Osceola County (unincorporated), FL short-term rental rules
Whole-home vacation rentals are legal only inside Short-Term Rental Overlay districts, STR planned developments, and qualifying tourist zones; ordinary R-1/R-2 subdivisions prohibit them.
Does this apply to you?
Zone-limited · No license cap; the county issues licenses only for parcels in STR-eligible zones.
- conditional
Renting your primary residence
You live there and rent a room, or the whole home while you are away.
Only if the parcel sits in a Short-Term Rental Overlay district, STR planned development, or qualifying tourist zone. Standard R-1 and R-2 zoning treats nightly renting as a commercial use and prohibits it regardless of whether you live there.
Verified 2026-07-23 · Osceola County Land Development Code, Ch. 3 Art. 3.6 (Municode)
- conditional
Whole-home investment property
You do not live there; the unit is rented short-term full time.
Yes inside the Western (Disney/US-192) and Eastern (Turnpike) STRO districts, STR PDs, and tourist zones, with a county Short-Term Rental license (life-safety inspection, $1M liability cover, local contact), a Florida DBPR license, and a Business Tax Receipt.
Verified 2026-07-23 · Osceola County Land Development Code, Ch. 3 Art. 3.6 (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 tenant-operated rentals in unincorporated Osceola County.
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 outside Kissimmee and St. Cloud city limits — the US-192 resort communities such as Windsor Hills, Reunion, Terra Verde, Formosa Gardens, Veranda Palms, and Storey Lake. Inside Kissimmee or St. Cloud, that city’s land-development code controls.
For the whole market — every jurisdiction that gets marketed under the same name — read the Orlando / Kissimmee guide.
The rules
This is the engine of the “Orlando” vacation-home industry. The county’s Land Development Code (Chapter 3, Article 3.6) permits short-term rentals in designated Short-Term Rental Overlay districts — a Western District near Disney and US-192 and an Eastern District near Florida’s Turnpike — plus STR planned developments and qualifying tourist zones. Standard residential designations (R-1, R-2) prohibit nightly renting.
Operating legally takes three approvals: an Osceola County Short-Term Rental license through Community Development (life-safety inspection; minimum $160 inspection fee, $100 per re-inspection; floor plan, $1 million liability insurance, local responsible contact), a Florida DBPR vacation-rental license under Chapter 509, and a local Business Tax Receipt. Managers report the license and renewal at roughly $250 and $150 — confirm with the county.
Lodging tax stacks to 13.5%: 6% state, 1.5% surtax, and the 6% Osceola tourist development tax. Osceola County is not contracted with Airbnb or Vrbo; the county states it is the owner’s or agent’s responsibility to collect and remit the 6% tourist tax directly. Assuming the platform covers it accrues an unpaid liability every night.
The City of Kissimmee and the City of St. Cloud are separate jurisdictions with their own codes and their own records on this site — Kissimmee confines short-term rentals to its STRO overlay with conditional-use or PUD approval; St. Cloud lists them only as a conditional use in its Central Business District zones.
At a glance
| Governing body | Unincorporated Osceola County |
|---|---|
| Permit / license | County STR license (inspection, $160 min) + DBPR license + BTR |
| Primary residence | No residence rule — zoning decides |
| Whole-home investor | Yes — STRO districts, STR PDs, and tourist zones only |
| Night cap / minimum stay | None |
| Lodging tax | 13.5% (6% state + 1.5% surtax + 6% Osceola TDT, self-remitted) |
State context: Florida short-term rental laws — preemption, the DBPR license, and what cities may still regulate.