Fort Lauderdale, FL short-term rental rules
Whole-home vacation rentals are legal citywide for single-family through four-family homes and condos once the property is registered with the City, passes a life-safety inspection, and holds a Certificate of Compliance.
Does this apply to you?
Permits open · No cap; registrations are issued citywide to any 1-4 family dwelling or condo that passes inspection and are renewed annually by September 30.
- allowed
Renting your primary residence
You live there and rent a room, or the whole home while you are away.
Yes. Renting your own home, or rooms in it, for stays under 30 days more than three times a year makes it a vacation rental that must be registered with the City and issued a Certificate of Compliance. Owner-occupied homes (the owner's homestead) are exempt from the day-time gathering cap while the owner is on site, and a homestead owner renting only a room may substitute a notarized statement for the DBPR license, but the city registration, inspection, and business tax receipts still apply.
Verified 2026-09-05 · Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances, Ch. 15 Art. X Vacation Rental, Sec. 15-271 and 15-278 (Municode) · City of Fort Lauderdale — Vacation Rental Registration
What the source says
Owner-occupied shall mean a vacation rental that is the primary and permanent residence of the owner of the property.
— Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances, Ch. 15 Art. X Vacation Rental, Sec. 15-271 and 15-278 (Municode)Department of Business and Professional Regulation - If the property is a homestead, owner-occupied, and renting a room only, you are exempt from providing this license.
— City of Fort Lauderdale — Vacation Rental Registration
- allowed
Whole-home investment property
You do not live there; the unit is rented short-term full time.
Yes. Any single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family house, dwelling unit, or condo unit may operate as a vacation rental anywhere in the city once the owner registers it with the City, pays the $880 registration fee (which includes the first inspection), obtains a Florida DBPR transient public lodging license, City and Broward County business tax receipts, a Florida Department of Revenue certificate, passes the life-safety inspection, and is issued a Certificate of Compliance. Overnight occupancy is capped at two persons per sleeping room and a 24/7 responsible party within one hour of the property is required.
Verified 2026-09-05 · Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances, Ch. 15 Art. X Vacation Rental, Sec. 15-272 (Municode) · City of Fort Lauderdale — Vacation Rental Registration
What the source says
It is unlawful for any person to allow another person to occupy any residential property that is a single-family, two-family, three-family, or four-family house or dwelling unit as a vacation rental within the city, or offer such property for rent as a vacation rental within the city, unless the owner of the property in fee simple title or his or her authorized representative has registered the property as a vacation rental property with the city and the vacation rental property has been issued a certificate of compliance in accordance with the provisions of this article.
— Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances, Ch. 15 Art. X Vacation Rental, Sec. 15-272 (Municode)Registration (up to 4 units under one folio) - includes 1st inspection $880.00
— City of Fort Lauderdale — Vacation Rental Registration
- 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 Fort Lauderdale. The city ordinance requires the registration to be filed by the fee-simple owner or the owner's authorized representative, and the city asks for a notarized letter of authorization from the owner when the applicant is not the owner.
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
Applies to parcels inside the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida city limits, including the barrier-island beach area, Las Olas Isles, Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Harbor Beach, and the Galt Ocean Mile. It does not govern Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park, Pompano Beach, Dania Beach, Hollywood, or unincorporated Broward County pockets (such as parts of Broadview Park or Roosevelt Gardens), each of which has its own rules. Confirm the municipality on the Broward County Property Appraiser parcel record before relying on this record.
The rules
Short-term rentals are legal throughout the City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Chapter 15, Article X of the city code (Ordinance C-15-29, adopted August 18, 2015, amended by C-16-25 in 2016 and C-23-34 in 2023) treats any single-family through four-family house, dwelling unit, or condo unit rented for periods under 30 days more than three times a calendar year as a vacation rental. The city does not restrict vacation rentals by zoning district or require the owner to live on site; it regulates through mandatory registration, inspection, occupancy limits, and a 24-hour responsible party. Advertising a unit for stays under 30 days is treated as direct evidence of vacation-rental use.
Registration is filed through the LauderBuild portal after the property already holds a Florida DBPR transient public lodging license, a Florida Department of Revenue certificate, a Broward County business tax receipt, and a Broward County tourist development tax account (or a notarized statement that the hosting platform remits the county tax). The city fee schedule lists $880 for registration of up to four units under one folio, which includes the first inspection; each further safety inspection, re-inspection, or no-show is $100, and transferring the rental agent is $50. A City of Fort Lauderdale business tax account is invoiced when the application is approved. A code officer inspects for hard-wired interconnected smoke and CO alarms, a fire extinguisher on each floor, pool safety, and a landline able to call 911; a Certificate of Compliance follows within three business days of passing. Registrations expire every September 30 and renewals are due 60 days earlier.
Lodging tax stacks to 13%: the 6% Florida transient rental tax and the 1% Broward County discretionary surtax (remitted to the Florida Department of Revenue), plus the 6% Broward County Tourist Development Tax remitted to the Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury Division for any rental of six months or less. The city registration page contemplates hosting platforms remitting the Broward tourist tax on the host's behalf and asks for a notarized statement naming the platform; direct bookings and any platform that does not remit remain the owner's responsibility.
The ordinance sets overnight occupancy at two persons per sleeping room as confirmed by inspection, caps gatherings at 1.5 times the overnight limit and never more than 20 people (owner-occupied homes with the owner present are exempt from the gathering cap), requires all vehicles to park in the driveway, applies the Chapter 17 noise limits, and requires a responsible party who answers 24/7 and can reach the property within one hour. Violations are civil infractions of $250 uncontested or $325 contested per day, with suspension or revocation of the Certificate of Compliance for repeat problems. Because Fort Lauderdale's ordinance dates from 2015, well after the June 1, 2011 grandfather date in Fla. Stat. 509.032(7)(b), the city cannot prohibit vacation rentals or regulate how often or how long they rent; its program is limited to registration, inspection, and nuisance standards.
Not yet reviewed: condominium and HOA private restrictions, the interaction with the city's Unified Land Development Regulations for buildings of more than four units, and tenant-operated rentals.
At a glance
| Governing body | City of Fort Lauderdale (municipality) |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | City Vacation Rental Registration + Certificate of Compliance ($880, inspection) + DBPR license + city and county BTRs |
| Primary residence | No residence rule — owner-occupied units get a gathering-limit exemption only |
| Whole-home investor | Yes — any 1-4 family dwelling or condo, with registration and inspection |
| Night cap / minimum stay | None |
| Lodging tax | 13% (6% state + 1% Broward surtax + 6% Broward TDT) |
State context: Florida short-term rental laws — preemption, the DBPR license, and what cities may still regulate.
Primary sources
- Fort Lauderdale Code of Ordinances, Ch. 15 Art. X Vacation Rental (Municode)
- City of Fort Lauderdale — Vacation Rental Registration
- Broward County Records, Taxes and Treasury — Tourist Development Tax
- Florida DOR — 2026 Discretionary Sales Surtax (DR-15DSS) (PDF)
- Fla. Stat. § 509.032 (vacation-rental preemption)