How to get a short-term rental permit in Jacksonville, FL (2026)
Jacksonville requires Vacation Rental License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — state license; the City of Jacksonville has no municipal STR permit) — the fee is $170, renewed annual. Here's how to get and keep it.
Permit at a glance
| Permit required | Yes |
|---|---|
| Permit name | Vacation Rental License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — state license; the City of Jacksonville has no municipal STR permit) |
| Permit fee | $170 |
| Renewal | Annual |
Step by step
- 1
Confirm your property is eligible
Confirm the property's zoning allows short-term rentals. Jacksonville's Zoning Code (Ordinance Code Ch. 656) contains no short-term-rental-specific use category or restriction, so STRs operate in residential zones citywide. A City Council Short-Term Vacation Rentals Special Committee (terminated in 2019) studied zoning and registration but no ordinance was adopted. Because Jacksonville has no pre-June-2011 vacation-rental ordinance, F.S. 509.032(7)(b) preempts the city from prohibiting vacation rentals or regulating their duration or frequency. A local STR ordinance was in development by the Mayor's Office as of February 2026 but nothing has been adopted.
- 2
Apply for the Vacation Rental License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — state license; the City of Jacksonville has no municipal STR permit)
Submit the Vacation Rental License (Florida DBPR, Division of Hotels and Restaurants — state license; the City of Jacksonville has no municipal STR permit) application to Jacksonville and pay the $170 fee. State DBPR fee, not a city fee: full-year single license $170 (half-year $90), plus a $50 application fee for new licenses or change of ownership; a $10 Hospitality Education Program fee applies and is not prorated. Group and collective license fees scale by number of units. The DBPR license is only required for whole-unit rentals rented more than three times a year for stays under 30 days (or advertised as regularly rented); renting a single room in an occupied home is exempt from DBPR licensing. The City of Jacksonville itself charges no STR permit fee.
- 3
Register for occupancy taxes
Register to collect and remit the applicable lodging/occupancy taxes for Jacksonville. Some are collected automatically by the booking platform and some you may need to remit yourself.
- 4
Renew on schedule
The permit renews annual — set a reminder so it never lapses, since operating on an expired permit typically triggers fines.
STR rules change without warning.
Get an email the moment Jacksonville changes its short-term rental rules — plus renewal reminders before your permit expires.
Watch Jacksonville for changes →Free monthly digest · same-day alerts from $5/mo · cancel anytime
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Verified July 21, 2026. Informational only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Permit requirements and fees change; confirm current requirements with Jacksonville before applying.