommodations means a facility containing one or more overnight accommodation units, the occupancy of which occurs, or is offered or advertised as being available, for a term of less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less.
— City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 8 Definitions (Municode)Registration or licensing for short-term or transient rental use by the state under Florida Statutes, Chapters 212 (Florida Tax and Revenue Act) and 509 (Public Lodging Establishments);
— City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Sec. 3-919 Prima facie evidence of certain uses in residential zoning district (Municode)A business tax receipt shall be required for all rentals set forth in Section 3-2301. Business tax receipt procedures and requirements shall be as set forth in Code of Ordinances Chapter 29. The fee charged for such business tax receipt shall be as set forth in the Code of Ordinances Appendix A, Division XVIII.
— City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 3 Div. 23 Residential Rentals (Municode)
- Not reviewed yet
Tenant subletting short-term
You rent the home and want to host guests with landlord consent.
We have not yet reviewed whether a tenant can operate a short-term rental in Clearwater.
STR Law Map is a reference, not a law firm. Nothing here is legal advice. Rules change — confirm current requirements with the city before operating.
Which government controls the parcel
This record governs addresses inside the City of Clearwater city limits, which include Clearwater Beach, Sand Key, Island Estates, downtown and the mainland neighborhoods. It does NOT govern Belleair, Belleair Beach, Belleair Bluffs, Dunedin, Largo, Safety Harbor, Indian Rocks Beach or unincorporated Pinellas County pockets (some 'Clearwater' mailing addresses are unincorporated). Confirm by searching the parcel on the Pinellas County Property Appraiser site and reading the municipality field.
The rules
Clearwater has one of the clearest short-term rental bans on Florida's Gulf coast. Article 8 of the Community Development Code defines 'residential use' on residentially zoned property to exclude rentals, or advertising of rentals, 'for periods of less than 31 days or one calendar month, whichever is less,' and the 'dwelling unit' definition says a unit on residential land 'shall be used only for a residential use.' Residentially zoned property means the LDR, LMDR, MDR, MHDR, HDR, Neighborhood Conservation Overlay and MHP districts, which cover the mainland neighborhoods and the single-family and condo streets of Clearwater Beach, Island Estates and Sand Key. Stays shorter than a month are the separate 'overnight accommodations' use, which Chart 2-100 permits in the Tourist (T), Commercial (C), Downtown (D), Office (O), US 19 and Institutional districts. Owner-occupancy makes no difference; the only residential-district exception is a Level Two approval in LDR for up to four overnight units accessory to a private residence on an arterial street.
Any rental of a house, attached dwelling, dwelling unit or accessory dwelling in the city requires a Residential Rental business tax receipt under Article 3, Division 23 (Sec. 3-2302), applied for online through the Planning and Development Department. The application must name a local contact with a physical address and working phone number in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee or Sarasota County (Sec. 3-2303), and the applicant must initial the 31-day definition and acknowledge the residential rental minimum standards. The fee is set in Code of Ordinances Appendix A, Division XVIII; we did not extract the current dollar figure. Business tax receipts renew each September 30. A DBPR vacation-rental license and a state sales-tax account are still required by Florida law, and Sec. 3-919 treats holding a DBPR transient license on a residential parcel as prima facie evidence of a violation, so obtaining one for a residentially zoned house is self-incriminating.
Lodging tax totals 13%: 6% state sales tax, the 1% Pinellas discretionary sales surtax (Florida DOR form DR-15DSS, calendar year 2026) and the 6% Pinellas County tourist development tax on any rental of six months or less, filed with the Pinellas County Tax Collector in Clearwater. The tax collector lists Airbnb (bookings from December 1, 2015), HomeAway, VRBO, HouseTrip, VacationHomeRentals and VacationRentals (October 1, 2018) and Misterb&b (June 1, 2018) as registered platforms that collect and remit the TD tax, while warning that the owner remains liable if a platform fails to collect and must self-remit on direct bookings.
Code Compliance enforces on complaint and through advertising sweeps; Sec. 3-919 lists a state transient license, a vacation-rental advertisement, overlapping sub-31-day bookings or use of a booking agent as each sufficient prima facie evidence, and violations go to the Municipal Code Enforcement Board with fines and liens. On preemption, the 31-day rule is a duration regulation, but it appears grandfathered: Sec. 3-919 carries an ordinance history of 2003 and 2009 (Ord. No. 7105-03 and Ord. No. 8042-09) and the Article 8 definitions section lists ordinances back to 2000, all before the June 1, 2011 cutoff in Fla. Stat. § 509.032(7)(b), so the city may lawfully prohibit rentals under 31 days on residential land.
Not yet reviewed: tenant-operated rentals, the current Appendix A fee for the Residential Rental business tax receipt, and the Beach by Design and Downtown special-area plans that govern overnight-accommodation density in the T and D districts.
At a glance
| Governing body | City of Clearwater (municipality) |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | City Residential Rental BTR (local contact required) + DBPR license + Pinellas TDT account (platform-collected on Airbnb/Vrbo) |
| Primary residence | No residence rule — 31-day minimum applies to everyone in residential zones |
| Whole-home investor | Monthly-plus yes; nightly only in Tourist, Commercial, Downtown and other non-residential districts |
| Night cap / minimum stay | 31-day / one-calendar-month minimum in residential districts |
| Lodging tax | 13% (6% state + 1% Pinellas surtax + 6% Pinellas TDT) |
State context: Florida short-term rental laws — preemption, the DBPR license, and what cities may still regulate.
Primary sources
- City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 8 Definitions (Municode)
- City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 2 Zoning Districts, Chart 2-100 Permitted Uses (Municode)
- City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Sec. 3-919 Prima facie evidence of certain uses in residential zoning district (Municode)
- City of Clearwater Community Development Code, Art. 3 Div. 23 Residential Rentals (Municode)
- City of Clearwater — Business Tax Receipts (BTR)
- City of Clearwater — Application for Residential Rental Property Business Tax Receipt (PDF)
- City of Clearwater — Citizens Guide to Code Compliance (PDF)
- Pinellas County Tax Collector — Tourist Development Taxes
- Florida DOR — 2026 Discretionary Sales Surtax (DR-15DSS) (PDF)
- Fla. Stat. § 509.032 (vacation-rental preemption)